NEW YORK, New York, and PARIS, France--Kolibree, a company dedicated to connected solutions to keep people healthy and smart, has announced that the world’s first connected electric toothbrush launched at the International Consumer Electronics show in January 2014, is available for pre-orders on Kickstarter.
Funds raised from supporters of Kickstarter, a crowd-funding platform that offers users the ability to fund a project or product, will be used to manufacture and distribute Kolibree’s connected toothbrush. A limited rollout is exppected in June 2014 with distribution worldwide in the U.S. and Europe in the latter part of Q3 or early Q4 2014.
Kolibree’s connected toothbrush has a technology with sensors to analyze brushing habits and displays them on a mobile dashboard that can readily be accessed from a phone. Brushing behavior can be determined from that data to improve habits in time.
By being armed with this data, people can be more empowered to take better care of their teeth with the hope of making future dentist visits less painful and less expensive. Kolibree is particularly useful for parents who want to instill positive brushing habits for their children as early as possible.
"We wanted to leverage our background and experience in hardware, connected devices, and Bluetooth technology by creating a product that will help people become more empowered to take better care of themselves,” said Thomas Serval, CEO and cofounder of Kolibree.
Added Loic Cessot, CPO and cofounder: “The incredibly positive response we’ve had so far is affirmation of a product that not only transforms a behavior we do every day but also of the growing awareness of how connected devices can help us all gain better control of issues impacting our overall health and well-being.”
The Kickstarter rewards are being offered at various funding levels.
For those who want to be in the first commercial batch, the first 500 funders will be offered a Kolibree toothbrush for only $99 with a price point of $129 for the next 1,000 supporters. The toothbrush at these price points will come in Feather White, and include two brush heads.
Supporters who wish to receive a Kolibree toothbrush in their choice of Feather White, Dove Gray, Berry Blue, or Cerise Pink can do so for only $149. This also will include two brush heads. All orders will receive an induction charging station and the free mobile app, which supports iPhone and Android smartphones.
In addition, for $199, there will be a specific offer for developers with beta API access and free support, and an educational software package for dentists for $299. Offers are available for fans wishing to support Kolibree at higher funding levels.
“While Kolibree launched in the U.S., and Kickstarter was birthed in the U.S., we have been receiving support from fans on nearly every continent, so we encourage people from around the world to support our campaign,” Serval said.
The Kickstarter campaign will run through May 23, 2014, and has a fundraising target of $70,000.
People may have been told that plaque and tartar build up can lead to loss of teeth if not monitored and acted upon fast enough; however, many people do not realize that poor dental care can also impact the overall care of health.
Designed for families, the app works with several toothbrushes so a family can participate, and data can be monitored in a single profile on one phone. Kolibree allocates points to kids to encourage them to improve their brushing habits.
Gamification will be built into the app to keep users motivated to improve brushing habits, as well as brush longer. The brushing data will also be available via an open API to let third-party game designers develop new apps.
“The Kolibree toothbrush can transform the way people brush their teeth," Cessot said.
Kolibree is spearheading the concept of Crowdbrushing. The more data we receive on people’s brushing habits, the more reliable and accurate the software is, which is a significant benefit to users and the community at large. For the first time, we’ll have usage data that will benefit us as consumers take better control of our health and to dentists who can better serve their patients.”
For more information, visit www.kolibree.com.
To comment on this product, go to http://community.pennwelldentalgroup.com.
