Tooth talk

Science World, Nov 29, 2002 by Victoria Marcinkowski

Wouldn't it be great to have a cell phone invisible to everyone but you? Well, with this tiny tooth-phone implant you need only start listening to pick up a call--the ultimate hands-free phone.

Last summer, two researchers at the Royal College of Art in London invented the "molar mobile"--the world's first tooth phone. Here's how it works: A tiny wireless receiver embedded in your back molar picks up radiowaves, a form of electromagnetic energy that pulses invisibly through space and matter. A magnet then converts the incoming signals into sound waves, which vibrate painlessly from the tooth up the jawbone to your inner ear. "Your jaw carries sound waves on a molecular level," explains inventor James Auger. In a normal cell phone, the earpiece emits sound waves that travel through air to reach your inner ear.

But don't call your dentist for a tooth-phone implant just yet. The phone only accepts incoming signals--meaning you can listen but can't talk back. You'll also need a remote-control device outside your body to program the phone--and to turn it off when you get tired of those voices in your head.