Using the Mouth to Drive Mechanical Tools

Craft & Design
Using the Mouth to Drive Mechanical Tools


Designer Guo Cheng has developed a series of tools that use mouth power to drive them. He recently graduated from the Royal College of Art in London and has this to say about his contraptions:

I’ve always been interested in human sensation, response, and natural behavior. From armor to genetic engineering, we are always trying go beyond our own physical limitations. My work focuses on the oral aspect of the human body, to explore the mouth’s purpose beyond just talking, processing food, and breathing—for example, using your mouth to replace the functions of handicapped body parts, acts such as using your teeth to open a can, and behaviors like licking a wound or tearing out ingrown nails. The more they occur in everyday life, the more we take them for granted. With the support of oral apparatuses, the function of the mouth is expanded. In a broader sense, Mouth Factory exhibits the interactive relationship between man and object by developing and enhancing the organ’s functionality. At the same time, it amplifies the rhythmic aesthetic of the human body while operating mechanical tools, as well as revealing the pure beauty of the tools themselves.


Included in his array of contraptions is a means of driving drill bits or screwdrivers with the mouth, or vacuum-forming fiberglass using human suction

[via The Creators Project]

10 thoughts on “Using the Mouth to Drive Mechanical Tools

  1. Rahere says:

    I’d still like to see an eyeshield against swarf

  2. Jim Hunter says:

    Vacuum-forming with mouth suction?????

    I want to throw up… those vapors do not need to be near any bodily orifices…

    1. Michael Colombo says:

      Actually he claims that a suction cup in the tube prevents him from inhaling any vapors.

      1. Jim Hunter says:

        Okay, that’s a little better… I still maintain that the shop vac is the best tool for the job… but I respect anyone who disagrees…

  3. maker says:

    Suck and blow job for makers

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In addition to being an online editor for MAKE Magazine, Michael Colombo works in fabrication, electronics, sound design, music production and performance (Yes. All that.) In the past he has also been a childrens' educator and entertainer, and holds a Masters degree from NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program.

View more articles by Michael Colombo

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