AllThingsD » surgery

All I Want for Christmas Is My Robot Hair Transplant

Lauren Goode — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:26:03 +0000

For two years, a privately held, Mountain View-based company called Restoration Robotics went through clinical trials while awaiting clearance from the FDA. Its product: A high-tech robot that performs hair-transplant procedures.

Now the machine, called Artas, is finally making its way into physicians’ offices across the U.S.

The Artas robot works by automating the relatively new procedure of follicular unit extraction, in which individual hair follicles are taken from the back and sides of the head, after which the grafts are then implanted into the area of baldness. A traditional hair transplant would involve more invasive incisions and the manual application of the grafts to a patient’s head. With a robot, some doctors say, the procedure is more precise, and removes the element of human error.

Restoration Robotics and others credit a Denver-based physician, Dr. James Harris, for making many of the advances that lead to the robotic hair-transplant device.

For physicians, the Artas machine involves an initial investment of around $200,000. Staff training sessions, which are led by Restoration Robotics, can take up to five weeks.

For patients, the cost can vary. The fee for the robotic-assisted procedure is usually around $10 a graft. Insurance companies may cover the procedure in the event that it’s reconstructive. Dr. Bernstein says the bulk of his practice is cosmetic cases, but notes that he often won’t charge patients that have hair loss due to trauma, burns or chemotherapy.

The Artas hair-transplant procedure can take up to eight hours. It’s generally done in one session, but a less-intensive follow-up procedure could also be required later on.

Doctors say it’s not dramatically faster than the traditional methods used in hair transplants, but it takes the human-error element out of the procedure. Surgeons can tire during a long procedure, during which thousands of hair follicles are replaced. They may be forced to take breaks and, naturally, are susceptible to error.

Dr. Bernstein also notes that, as is commonly the case with the introduction of automated machinery, having the Artas robotic system in his office means he can complete the same number of procedures, or more, with a leaner staff.

Currently there are four Artas systems in place across the U.S. — one in New York, another in Denver, and two in Los Angeles — and Restoration Robotics CEO Jim McCollum says the company is expecting to sell even more robots in the new year. He believes there’s potential for this to be a game-changing technology and also said there may be a market for Artas that focuses more on female patients, as well.

Restoration Robotics was founded in 2002; in 2007, the company raised $25 million from InterWest Partners, Alloy Ventures and Sutter Hill Ventures. After Artas was cleared by the FDA in April of this year, the company secured $41 million in Series C funding from Clarus Ventures and other early investors, as discussed on The Wall Street Journal’s “Digits” show earlier this year.

Kara, Walt and Katie Visit iPhone 4-Palooza at WWDC–With Special Guest Stars Schiller, Pincus and More!

Kara Swisher — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:37:16 +0000

Earlier today, BoomTown hoofed it to downtown San Francisco to join a pair of All Things Digital A-Team members–Walt Mossberg and Katie Boehret–at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, where CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the newest version of the iconic mobile device, iPhone 4.

As usual, I had to snark it up with a video of the proceedings at Moscone Center West, where over 5,000 of the Apple (AAPL) faithful gathered to kibitz and ogle.

Cue the excessive oohing and aahing.

A very playful Jobs–who even handled a networking connection snafu with unusual restraint–gave them a lot to talk about, from the iPhone 4′s FaceTime video chat to its squarish, stainless-steel-and-glass new design to multitasking to an even crisper screen called Retina Display.

(Memo to Katie Cotton: Is the iBall the next secret Apple project? Because Retina Display, frankly, sounds a little too much like the corrective LASIK eye surgery I have been avoiding.)

Also on the menu: Some more info about iAds, which is competing with Google (GOOG) in the nascent but fast-growing mobile advertising market.

Jobs threw in a few light jabs at the Silicon Valley search giant, although it was pretty tame overall.

Interestingly, I was just at the same venue for Google’s I/O developers event a few weeks ago, where that company was showing off cool new features for its Android mobile operating system, all while dissing Apple.

In any case, like that one, it was another big day for the smartphone market and users, as Apple tossed off its newest innovations. Presumably, the ball is now in Google’s court.

Until Google swings back, here’s my video, including interviews with top Apple execs Phil Schiller and Katie Cotton, as well as Zynga’s Mark Pincus, who demoed a new iPhone version of the start-up’s FarmVille online game:

[ See post to watch video ]

You can check out the entire video of Steve Jobs being interviewed a week ago at our eighth D: All Things Digital conference here.

Jobs: "I'm Vertical, Back at Apple and Loving Every Day of It"

John Paczkowski — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:52:33 +0000

Leave it to Steve Jobs to upstage his own products.

Rumored by some analysts to be a nonevent, Apple’s invitation-only music gathering today is already proving quite eventful. Audience members expecting Apple (AAPL) exec Phil Schiller to quarterback today’s proceedings were given a welcome surprise when CEO Steve Jobs took the stage in his first public appearance since his liver transplant surgery.

He was given a standing ovation.

So how does he look? Obviously, he’s still quite thin, but from where I sit–which is admittedly near the back of the hall–he appears healthy…but gaunt. And that Willy Wonka charisma of his is back in full force. Certainly, he looks reasonably good for someone who just underwent a liver transplant. And how long does it take to regain 60 pounds anyway? Job’s isn’t De Niro in Raging Bull….

[ See post to watch video ]

Anyway, it’s great to see Jobs onstage again. He speaks quietly and it’s hard to tell if his voice is scratchy or if he’s just humbled by what he’s about to say: “As some of you know, five months ago I had a liver transplant. I now have the liver of a mid-20s person who died in a car crash and was generous enough to donate their organs. I wouldn’t be here without such generosity, so I hope all of us can be as generous and elect to be organ donors. ..I’d like to take this moment to thank everyone in the Apple community for their support. Thanks as well to Tim Cook and everyone at Apple. They really ran the company very ably during that time. … So I’m vertical, back at Apple and loving every day of it….”

Jobs quickly moves on to the announcements of the day. First up: iPhone 3.1, which now offers a Bluetooth Voice control and Genius feature and supports ringtones sold via the iTunes Store for $1.29. 3.1 is available today as a free download.

Live from Apple’s “Let’s Rock” Event

iPod Updates, Games, Nano Video Cameras

iTunes 9, iTunes LP, Home Sharing, Genius Mixes

Steve Jobs: “I’m Vertical, Back at Apple and Loving Every Day of It”

Event Photos by Adam Tow

Jobs: "I'm Vertical, Back at Apple and Loving Every Day of It"

John Paczkowski — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:52:33 +0000

Leave it to Steve Jobs to upstage his own products.

He was given a standing ovation.

[ See post to watch video ]

Live from Apple’s “Let’s Rock” Event

iPod Updates, Games, Nano Video Cameras

iTunes 9, iTunes LP, Home Sharing, Genius Mixes

Steve Jobs: “I’m Vertical, Back at Apple and Loving Every Day of It”

Event Photos by Adam Tow

AAPL Sauce

John Paczkowski — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:36:51 +0000

As one might imagine, Apple’s (AAPL) shareholders did not take the news of Steve Jobs’s medical leave of absence well. And learning that his “health-related issues are more complex” than first believed certainly didn’t help matters. After trading resumed, Apple shares tanked, plummeting eight percent to $78.50 before recovering a bit.

Clearly, shaken investors are trying to divine just what, exactly, Jobs means by “complex,” which could mean anything from more rest and time with family to surgery, IV meds or whatever.

Sounds like Jobs is doing the right thing for himself, his family and the company. But all anyone can do is hope he gets well.