Show HN: I'm building a robot that cuts hair, starting with beard trims [video]

Re:Show HN: I'm building a robot that cuts hair, starting wi... by clort on Friday August 09, 2019 @01:07PM (#20656263)

In the UK I pay £5 for a scissor cut. Best barber I've ever been to, and he will chat but doesn't need to. It is not a fancy place, there are piles of vintage magazines, a daily local paper and the chair is well worn in (looks like he had two chairs in the past, I guess one broke because he just took it out and moved to the other one). I was recommended the place by a friend who took her kids there 25+ years ago. There is usually a queue on saturday mornings but I've never been there more than half an hour.

I'm not sure I would go to a robot arm.

I bet there are places in California that are similar. Who cuts the hair of the guys who clean the streets and empty the bins? I don't suppose they can afford $65 for a haircut..

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Show HN: I'm building a robot that cuts hair, starting wi... by GordonS on Friday August 09, 2019 @06:07PM (#20658596)

Also from the UK. There is a huge difference in prices between a barber shop (generally for men and boys) and a salon (generally for women and girls).

There is also a huge difference in price expectations between men and women (IME, of course there are differences for any gender) - most men I know expect to pay £5-£15 for a haircut, whereas most women I know expect to pay between £30-75 for a haircut.

At a salon you can get a restyle, shampoo, blow dry and all that stuff, which obviously adds to the time and cost, but even for a very basic trim you're looking at at least twice the cost at a salon vs a barber.

Personally, I cut my own hair with a set of Wahl clippers I've had for something like 20 (!) years. This obviously means I'm restricted to a buzz cut, but I think it suits me and has doubtless saved me a lot of money over the years :)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Show HN: I'm building a robot that cuts hair, starting wi... by jedberg on Friday August 09, 2019 @02:30PM (#20657093)

> Who cuts the hair of the guys who clean the streets and empty the bins? I don't suppose they can afford $65 for a haircut..

With the California housing crisis, this is solved by the fact that those folks don't live in SF. Many of them commute over an hour each way for those jobs. It's sort of a problem for us...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Show HN: I'm building a robot that cuts hair, starting wi... by puranjay on Friday August 09, 2019 @04:01PM (#20657795)

Here in India, I have the option of going to a cheap barber who costs about $1.2 (yes), a slightly better place that costs about $3, and a top of the line place that costs $8.

[ Parent | on HN ]