Doctor vs Robotics - 2013

[35YrsAfter]

I have a basic question regarding FUE. Would you be more comfortable having a hair transplant via an automated robotic device, or would you prefer to have a top rated physician remove and place your grafts? Do you think that current robotics technology has advanced to the level of having the ability to simulate a trained FUE doctor's surgical skills?

-35YrsAfter works at Dr. Cole's office

[baldozer]

I have a basic question regarding FUE. Would you be more comfortable having a hair transplant via an automated robotic device, or would you prefer to have a top rated physician remove and place your grafts? Do you think that current robotics technology has advanced to the level of having the ability to simulate a trained FUE doctor's surgical skills?

-35YrsAfter works at Dr. Cole's office

I would prefer a robotic technology if its reliable, because machines are less error prone than humans.

[35YrsAfter]

I would prefer a robotic technology if its reliable, because machines are less error prone than humans.

As a general rule, I prefer power tools to manual tools. I remember a while back trying to cut some miter joints with a manual miter box saw kit. The results were inaccurate. Years later I bought a decent DeWALT compound miter saw. It cuts beautifully but the results are still dependent upon a skilled human making decisions.

Another example is Google cars. They drive themselves and have 300,000 miles logged without an accident as of late last year. That's encouraging.

The question is... how much decision making/automation are you comfortable giving over to A.I. in 2013 regarding your hair transplant surgery?

-35YrsAfter works at Dr. Cole's office

[baldozer]

As a general rule, I prefer power tools to manual tools. I remember a while back trying to cut some miter joints with a manual miter box saw kit. The results were inaccurate. Years later I bought a decent DeWALT compound miter saw. It cuts beautifully but the results are still dependent upon a skilled human making decisions.

Another example is Google cars. They drive themselves and have 300,000 miles logged without an accident as of late last year. That's encouraging.

The question is... how much decision making/automation are you comfortable giving over to A.I. in 2013 regarding your hair transplant surgery?

-35YrsAfter works at Dr. Cole's office

Plus, robotic transplants would be faster too!

[topcat]

Try doing this with your miter saw or any motorized device for that matter. Nothing can come close to the touch of a finger and a brain in my opinion. Yes it takes longer but some things are better not rushed regardless of if there is less money to be made and I like the fact that the creator requires the fly to already be dead as he does not want to cause harm, something that many doctors should follow.

Willard Wigan is the creator of the world’s smallest sculptures, often taking months to complete one, working between heartbeats to avoid hand tremors: “You have to control the whole nervous system, you have to work between the heartbeat – the pulse of your finger can destroy the work.” Wigan uses a tiny surgical blade to carve microscopic figures out of rice, and fragments of grains of sand and sugar, which are then mounted on pinheads. To paint his creations, he uses a hair plucked from a dead fly (the fly has to have died from natural causes, as he refuses to kill them for the sake of his art). His sculptures have included a Santa Claus and a copy of the FIFA World Cup trophy, both about 0.005mm tall.

[chrisdav]

I would prefer a top rated physician remove and place the grafts.

However, I will not rule a robot out until there are enough results to compare the recipient and donor area of the two different methods.

[topcat]

The biggest issue with some of what you see like the Neograft, ARTAS, Plucking, Acell, etc is that they love to create all this buzz but you never see the follow up in any numbers that mean anything. The follow up is nonexistent. Hopefully most will approach this buzz with extreme caution but it’s easy to suck in desperate bald guys.

Always watch what they do as opposed to what they say.

[chrisis]

I'd like to adopt the analogy of humans-computer chess contests. Sure computers could have beaten amateur players long ago, but it took many years for them to consistently beat the best human players.

I think the same might apply with hair restoration surgery. Right now I'd rather have a top surgeon than a robot.