Automatic hair washing machine

You may wonder why they'd build a machine like this. Seriously, how hard is it to shampoo someone's head? A lot of the robot technology being developed in Japan these days are for the growing elderly boom. There's not a large enough population of non-elderly to take care of all the elderly. So they're making robots to carry stuff, perform simple tasks, and powered exoskeletons to help them walk or carry their own stuff. These hair washing machines are for use in hospitals and nursing homes.

More than that, they mark another step in developing dynamic robots. On an assembly line robot arms fly all over a car's frame putting parts in place and welding. But they go to the exact same place every time. They have trouble doing things different. Welding is fine, but putting a bolt into place without cross-threading them is still pretty tricky. Humans, and their heads, come in all shapes and sizes. A robot designed to wash my hair would end up hurting or maiming many other people. These robots adjust to the shape of your head so they don't crush your skull or pull out your hair.

As nifty as these robots are, I think I'd miss having that chesty stylist massaging my scalp.