ARTAS Robotic Hair Transplant System Receives New Funding

added 20th November 2014

The ARTAS Robotic Hair Transplant System by American company Restoration Robotics has just announced the sale of its 100th device and a wealth of new investment into this state-of-the-art hair restoration technology.

The $200,000 machine uses an onboard camera, hi-resolution image mapping and analysis software to scan then harvest donor hairs from patients’ scalps before a surgeon transplants them to the new host areas. The robot is said to be more precise and quicker than a human surgeon, with less room for error. The ‘robosurgeon’ takes around 6-8 hours to carry out the harvesting procedure and is said to be far less invasive than current FUE techniques, leading to less discomfort and a quicker healing time for the client.

Restoration Robotics was founded in 2002 and released the ARTAS system in 2011 once it had been cleared by the FDA for the harvesting of donor hair for hair transplants in men with pattern baldness. It is only approved for use on men with dark brown or black, straight hair as these hair types are the easiest to see under surgery lights.

Investment from Venture Capitalist firms has helped the company to its 100th sale anniversary by investing $70 million in total in Restoration Robotics, with $45 million of the total funding having been announced this month. The latest investment is going towards launching a second generation version of the existing ARTAS robot which its hoped will help the company grab a bigger share of the hair loss treatment market which the Washington Post reports is worth $3.5 billion, annually.

Whether this type of robotic system is the future of hair transplant surgery remains to be seen. With hair loss being such a sensitive area, there is a lot riding on whether men will embrace the new technology or choose to stick with a compassionate, painstaking human surgeon over a quicker, more efficient robot.