ICNSC 2025

Special Session — Haircutting Robots: Intelligent Sensing, Dexterous Control, and Human-Centric Design

Scope and Objectives

As robotics expands into service industries, haircutting emerges as a uniquely challenging domain requiring human-like dexterity, personalization, and ergonomic consideration. These systems must navigate complex head geometries while ensuring user comfort, adapting to individual anthropometrics, and maintaining safety in dynamic environments. Traditional robotic solutions, optimized for structured tasks, struggle with these contact-rich, ergonomically sensitive operations that demand adaptive precision and human-centric interaction.

Modern haircutting robots integrate robotics, AI, computer vision, and ergonomic design to deliver personalized grooming. By analyzing head morphology, hair properties, and user preferences, these systems combine intelligent perception with ergonomic tooling to execute precise, comfortable haircuts. Applications range from home use (assisting children, elderly, or mobility-limited users) to commercial salons, travel hubs, and medical/rehabilitation settings where conventional grooming presents challenges.

This session seeks cutting-edge research bridging robotics, AI, and ergonomic design to advance autonomous haircutting systems. We invite work on novel algorithms, sensor integration, ergonomic actuators, and real-world implementations pushing the boundaries of grooming automation.

Topics of Interest

Technical topics of this special session include, but are not limited to:

Perception & Intelligence
- Real-time 3D perception for hair detection, head shape modeling, and dynamic anthropometric adaptation
- Vision-based segmentation of hair types and styles using deep learning (YOLO, Transformers, Faster R-CNN)
- Integration of LLMs (Large Language Models) for natural language-based style customization and user preference understanding
- Generative AI for hairstyle recommendation, virtual previews, and aesthetic decision-making
Control & Manipulation
- Learning-based motion planning and control for safe, ergonomic, and aesthetic haircutting
- Dexterous manipulation with variable force and tactile feedback for pressure-adaptive cutting
- Tool trajectory optimization using biomechanical models and machine vision
- Safety mechanisms for human-adjacent operation (proximity to skin, eyes, and sensitive areas)
Human-Centric Design
- Ergonomic end-effector and tool design for cutting, trimming, and styling
- User posture optimization and comfort-aware robotic adjustment during haircutting
- Accessibility features for diverse populations (children, elderly, mobility-limited users)
- Haptic interfaces and human-robot collaboration for stylist-assisted grooming
System Integration & Deployment
- Simulation-to-reality transfer for training haircutting policies with ergonomic validation
- Multi-modal sensor fusion (vision, touch, force, proximity) for adaptive grooming
- Dynamic adjustment algorithms for unexpected user movement or head motion
- Regulatory and safety considerations for human-contact robotic systems

Important Dates

[ENDED] June 30, 2025: Special session paper paper submission due

September 8, 2025: Notification of acceptance

September 21, 2025: Camera-ready copy due

Submission Guidelines

Papers submitted to this special session should follow the standard formatting and submission guidelines of ICNSC 2025 which can be found on the Submission page: https://www.oulu.fi/icnsc2025/submission.html.

During the submission process, authors should select this special session by title (Special Session on Haircutting Robots: Intelligent Sensing, Dexterous Control, and Human-Centric Design) to ensure their papers are directed appropriately.

Session Organizer

Session Organizer: Dr Ata Jahangir Moshayedi, Associate Professor

Affiliation: School of Information Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology

Email: ajm@jxust.edu.cn