Measurement algorithm for oral care simulator using a single force sensor

Abstract

In general, oral care training is often practiced in pairs. However, this method is not recommended in the current situation with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, because it requires face-to-face and short-distance work. To address this problem, we propose a measurable oral care simulator, where a single force sensor is installed at the bottom of the gum model. We developed a measurement algorithm for estimating the force and contact points of the brush from the force and moment measured by the force sensor. The proposed simulator can be used to practice oral care by oneself without any risk of infection. In addition, the efficiency of practice is expected to improve, because the proposed simulator can be used to objectively evaluate oral care skills. Furthermore, the gum model can be easily adjusted to practice various cases of oral care. Experiments were performed to validate the proposed oral care simulator with two gum models, a real gum model and a displayable gum model that shows the brushing results. The results confirmed that the proposed oral care simulator and algorithm accurately estimate the contact points as well as the normal and tangential forces of the brush with only one force sensor.