Dyson’s most overengineered gadget may have a waterproofing problem

There’s always a danger in over-complicating products. Simple is so often best. The apocryphal story of NASA spending millions crafting a space pen while Soviet cosmonauts used a pencil is often cited as a prime example, even if it’s actually not true. Perhaps it’s not surprising that Dyson has got into hot water trying to reinvent the electric toothbrush.

The Chinese invented the first bristle toothbrush during the Ming dynasty. That concept muddled along quite nicely until 1937, when Tomlinson Moseley filed a patent for the earliest electric toothbrush. After more than 400 years, the Motodent marked the beginning of an evolutionary shift from manual brushing to powered oral care.

Having had considerable success reimagining established product categories such as stick vacuums and premium hair dryers—though not so much air-purifying headphones—the company earlier this month, with great fanfare, unveiled the next leap forward for teeth: the $499 Dyson CameraJet with a tiny camera to aim streams of rinsing fluid into the gaps between your teeth.

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