BIELEFIELD UNIVERSITY, BIELEFIELD, GERMANY. Brushing our teeth on a regular basis could actually be considered as one of those activities that we wish we won’t ever have to do again. It is by choice that some people don’t brush their teeth because they think they’re just too tired to do it.

However, things are so much different for people with dementia or other learning difficulties. As much as they would want to perform this simple activity for hygienic purposes on a regular basis, their condition keeps them from doing so. At least that was the case until recently when a group of inventors created an AI assistant which does more than just help them wash their hands properly.

Although the process of brushing the teeth is more complicated than washing the hands, it is not impossible to do with the help of the AI assistant. They call this AI assistant the TEBRA system which also uses a video camera that helps monitor the person as he or she brushes her teeth. It also checks if the person is able to follow the steps to correctly perform the activity as it prompts instructions through a screen on the washstand. This system helps them pick up from the last step where they have left off until they perform the task successfully.

The TEBRA system was created by Christian Peters and his colleagues at Bielefeld University in Germany. Currently, it is being tested at a particular care home to help patients wash their hands and brush their teeth. The caregivers at the care home also noticed that the TEBRA was also less distracting for the patients as compared to the actual caregivers. The new system is set to be presented at the International Conference on Health Informatics in Barcelona, Spain.