Technology
Fiber Optics Ultraviolet light is useful for detecting lice. Our brush also uses light, instead of lighting up the whole head like a lighthouse beacon, the Lice-A-Nator uses fine optical fibers to pinpoint light on the hair and scalp. They are like hundreds of tiny detectives with flashlights and walkie-talkies. The optical fibers communicate with light pulses like Morse Code. They send information back into the brush’s computer brain--the processor. Processors and Mobile Apps Microprocessors in the brush handle collect and make sense of the information sent from the fiber optic bristles. Using radio signals this information is then sent to smart phones and table computers equipped with the free Lice-A-Nator app. You will be told exactly how many lice and nits are on the head. It can map them and even tell you the age and gender of the lice. When connected to a wi-fi network, the Lice-A-Nator can communicate with phones and computers that are far away, like the school nurse’s office, for example.
 
Lasers When we first imagined the Lice-A-Nator, we thought of it only as a lice detector. That early model was called the Super Lice Detector. Then Nina said that we really needed to find a good way to kill the lice once we found them. That is when we learned about ruby pulsating lasers that have been used in medical care. We learned that through miniaturization and using smart phones and tablets to help analyze the data, we could fit lasers into the brush. The tiny bursts from the lasers are harmless to human but deadly to nits and lice.