How do you know when things have gone full-on CES? It’s probably a pretty good sign when people start launching smart hairbrushes. Like the many connected toothbrushes that have come before it, the Kérastase Hair Coach Powered by Withings is an attempt to convince the early adopting public that their dumb old products just aren’t cutting it in this ever more connected world.
The bizarre beauty product has a whole bunch of sensors baked in to create a quantified analysis of the user’s hair, because, “According to a report published by L’Oréal scientists, forceful hair brushing has been proven to cause hair damage, including breakage and split ends.” Hard to argue with results like that.
There’s an on-board microphone designed to listen to brushing patterns, “providing insights into manageability, frizziness, dryness, split ends and breakage.” There are also sensors for measuring the force applied to the scalp, an accelerometer and gyroscope to analyze brushing patterns and conductivity sensors for measuring dampness.
All of that gets beamed to a connected app via Bluetooth, which cross-references environmental considerations like humidity, temperature and wind to offer recommendations and a “hair quality score.”
The brush does actually appear destined for retail, arriving mid-year for $200.