This document proposes a robotic system for hair transplant procedures to address issues with current manual techniques. It summarizes background information on hair growth cycles and transplant history. Problems with existing strip harvesting and follicular unit extraction methods include scarring, tissue waste, high labor costs, and high failure rates from imprecise manual extraction. The proposed robotic system aims to perform FUE operations with a low failure rate, ease of use, reasonable speed, and potential for semi-automatic or fully-automatic operation.

1. Robotic System for Hair
Transplanting
- A Project for All Men

2. 禿 Baldness: A Bad News to Men
Male-pattern Baldness
(genetic problem, X-link)
25% men at age 30
66% men at age 60

3. A Simple Solution
Ask your dad to
CAREFULLY
choose your grandpa

4. Prince Edward, 35
Age: 25 (2007) Age: 27 (2009)

5. You are not alone
Baldness World

6. Hair Transplanting - Really works!
Say NO to
baldness!
New head after
hair transplanting!
After Before
Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi

7. Growing Demand in Asia .
Number of Surgical Patients
Data from ISHRS 2009
(international society of
300000 hair restoration surgery)
Other
registered members only
200000 EU
100000 US
Asia
0
2004 2006 2008
Ages
2005
40%
30% 2008
20%
10%
0%
0-20 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

8. Background – Terminology
 General
 100,000 hairs on head
 Hair size:
 Average width: 0.08mm
 Average depth under skin: 4.5mm Microscope view
 Transection rate = failure rate
 Follicular units:
 Natural group of hairs
 1-4 hairs
Follicular units
 Distance: 1.0mm to 1.4mm

9. Background - Hair Growth
85% 14% 1%
Cell size: 0.01mm
Transection: a hair follicle is cut along its body can cannot be used for hair transplanting

10. Why Transplant
 Non-surgical hair loss treatments:
 Drugs or shampoos approved by FDA:
 Rogaine (minoxidil): continue using , high dosages, slowing or stopping hair loss
 Loniten : side effects
 Laser comb: not approved by FDA
 Synthetic hair strands
 Surgical hair loss treatments :
 Scalp reduction
 Flap surgery
 Hair transplants: currently most efficient method

11. Transplanting History
 First written transplantation:
 Germany, in 1822
 Modern hair transplantation:
 Starts from Japan in the 1930’s and 1940’s (reported in Japanese, no attention
outside of Japan)
 Worldwide attention: similar report by Dr. Orentreich in US., in 1959
 Different techniques over the time:
1960’s & 1970’s 1980’s 1990’s
Round punch grafts Minigrafts Micrografts
10-15 hairs/graft 4-8 hairs/graft (Follicular unit )
1-3 hairs/graft

12. Current Standard Process - FUT
 Follicular unit transplant (strip transplant)
Harvesting (donor area) Dissecting
strip
Before
Implanting (recipient area)
After

13. Problems in FUT
 Existing problems
 Scar
 Permanent scar with strip
harvesting
 Tissue wasted
 Only hair-related tissues are
required
 High labour cost
 one doctor and 6-10 nurses
 Nurses for dissecting and
implanting

14. Advanced Process - FUE
 Follicular unit extraction
Planning Harvesting Implanting
manually
manually
 Advantages
 No scar
 Rapid recovery time
 Less pain
Two weeks after
 Minimal invasion

15. Problems in FUE
 High transection rate (failure rate)
 Small punch size (0.8 – 1 mm), hard to use manually
 Movement accuracy - doctor’s age
 Tedious to perform
 Longer time for doctors
 High technical requirements
 Long learning curve
 Currently for small-volume transplanting
 Higher cost: double, 1,000 for one hair

16. Our Purpose
A Robotic System for FUE operation
 Low failure rate
 Easy to operate
 Semi-automatic or fully-automatic
 Reasonable speed (<5sec/hair)