Tech Trends
C D A J O U R N A L , V O L 4 8 , Nº 9
A look into the latest dental and general technology on the market
Elgato HD60 S USB Video Capture Card ($179.99, Elgato) As the world adjusts to the new pandemic normal, the built-in camera has become one of the most-used technologies that people rely on now to “see” each other. While these cameras are easy to use and can be high quality, applications like telehealth, video production and podcasting can demand ultrahigh resolution, atypical camera placement and video feeds from specialized devices like intraoral cameras and DSLRs with macro lenses. Capturing or streaming video from these sources is not always as simple as plugging in a device and hitting record; when simultaneous video capture and streaming are required, the technological headaches quickly pile up. Video capture devices like the Elgato HD60 S take the guesswork out of this process, and while it is far from being the only video capture device on the market, its durability, ease of use and predictability have made it an industry standard. As Elgato’s slogan says, “Stream and Record. Instantly.” The HD60 S is a USB 3.0 device that is slightly smaller than a cellphone. It has four ports: a USB-C port that connects to a computer to pass data and supply power, an HDMI input that takes video from most video sources, a 3.5 mm audio port and an HDMI output that can pass video to a monitor or television. The setup process is simple, but not fully automated, prompting users to make a handful of critical selections that could negatively impact performance. The sum of this hardware and software allows users with a single button press to connect a video device — such as a digital camera or camcorder — directly to a computer, see what the camera is recording on the computer screen and simultaneously record this video to a hard drive, broadcast the video to another application like Zoom and show this video on another monitor. The video quality on both the recording and stream are at 1080p with a respectable 60 frames per second. By streamlining the capture of high-quality video, practitioners can better share clinical procedures with peers, create media for patients and appear more professional in virtual meetings. For those looking to impress with their videos, the Elgato HD60 S video capture card is a powerful tool to help tame the digital media creation process. — Alexander Lee, DMD 466 SEP TEMBER
2020
Pokémon Smile (Free, The Pokémon Company) With the pandemic having no clear end in sight, adjustments to daily life are a frequent necessity. While there is no substitute for regular dental visits, parents can actively promote good oral hygiene habits for their children in a fun, engaging and clever way during quarantine with Pokémon Smile. Based on the popular fictional characters, Pokémon Smile combines augmented reality, artificial intelligence and gaming to encourage kids to have good toothbrushing habits and skills at home. Pokémon Smile requires the use of the front-facing camera on a mobile device along with parental supervision for children. Each family member can create a profile and select a Pokémon to begin. Once a game starts, the goal is to defeat harmful bacteria through good toothbrushing. The screen displays a video of the child, a Pokémon cap overlay on top of their head and the game on the bottom where bacteria are covering a row of teeth. With the timer ticking the seconds down, children follow an odontogram on the bottom right that highlights the area where they should be brushing. Through the camera video, the app detects toothbrush position and movement and provides feedback to keep children on track to defeat the bacteria. As time runs out, children are successful in their fight and are rewarded through the release of a Pokémon character and corresponding cap that can be selected for the next game. At the end of every game, children can select one of a few pictures automatically taken of themselves during the game and decorate it with stickers and other images that can be saved in the camera roll to be shared with others. Parents can customize the timer and enable brushing reminder notifications at specified times. With over 150 Pokémon to release, children can expand their Pokédex through good toothbrushing habits as they defeat bacteria both in the game and in their mouth. — Hubert Chan, DDS
