While reading a novel idea of the wind-up tooth-brush, it occurred to me that the next step towards a powered tooth-brush is to replace the spring-loaded wind-up mechanism with a hamster cage having several hamster running at full speed towards a peanut tied to a string. The tooth-brush would be connected to the rotating axis of the cage with a flexible power-train.

To operate, the person places one to several hamsters into the cage, depending upon how much power will be needed to clean the teeth. As we know, some teeth need more cleaning than others. Then, a peanut tied to the string is placed towards one end outside the cage as a hamster attractant. It is helpful if the hamsters are kept semi-starved to encourage them to run faster towards the peanut, as we know hunger is a strong motivator. As the hamsters run towards the attractant they rotate their cage. The rotating force is transmitted to the toothbrush by the flexible power-train. The hamsters should continue to power the tooth-brush until the teeth are completely clean. Then the peanut is removed and the then confused hamsters can be removed for the next cleaning session.

The advantage of this is that the peanut need not be consumed and is reusable for as long as desirable. Because the tooth-brush does not consume fossil fuel, it would be beneficial in terms of reducing global warming.

I am told that hamsters are consumed in South America as a protein staple and are raised by many familes for this purpose. It’s a shame that hamsters are used for food instead of a source of green-energy. Clean teeth are more important than a few bites of food and the problem of global warning could be appreciably reduced by hamsters instead of petroleum or coal for a variety of processes.

el dueno
-- el dueno, Aug 28 2008

A horses tail, still attached to the horse, coated with fine tooth brush like bristles, seems to me to be a little more practical.

(And I ain't talkin' equisetum.)
-- skinflaps, Aug 28 2008


This design also lends itself to a simple and elegant speed regulation mechanism consisting of a centrifugal governor attached to the peanut string, moving the peanut towards or away from the hamsters to keep them running at a constant velocity. [+]
-- Wrongfellow, Aug 29 2008


So it's a *Hungry* Hamster Powered Toothbrush.
-- phoenix, Aug 29 2008



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