Nigerian-American engineer Yinka Ogunbiyi and co-founder David Afolabi created HaloBraid, the world’s first automated hair-braiding robot. Built to work alongside stylists, the device promises to braid sections up to five times faster.
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Yinka Ogunbiyi and her co-founder David Afolabi built more than 600 prototypes before developing the HaloBraid hair-braiding machine.
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Yinka Ogunbiyi and her co-founder David Afolabi won Harvard University’s President’s Innovation Challenge, earning a $75,000 grand prize for their hair-braiding technology.
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HaloBraid is designed to help professional hairstylists braid individual sections up to five times faster while reducing repetitive hand movements.
The invention, described as the world’s first automated hair-braiding robot, was designed to speed up protective hairstyling. Its first public demonstration, shared in October 2026, showed the device carrying out the repetitive weaving involved in braiding.
Unlike a machine designed to take over an entire salon appointment, HaloBraid works alongside a stylist. The professional sections the hair and starts each braid by hand before the device takes over the finishing process. The stylist then completes the final touches. According to the company, the technology can help stylists braid individual sections up to five times faster.
Ogunbiyi’s idea came from personal experience. During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, she attempted to make knotless braids herself after she could not leave home for a salon appointment. The process took her four days. The experience prompted her to ask why no device existed to make braiding faster.
As a biomechanical engineer with degrees from Harvard University, Ogunbiyi teamed up with David Afolabi to develop the technology. The pair spent years refining the invention, building more than 600 prototypes and consulting braiders to understand the demands of the industry.
Their work earned them Harvard University’s President’s Innovation Challenge in 2025. Ogunbiyi announced the achievement on LinkedIn, where she said the team was honoured to have been selected from a competitive group of startups and to present its mission before an audience of about 2,000 people. The win came with a $75,000 grand prize.
The founders say the device is intended to reduce the physical strain that comes with hours of repetitive hand movements, which can contribute to pain and injuries among professional braiders. It also aims to shorten appointments for customers who often spend several hours in salon chairs.
HaloBraid has since secured $7 million in seed funding to support its commercial rollout. Its development places Ogunbiyi at the intersection of engineering, beauty and technology, with an invention built around a familiar task for millions of people who wear braids.
