How Singapore played a part in bringing the new Dyson CameraJet smart toothbrush to life

SINGAPORE – The new CameraJet smart toothbrush by consumer tech firm Dyson has set the internet abuzz, with its built-in camera and $699 price tag. But did you know that much of its development took place right here in Singapore?

Out of 661 Dyson engineers who worked on the CameraJet – which precision-flosses your teeth while you brush – some 300 were based in Singapore. Also, 43 Singapore-based inventors are named on 25 of the 38 patents filed for the product.

The Singapore-headquartered British brand also has a facility in Malmesbury in England. The Malmesbury campus houses company functions dedicated to deep long-term research, as well as the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology.

The work done in Singapore – at Dyson’s St James Power Station global headquarters – included acoustics testing to reduce unwanted vibration and noise from early prototypes, user trials to observe how people interacted with the product, prototype building and testing with 3D printers, and engineering on the colours, materials and finishes.

A group of Singapore-based employees also joined their global counterparts in presenting the smart toothbrush during the launch events in Paris and Berlin in early September.

They included Tan Jee Chong, an engineer with the Test Development team at Dyson, which developed bespoke robotic systems that replicate how a human might interact with the toothbrush in a real-world setting. 

An example of the robotic arms used in the Singapore labs was brought to the Dyson CameraJet global launch in Paris, so that attendees could see how the product might work when manoeuvred by a real human arm onto real human teeth – as opposed to just looking at static displays.  

‘We are a Singapore company’

The company also teamed up with the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Faculty of Dentistry to develop “proxy plaque”, a synthetic compound that emulates the sticky behaviour of real plaque.

With this proxy plaque, it was possible to test and iterate the CameraJet’s plaque-blasting capabilities without the hassle of running multiple clinical trials on real human mouths.

Associate Professor Vinicius Rosa, the NUS Dentistry research lead for novel diagnostics and therapeutics, says that the proxy plaque project spanned some five years.

“Our studies on the properties of oral biofilms and their interactions with dental enamel contributed to a better understanding of these biological systems, and that knowledge helped inform the wider research underpinning the project,” he explains.

He is careful to disclaim that he and the NUS Dentistry team were not directly involved in the development of the CameraJet, but adds: “Academia and industry often approach questions differently, and working together allowed us to combine scientific and clinical expertise with Dyson’s engineering perspective, resources and approach to project execution.”

During an interview with The Straits Times in Paris, a day after the CameraJet’s launch on Sept 1, company founder James Dyson describes NUS’ Faculty of Dentistry as “brilliant”. “We were very lucky to have that on our doorstep and be able to work with them.”

He adds that one can expect Singapore to continue playing a role in any innovative consumer technology product Dyson comes up with next.

“Singapore encourages manufacturing and encourages engineers to come out of their universities. And we don’t have that here in England. To be somewhere where manufacturing and engineering are actively encouraged by the Government has been really important.”

Two days after the CameraJet’s launch, the brand launched a suite of other home care products during the Dyson Unveiled event in Berlin, many of which were also partly developed in Singapore.

They include three new robot vacuums: the R2 Nurovi Wash+Dry ($1,199, available now), and the R3 Nurovi Spot+Scrub UV and R1 Nurovi Dry (pricing and availability to be announced).

There is also a new W1 PencilWash + Dok wet and dry cleaner and two HushJet air purifiers coming in October.

James admits that Singapore is a more expensive location to be than Britain, in terms of property and labour costs, but says that the trade-off has been worth it. 

Ultimately, he says: “We are a Singapore company. We’re an Asian company. We’re run from Singapore, and we’re proud of that. And the Government, I hope, is proud of us and certainly supports us.”

Info: The CameraJet and the R2 Nurovi Wash+Dry can be purchased from Dyson stores and selected retailers including Lazada, TikTok and Shopee.