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Apply HN: Hairme – Programmable Haircuts for Men

Problem: I hate haircuts, more so coz 1. I'm lazy when it comes to doing repetitive things, 2. Hate the time spent in commute, waiting and planning, 3. I have to get it done every month or my mom gets very angry at me, 4. And I hate Great Clips and their stylists. So I'll be solving my own problem here. And I know all of my male buddies hate this routine too, yet shell $100 to get Tom Cruise's cut. Solution: A programmable helmet, that can be adjusted to fit your head. A video panel with a camera, which takes your picture, lets you choose a hairstyle that will suit your facial profile. You sit, it cuts, and you are done. All in your bathroom, while you are sitting on the toilet maybe. (If you are a multi-tasker like me, sometimes..) Bonus: Get cash back by "recycling" your hair. Progress: Working on initial helmet design and programming architecture. Shooting to have the MVP/Beta ready by end of July/Aug (hopefully), with one style - Crew Cut. I'll be the guinea pig for the first few cuts. Future: Will expand to Women Haircuts/styles. Look forward to your feedback. Thanks so much!

manav 11y ago
Robot with scissors and razor blade, what could go wrong?
- theforceawakens 11y ago
  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 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intense_pulsed_light Does this answer your question/concern?
  - thehorbach 11y ago
    But IPL is used for Hair Removal treatment not a haircut + you need a special gel over your skin to make sure that the beam doesn't burn your skin. You sure about the technology?
  - manav 11y ago
    I guess if you only had one style selection (bald) this might work.
wehadfun 11y ago
Ha. This was probably the funniest one!
- theforceawakens 11y ago
  :) It's a real problem. One you probably had as well (Regardless of Gender, Age, Race..) Look forward to any feedback you might have. Thanks.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
  - wehadfun 11y ago
    Yea it will be an even realer problem when this thing malfunctions.
    - odonnellryan 11y ago
      I don't think that's fair! I'm sure it can be done in many safe ways. Not sure if it is practical, but technically possible, sure!
    - theforceawakens 11y ago
      IPL is one way (which we'll be using) to eliminate potential dangers with blades/scissors: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intense_pulsed_light https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intense_pulsed_light
josephpmay 11y ago
Do you or any cofounders have experience working in the hair-cutting industry? What research have you done into what it takes to make a good haircut?
extrapickles 11y ago
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 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).
- thehorbach 11y ago
  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?
  - extrapickles 11y ago
    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.
    - robbiemc2 11y ago
      Sorry for the delay. Was unable to post using my account. Unsure why. 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!
weixiyen 11y ago
take my money already.
arijon 11y ago
If I may be frank and please understand I am not trying to be rude .... use your genius ( building such robot requires some sort of genius ) to solve a real problem that will have an impact. If getting a haircut is a problem for you....shave your head, a $10 dollar rechargeable machine can help you do that and can last a lifetime. Though, I am wondering what else this technology can be used for. Perhaps the only way to know is to build it.
rhc2104 11y ago
Other commenters have mentioned safety, but if you can execute safety really well, this could work for toddlers, since they can stay still during a haircut.
- jamesjyu 11y ago
  You mean can't, right?
outofband 11y ago
Prior art: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lgluqEiQow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lgluqEiQow
pjlegato 11y ago
Building just the suggest-a-haircut software could be a business in itself, and it's a lot easier to execute than trying to make motorized robotic blades that cut right next to your head yet don't ever kill or mangle you. You can put tablets at barbershops and hair salons. The customer takes a faceshot, then the system recommends various haircuts that suit their face, complete with renderings of what they'd look like.
systemtrigger 11y ago
Hair cutting is a huge market, your idea sounds novel, and you seem like you have the insight and know-how to invent a disruptive tool. If the results of your machine are comparable to Great Clips, and the cost is reasonable, and the device is simple to operate, you could conceivably eclipse Flowbee's market share within 4 or 5 years. On the other hand, if the quality is worse than a below average haircut and the variety of the available cuts is small, and the device is clumsy to use -- then until you fix those issues (which could take many years I would imagine) attracting customers and investors might be difficult (That is, unless you know a secret I do not.) So with safety. An automated cutting machine that operates on human heads might be a significant legal liability. Your engineering would need to nail the tolerances just so to minimize the risk of injury. But you have thought of that. I trust you will test your machine on cheap wigs and mannequin heads before you give yourself that crew cut. In this space there appear to be 1 patent (http://www.google.com/patents/US4602542 http://www.google.com/patents/US4602542) and several patent applications (e.g. http://www.google.com/patents/US20140137714 http://www.google.com/patents/US20140137714, http://www.google.com/patents/WO2013096572A1 http://www.google.com/patents/WO2013096572A1, http://www.google.com/patents/WO2015063651A1 http://www.google.com/patents/WO2015063651A1, http://www.google.com/patents/WO2015067484A1 http://www.google.com/patents/WO2015067484A1). Don't let this deter you. Just be aware there might be legal claims on your invention. In 2010 a Japanese company called Robo-Chop planned to open a robot barbershop in a UK mall (http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/6242617.Hair_cutting_robot_to_be_pioneered_in_Eden/ http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/6242617.Hair_cutting_ro...). I can find no relevant search results about them today. It might be useful to know what happened to Robo-Chop. Enough pragmatism. I respect your idea and ambition, and it sounds like you know what you are doing. Good luck on your MVP/Beta.
Jack000 11y ago
As described this seems like it would be really difficult to implement. Why not a kinect peripheral that tracks a networked hair trimmer. Depending on the position of the trimmer, it turns on/off to avoid overcutting. I cut my own hair sometimes with an adjustable trimmer, and the hardest part is getting the length right at the back of your head.
tim333 11y ago
Yeah. You could get like 40 vacuum haircutters and mount them helmet style. 30 second haircut. https://youtu.be/EMvnu2XATqg?t=2m4s https://youtu.be/EMvnu2XATqg?t=2m4s
theforceawakens 11y ago
Thanks for your feedback thus far. Just wanted to add some more info on the tech we are looking into for this project: (Still in very crude R&D stages. May or may not work. But using a single source of energy is something that we are interested in, at this stage.) 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.
dban10YComb 11y ago
Perhaps it would be good to just do something with augmented reality, head set, for the person cutting the hair and give them guidance. I think that would be better. As well you don't really have to deal with lawsuits when something goes wrong. Do you have a link to a video or picture of a mock up prototype?
- theforceawakens 11y ago
  Thanks for the feedback. That's a great idea! Our goal is to make it super simple, and eliminate any manual labor. Sorry no picture yet. We are hoping to release s video of the mock with the tech specs before the 04/27 deadline.

