Leave it to the folks at MIT to develop high-tech...toothbrushes? And not just any toothbrushes, but "toothbrush toys promoting good dental hygiene."

Instructor Barry Kudrowitz's Toy Product Design course created protypes of kid-friendly toothbrushes and toothpaste dispensers to get kids excited about dental hygiene. Tough job, huh? They actually came up with some really cool stuff.

Entries include a brush that dispenses a sticker every time you brush well, a toothbrush that lets you mix up your own flavors, and a even gravity-defying, magnetic Batman Batcave to hold dental supplies. An R2D2 holder that ejects a lightsaber toothbrush was voted the best product design.

The course worked with MIT Dental, Hasbro toys, and with the real expert themselves...2nd graders at a local academy.

Before you dismiss the significance of toothbrush technology, consider these findings from an MIT survey: "Toothbrush beats out car and computer as the invention Americans can't live without."