Idea of the Day: a hands-free toothbrush (rethink the obvious)

Here are two things to consider:

1. If we spend two minutes, twice per day brushing our teeth and the average lifespan of an American is somewhere around 75 years, that’s approximately 1,825 hours or seventy six days that we spend brushing our teeth.

I came to this realization when I asked my daughter to contribute an idea of the day. To encourage her thought process, I asked her to think about something she doesn’t like to do. Her answer? “Brush my teeth.”

In response I asked her how she could improve the process. It turns out that she actually likes having clean teeth (whew) it’s just the time and effort that bugs her. (This coming from an 11 year old who worked at a barn for ten hours on Saturday then helped me renovate the bathroom for nine hours on Sunday).

Anyway, her idea is to develop a hands-free toothbrush: a pressure-activated mouth guard with bristles inside, so you can brush all of your teeth at the same time. It’s quick and efficient (probably more efficient than a regular toothbrush). It would save her extra time that she could be texting (d’oh!), or doing something else that she actually enjoys. I know it seems absurd at first, but once I did the math I started thinking ‘this might not be such a bad idea.’

Humanity has come a long way since we started using sticks to clean our teeth. Why hasn’t the process evolved over the past one hundred years? What advantage does using our hands offer? My greater point is this: what else do we accept as status-quo, when there could be better methods out there?

2. Try to visualize a picture that represents ‘idea.’

What’s the first thing that comes to mind? I’d put down good money betting you’d say ‘a light bulb.’ Understandable. But why? Who decided that the best way to represent an idea is a light bulb? That was a cool invention, but haven’t there been other ideas that are as influential? How about indoor plumbing, antibiotics, radio, television or the internet? I’m working on a new logo to represent my idea process and its value to businesses. Do you think a light bulb would represent this well? I don’t. The process of ideating has evolved. It’s time to re-think the obvious.

Today’s recommendation is for you to re-examine something commonplace (a product or a process) and see how you could improve it. Let me know what you come up with!