Nigerian-American Engineer’s Hair-Braiding Robot That Works up to 5 Times Faster Wows Many

• Nigerian-American engineer Yinka Ognbiyi’s innovative hair-braiding robot, which helps stylists complete braids up to five times faster, has wowed many people across social media platforms
• The Harvard-trained founder came up with the idea after spending four long days braiding her own hair at home during the COVID-19 lockdown in London
• Her startup, HaloBraid, has raised $7 million in seed funding, and more than 7,000 professional salons have reportedly joined a waitlist to use the robot

A Nigerian-American engineer’s hair-braiding robot that helps stylists complete braids up to five times faster has wowed many on social media.

Pulse Nigeria shared clips of the device on Instagram, showing how it works alongside a stylist. The robot, called Halo, was built by HaloBraid, a hair technology startup founded by Yinka Ogunbiyi.

Ogunbiyi, a biomechanical engineer, holds a joint master’s degree in engineering and business administration from Harvard University.

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She co-founded the company with David Afolabi. HaloBraid describes Halo as the “world’s first patented braid-assist robot,” designed to help stylists rather than replace them.

Four days of braiding sparked HaloBraid

According to reports, the idea came to Ogunbiyi during the COVID-19 lockdown, when salons were closed. Stuck in a London flat, she spent four days braiding her own knotless braids.

Before venturing into beauty technology, she had built smart kitchen appliances and Internet of Things devices. Explaining her motivation, Ogunbiyi said, “Time is precious. Halo gives that time back.”

Typical braiding appointments take six to 12 hours, cost between $200 and $300 and are repeated every six to eight weeks, the company says.

How the braiding robot works

Halo is a collaborative robot, meaning it works beside the stylist. First, the stylist parts the hair, sections it and creates the anchor knot that starts each braid.

The robot then takes over the repetitive weaving down the length of the braid, which accounts for about 80% of the physical work.

After that, the stylist detaches the robot to seal, trim and style the ends. HaloBraid says the process is up to five times faster than human hands and can cut appointment times by about half.

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“I don’t think anything will get lost from the experience. If anything, it enriches it,” Ogunbiyi said.

The Instagram post of Pulse Nigeria, in which the hair-braiding robot is shown at work, is below.

$7m funding and 7,000-salon waitlist

HaloBraid has raised $7 million in seed funding to bring the robot to market. Seven Seven Six, the venture capital firm founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, led the round.

AlleyCorp and Bling Capital also backed the startup. More than 7,000 salons have reportedly joined a waitlist to use the technology.

The company plans to roll out the robot through salon partnerships this fall, though no price has been announced.

Social media users hail braiding robot

Many social media users praised Ogunbiyi for the innovation. YEN.com.gh compiled some of the comments below.

easyhnf said:

“The girls are achieving!”

josepherinle said:

“Women over the centuries waited for this without even knowing they waited for this! Amazing!”

chikkyfoodsafe said:

“As a mum who braids 2 girls, I love this! I want one too!”

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thrift.tutyshoe said:

“Shared tasks... human and robot. Nice.”

its_sope said:

“This innovation is so lovely.”

maryam._dauda said:

“When do we outgrow this culture of belittling someone’s achievement before recognizing it? Someone creates something and before we can acknowledge the effort behind it, we are already listing everything it should do differently. If you have a better idea of how it should work, by all means, build on it. Innovate, improve it and make your own version.”

John Dumelo funds scholarships for 40+ students

YEN.com.gh earlier reported that actor and Ayawaso West Wuogon MP John Dumelo funded scholarships for over 40 Ghanaian students to study in Europe.

The first batch left Ghana on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, on fully funded scholarships under the John Dumelo Scholarship Scheme.

Dumelo announced the departure on Instagram with a photo of himself and the students at what appeared to be an airport. More students are expected to benefit before the end of 2027.

Source: YEN.com.gh