Having someone poking around in your mouth is uncomfortable. Put a drill in there and the situation can get straight up scary. So it’s not surprising that millions of people fear visiting the dentist for their biannual check ups. Being that the drills have high-pitched frequncies, it's nearly impossible to drown the noise out, but if professor Brian Millar at King’s College Dental Institute and his research team have their way, the wretched sound of the drill will be tuned out within the next few years.
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Millar and his team developed a headset device that plugs in to a music player, be it a mobile phone or iPod. It uses a microphone and a microchip that engages in adaptive filtering to catch certain sound waves and block them, even if the frequency changes. Although it filters out the sound of the drill, it allows the patient to hear the dentist's voice.
Millar was inspired to develop the product from the car company Lotus, who does the same thing to dispell road noise. The team is currently looking for investors to further develop the product, but if it does get made, dento-phobes may be sporting much more attractive smiles.
Via: DailyMail UK
Credit: Thierry Dosogne/Getty Images
Tags: Cell Phones, Design, Gadgets, Health, Inventions
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