Robotic Follicular Unit Extraction

Abstract

Robotic follicular unit extraction (FUE) was introduced several years ago to replace the tedious and labor intensive procedure of manual FUE. One of the key features of robotic FUE includes an “image analyzing system” that can recognize black color as a hair. The skin tensioner is a special device with needles on one side to hold the scalp tightly and tracking dots in the other side that can orient the movement of head and decide relative position. A dual punch system with an inner sharp needle and an outer dull punch helps to reduce the transection rate.

The analysis of robotically harvest follicles reveals that double hairs are more common than single ones and the extracted follicles are chubbier than manually extracted follicles. Both Caucasians and Asians are good candidates for the procedure. In addition to being used for harvesting, the robot is currently used for slit making as well. Attempts to reduce the punch size and graft hair follicles are currently under development.