Dyson's CameraJet toothbrush is essentially a $70,000 piece of lab equipment in a handheld form, according to the chief engineer behind the $500 toothbrush.
The company's latest foray into oral care launched with a camera, a jet that targets gaps, and a flossing function, all packed into a $500 device. Unfortunately, early adopters of the $500 toothbrush are reporting failures soon after purchase, which Dyson has recognized in a recent statement, with the company writing, "small number of early batches of Dyson CameraJet products may have experienced a component issue. We are isolating those batches and are taking all the necessary steps to support our customers."
Jake Dyson, Chief Engineer at the firm, described the development process as one of the most complex in the company's history, as it took six years to train the camera within the toothbrush on all of the different variations of people's mouths, as the toothbrush needed to reach a point where it was able to accurately identify the gaps between teeth in everyone's mouth. According to lab tests, the CameraJet's 100K-pixel macro camera uses 28 images per second to detect gaps and deliver targeted mouthwash.
"It genuinely took six years to train that camera, because of the variations in people's mouths. It's highly complex," says Jake. "You've got saliva, you've got things moving in front of the camera, you've got dark, shade, light. It's so many things the machine learning has to account for."
"What you have there is essentially a $70,000 piece of lab equipment in a handheld consumer product," said Jake Dyson
The product's reception has been mixed since it was announced. While testers praised its performance and innovation, the supply shortages and reported malfunctions have now raised questions about its viability and whether that $500 price tag is worth the risk.
"We [continue to] improve it. It trains itself to be even better the more you use it, so it understands your mouth," says Jake.
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Despite these headwinds, the company remains optimistic, noting strong global demand for the CameraJet, more than it anticipated. Dyson says it is ramping up to meet this unexpected demand, along with a commitment to addressing the issues.