manav 11y ago

Robot with scissors and razor blade, what could go wrong?

theforceawakens 11y ago
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 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intense_pulsed_light Does this answer your question/concern?
- thehorbach 11y ago
  But IPL is used for Hair Removal treatment not a haircut + you need a special gel over your skin to make sure that the beam doesn't burn your skin. You sure about the technology?
- manav 11y ago
  I guess if you only had one style selection (bald) this might work.

wehadfun 11y ago

Ha. This was probably the funniest one!

theforceawakens 11y ago
:) It's a real problem. One you probably had as well (Regardless of Gender, Age, Race..) Look forward to any feedback you might have. Thanks.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- wehadfun 11y ago
  Yea it will be an even realer problem when this thing malfunctions.
  - odonnellryan 11y ago
    I don't think that's fair! I'm sure it can be done in many safe ways. Not sure if it is practical, but technically possible, sure!
  - theforceawakens 11y ago
    IPL is one way (which we'll be using) to eliminate potential dangers with blades/scissors: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intense_pulsed_light https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intense_pulsed_light

josephpmay 11y ago

Do you or any cofounders have experience working in the hair-cutting industry? What research have you done into what it takes to make a good haircut?

extrapickles 11y ago

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 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).

thehorbach 11y ago
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?
- extrapickles 11y ago
  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.
  - robbiemc2 11y ago
    Sorry for the delay. Was unable to post using my account. Unsure why. 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!

weixiyen 11y ago

take my money already.

