11–20 of 31 posts
Robot with scissors and razor blade, what could go wrong?
That will be solved with IPL, which has been invented decades ago. No need of blades. Here is some more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intense_pulsed_light Does this answer your question/concern?
Actually cutting hair I don't think one can do cheap enough, even if the only hairstyle it can do is a bowl cut. The human head is not uniform, and the actual surface is obscured so you have to find where it is by physical touch, which is not easy for a robot. You might be able to build a prototype for a few million, but the production units I can't see being done for less than $50k (you could spend crazy amounts in R&D to get it lower, but I doubt one can drive it down to less than $10k).
Main killer is the number of degrees of freedom the robot would need to cut the hair and the sensitivity in movement so it doesn't injure someone. If someone figured out how to do that, they could make boatloads of money applying it to other problems (eg: non-fun nursing tasks, like replacing bedpans or washing patents of which there is a endless list of complications stemming from them not getting done often enough).
If this is serious, the first part sounds reasonable to do, matching face to hair styles. Actually cutting hair I don't think one can do cheap enough, even if the only hairstyle it can do is a bowl cut. The human head is not uniform, and the actual surface is obscured so you have to find where it is by physical touch, which is not easy for a robot. You might be able to build a prototype for a few million, but the pro…
If this is serious, the first part sounds reasonable to do, matching face to hair styles. Actually cutting hair I don't think one can do cheap enough, even if the only hairstyle it can do is a bowl cut. The human head is not uniform, and the actual surface is obscured so you have to find where it is by physical touch, which is not easy for a robot. You might be able to build a prototype for a few million, but the pro…
Agree, and the IPL itself costs a lot! Additionally, why would a barbershop buy a tool from you if they can get a barber for a few bucks an hour?
You would want to use regular electric barber hair clippers with a vacuum attachment for cut hair collection.
If this is serious, the first part sounds reasonable to do, matching face to hair styles. Actually cutting hair I don't think one can do cheap enough, even if the only hairstyle it can do is a bowl cut. The human head is not uniform, and the actual surface is obscured so you have to find where it is by physical touch, which is not easy for a robot. You might be able to build a prototype for a few million, but the pro…
And yes, serious about the project.
Robot with scissors and razor blade, what could go wrong?
That will be solved with IPL, which has been invented decades ago. No need of blades. Here is some more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intense_pulsed_light Does this answer your question/concern?
Though, I am wondering what else this technology can be used for. Perhaps the only way to know is to build it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Agree, and the IPL itself costs a lot! Additionally, why would a barbershop buy a tool from you if they can get a barber for a few bucks an hour?
IPL would be the wrong way to do it. I thought it worked by heating the hair until it dies, not burning/cutting it off. You would want to use regular electric barber hair clippers with a vacuum attachment for cut hair collection.
I will try to share my thoughts below:
1. IPL uses light pulsated at a very high wavelength and high spectral ranges, which destroy the hair. We are looking at a lower wavelength of light (IPL-lite), which would target only the chromophore in the hair. This will also de-risk the case of skin burns etc.
2. Heating is one way of doing it, but I'm not yet sure how effective this would be, in terms of quality, pre-heating (time and energy) etc. We want to build a solution that only uses one source of energy (potentially), in this case light.
3. Ideally, the v0.01 we are working on will have a fabric attached to the inside of the helmet which will measure your head coordinates. The mechanical components will then adjust the height of the diodes (which are evenly spaced on the inside of the helmet) and then start the IPL-lite process.
4. We are consulting a prof specializing in light emission and also have an "advisor" in a dermatologist/scientist specializing in cosmetic laser.
We wanted to be in stealth mode (and will probably still be, hypothetically), but have to thank YC for this opportunity, to get feedback from smarter folks than a handful of us.
Yes. This project has the potential to be patented, and possible use-cases are a bundle.
Please keep your feedback flowing and how this might fail. That is the only way we will learn and not die.
Thanks so much!