Procter & Gamble patents a smart hair care device that measures conditions while brushing

[ad_1]

Writing in its international patent, P&G said the grooming device integrated a series of light-sensitive proximity sensors and force-sensitive resistors that analyzed contact time, speed and brushing force during use. The device then compiled and filtered this data to communicate to the user, providing instructions for use via the device itself or via a separate connected mobile device. P&G said the invention could be designed as a bristled hairbrush or toothed comb.

“Basically, the hair care device (…) alone or in combination with the appliance [external processor] it can be used to collect and filter data during a hair care event involving a person’s hair, ”P&G wrote in the patent filing.

Importantly, the data could be processed and analyzed to indicate the “condition of a person’s hair during a hair care event”.

Integrated or external communication interface

From this data, the smart device could then “deliver executable instructions” via a built-in “communication interface” or via an external processor / device connected via USB cable, WiFi or Bluetooth, the company said.

In the patent, P&G demonstrated the use of the device by comparing a grooming opportunity with a leave-on and leave-on conditioner. The results showed that when brushing with a leave-in conditioner into the hair, “less grip pressure was required” making “brushing easier”.

“This comparison may be indicative of the effect or difference of using conditioner after shampooing versus not using conditioner after shampooing on a person’s hair characteristics,” he wrote.

P&G said the device therefore proved invaluable in comparing “different hair care events” because the data could be stored in the smart brush or external device for later comparisons.

In addition to the central light-sensitive proximity sensor and first and second force-sensitive resistors, load cell and gyro accelerometer in the device, a “variety of additional sensors” can also be integrated, the company said, including including a temperature sensor and acoustic sensor.

L’Oréal Kérastase smart brush

In 2017, leading beauty company L’Oréal unveiled its smart hairbrush under the prestigious Kérastase brand at the Consumer Technology Association’s CES show in Las Vegas, USA. L’Oréal’s technological research and innovation incubator developed the brush in collaboration with Withings, a leading French consumer electronics company.

Connected to a mobile app, the brush incorporated a microphone to hear the sound of hair brushing and identify patterns; used three-axis load cells to measure the force applied to the hair and scalp during brushing; an accelerometer and gyroscope to further analyze brushing patterns, count brush strokes, and provide tactile feedback to warn you if brushing was too vigorous; and conductivity sensors to determine if the brush was used on wet or dry hair in order to provide an accurate measurement of the hair.

L’Oréal said the device’s goal was to help consumers take better care of their hair, noting that brushing has been shown to cause hair damage, including breakage and split ends. Guive Balooch, head of L’Oréal’s Research and Innovation Technology Incubator, said at the time: “Using connected technologies to update the hairbrush – something the average consumer uses every day – Withings and Kérastase reinvented the relationship. of a person with their own hair. they look and are showing how connected devices can revolutionize the beauty industry. “

Source: WIPO international patent n. WO / 2021/237236 Filed on: May 12, 2021. Published on: November 25, 2021. Title: “Smart hair grooming device” Inventor: Procter & Gamble – K. Krishan et al.

[ad_2]