Sonicare is an electric toothbrush

Electric toothbrush

An electric toothbrush is a toothbrush that uses electric power supplied usually by a battery to move the brush head rapidly, either oscillating side to side, or rotation-oscillation .- History :...

 manufactured by Philips

Philips

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....

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Product and technology

The brush head vibrates at hundreds of times per second, with the latest models at 31,000 strokes per minute. Rather than connecting to its charger with conductors, it utilizes inductive charging

Inductive charging

Inductive charging uses an electromagnetic field to transfer energy between two objects. This is usually done with a charging station. Energy is sent through inductive coupling to an electrical device, which then can use that energy to charge batteries....

—the charger includes the primary winding of the voltage-reducing transformer and the fat handle of the brush includes the secondary winding. The replaceable head is also driven magnetically.

History

In 1987, David Giuliani, an entrepreneur with a background in electrical engineering, met with University of Washington professors Drs. David Engel and Roy Martin. They formed a new company named GEMTech to promote a dental hygiene device using a piezoelectric

Piezoelectricity

Piezoelectricity is the charge which accumulates in certain solid materials in response to applied mechanical stress. The word piezoelectricity means electricity resulting from pressure...

 multimorph transducer

Transducer

A transducer is a device that converts one type of energy to another. Energy types include electrical, mechanical, electromagnetic , chemical, acoustic or thermal energy. While the term transducer commonly implies the use of a sensor/detector, any device which converts energy can be considered a...

. After several years of research and creating prototypes, the Sonicare toothbrush was introduced in November 1992 at a periodontal convention

Convention (meeting)

A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...

 in Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

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In 1995, GEMTech changed its name to Optiva Corporation. In October 2000, Philips Domestic Appliances and Personal Care, a division of Philips, acquired Optiva Corporation. A few months later Optiva Corporation changed its name to Philips Oral Healthcare, Inc. By the end of 2001, Sonicare had become the number-one selling rechargeable power toothbrush in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. In 2003, to improve Philips brand recognition in the US, Philips began rebranding the Sonicare toothbrush as "Philips Sonicare".