arijon 11y ago

If I may be frank and please understand I am not trying to be rude .... use your genius ( building such robot requires some sort of genius ) to solve a real problem that will have an impact. If getting a haircut is a problem for you....shave your head, a $10 dollar rechargeable machine can help you do that and can last a lifetime. Though, I am wondering what else this technology can be used for. Perhaps the only way to know is to build it.

rhc2104 11y ago

Other commenters have mentioned safety, but if you can execute safety really well, this could work for toddlers, since they can stay still during a haircut.

jamesjyu 11y ago
You mean can't, right?

outofband 11y ago

Prior art: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lgluqEiQow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lgluqEiQow

pjlegato 11y ago

Building just the suggest-a-haircut software could be a business in itself, and it's a lot easier to execute than trying to make motorized robotic blades that cut right next to your head yet don't ever kill or mangle you. You can put tablets at barbershops and hair salons. The customer takes a faceshot, then the system recommends various haircuts that suit their face, complete with renderings of what they'd look like.

systemtrigger 11y ago

Hair cutting is a huge market, your idea sounds novel, and you seem like you have the insight and know-how to invent a disruptive tool. If the results of your machine are comparable to Great Clips, and the cost is reasonable, and the device is simple to operate, you could conceivably eclipse Flowbee's market share within 4 or 5 years. On the other hand, if the quality is worse than a below average haircut and the variety of the available cuts is small, and the device is clumsy to use -- then until you fix those issues (which could take many years I would imagine) attracting customers and investors might be difficult (That is, unless you know a secret I do not.) So with safety. An automated cutting machine that operates on human heads might be a significant legal liability. Your engineering would need to nail the tolerances just so to minimize the risk of injury. But you have thought of that. I trust you will test your machine on cheap wigs and mannequin heads before you give yourself that crew cut. In this space there appear to be 1 patent (http://www.google.com/patents/US4602542 http://www.google.com/patents/US4602542) and several patent applications (e.g. http://www.google.com/patents/US20140137714 http://www.google.com/patents/US20140137714, http://www.google.com/patents/WO2013096572A1 http://www.google.com/patents/WO2013096572A1, http://www.google.com/patents/WO2015063651A1 http://www.google.com/patents/WO2015063651A1, http://www.google.com/patents/WO2015067484A1 http://www.google.com/patents/WO2015067484A1). Don't let this deter you. Just be aware there might be legal claims on your invention. In 2010 a Japanese company called Robo-Chop planned to open a robot barbershop in a UK mall (http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/6242617.Hair_cutting_robot_to_be_pioneered_in_Eden/ http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/6242617.Hair_cutting_ro...). I can find no relevant search results about them today. It might be useful to know what happened to Robo-Chop. Enough pragmatism. I respect your idea and ambition, and it sounds like you know what you are doing. Good luck on your MVP/Beta.

Jack000 11y ago

As described this seems like it would be really difficult to implement. Why not a kinect peripheral that tracks a networked hair trimmer. Depending on the position of the trimmer, it turns on/off to avoid overcutting. I cut my own hair sometimes with an adjustable trimmer, and the hardest part is getting the length right at the back of your head.

tim333 11y ago

Yeah. You could get like 40 vacuum haircutters and mount them helmet style. 30 second haircut. https://youtu.be/EMvnu2XATqg?t=2m4s https://youtu.be/EMvnu2XATqg?t=2m4s

theforceawakens 11y ago

Thanks for your feedback thus far. Just wanted to add some more info on the tech we are looking into for this project: (Still in very crude R&D stages. May or may not work. But using a single source of energy is something that we are interested in, at this stage.) 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.

dban10YComb 11y ago

Perhaps it would be good to just do something with augmented reality, head set, for the person cutting the hair and give them guidance. I think that would be better. As well you don't really have to deal with lawsuits when something goes wrong. Do you have a link to a video or picture of a mock up prototype?

theforceawakens 11y ago
Thanks for the feedback. That's a great idea! Our goal is to make it super simple, and eliminate any manual labor. Sorry no picture yet. We are hoping to release s video of the mock with the tech specs before the 04/27 deadline.