Ke-bot Hair Counting and Analysis Robot

Innovation by design changes the game for the players. Through a design-thinking mindset we not only satisfy our clients existing expectations, but go a few steps further to define their needs through a designer’s perspective and seek the best solution that was never imagined before.

Ke-bot is a vision based robotic system that makes standardized scientific evaluation of hair transplantation possible for the first time, and all without human interference. It is designed to perform pre-op and post-op scientific analysis for FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) based hair transplant operations. It offers solutions to a number of neglected issues which often create dissatisfaction with the hair transplant operations. Providing radical benefits, Ke-bot brings radical innovation to the sector as it addresses an unattended need and breeds evolution in hair transplantation practice. Presenting objective data, and enabling technological development in this field, Ke-Bot revolutionizes the hair transplantation practice. How? Let’s go over it together…

The Setting That Called For Innovation

The current methods and calculations used for hair analysis are done manually over photos of sample areas, providing over generalized subjective results. The success of the operation relies solely on the operating doctor’s experience. There is no standardized system or method to plan the operation or to measure the success rate afterwards. Different measuring devices provide different results as they are not appropriate tools for this specific task, so their results are not comparable to each other either. This inadequate analysis results in mislead decisions about the operation, and the competitive sector is additionally misleading with subjective analysis.  As a common consequence of instable measurements and lack of standards, depletion of donor area is a highly encountered case. To this day, these problems were left unnoticed because no alternative has been proposed.

The Process of the Project

Dr. Koray Erdoğan’s expectation was to change the traditional hair counting process and to develop an innovative product that provides reliable scientific results in a shorter period of time.

After a detailed design research, the current process was examined to design the concept. The concept of a robot that makes 360-degree head scanning to generate accurate analysis was designed. The project owner was matched with a consultant among one of our previous clients, a professor on image processing technologies. They developed an artificial intelligence software which was supported by deep learning algorithms. The functions, strategic structure, ergonomic analysis, and all design processes of the robot were shaped, and the final product was produced.

Customized Surgery & Shortened Time

Overall, the machine gives accurate results for the whole head, which could not be done with traditional methods. A full scalp scan would require 15 active hours of detailed human labor, done with fore-mentioned undependable measuring methods. Whereas Ke-Bot does this accurately in just 45 minutes (5% fraction of the time). This way, instead of generalizing a a manually counted sample region of 1% of the head evaluated (4 x 1 cm²), a comprehensiveanalysis is carried out, counted fully by the robot and scanning a 100% of the head.

Eliminating the subjectivity of human interference and unbalanced generalization of sample areas, the 100% scan results are objective.  This method makes customized surgery planning possible since Ke-Bot accurately determines the perfect donor area along with the maximum number of grafts that can be extracted to avoid depletion. So, an ideal operation plan is formed, beyond the capabilities of prior methods, eliminating the negative outcomes due to individual differences of the patients.

How It Works

Ke-bot is a robot with 2 camera systems and a powerful processor unit on its 6DoF robotic arm. The rotating arm captures high resolution images of the whole head from a certain distance. First camera creates a 3D image of the head, while the second captures the images that will be stitched together automatically, making area calculations on the geodesic shape of the head possible. Through image recognition software, the robot counts the number of follicles, number of grafts per each follicle, and the thickness of the hair on the 400 stitched images of each 5-micron physical resolution. Then using deep learning-based algorithms, necessary computations are made for the whole head, measuring and calculating the counts to give accurate results for coverage value for all areas of the head. By evaluating the resulting analysis, it becomes possible to plan whole surgery in detail just using Ke-bot.

Increase in Operation Efficiency and Success

Ke-bot provides clear analysis based on objective criteria that the patient himself can view as well. As a result, comparable data ensures accurate, objective and scientific results, rather than subjective comments based solely on the doctor’s experience. It reassures the patient that the analysis is dependable. For the post-op analysis, the patient is scanned after the surgery again. At this time, the deep learning-based approach detects the number of extracted and planted follicles and obtaining the total transaction rate becomes possible. Results are measurable with concrete data and clear statements about the success of the operation.

Ke-Bot has proved to improve the success rate of the surgeries. The product robot delivers enhanced user experience, shortened preparation and procedure times, maximized efficiency, and reliability. And there are even larger benefits beyond all..­­.

Evolution of Practice Through Scientific Advancement

Beyond the benefits directly to the patient and the doctor, Ke-Bot provides statistical reports which will allow scientific development in the field of hair transplantation. The deep-learning algorithms used in Ke-bot has been trained using thousands of manually labeled samples. As new samples are included every day to the training set, the accuracy of the system increases day by day. Due to the scientific data collection, hair transplantation practice can develop further through vast statistics, nation-based hair typologies, advanced preliminary expectancies, and more.

­­­With all its aspects, Ke-bot offers unprecedented advantages and evolution in hair transplantation practice. As Arman Design, we take part in the creation of this disruptive innovation from A to Z. Our contribution included the services of design research, concept design, bringing together the professionals, the product design, user experience (UX) design, design engineering, prototyping, production and quality management, and cost strategies. We are proud of the success Ke-Bot achieves and thrilled to be an agent of scientific advancement through design.