Africa
U.S. Raises Alarm Over Terror Shift to West Africa, Flags Nigeria, Lake Chad as Key Hotspots
U.S. Raises Alarm Over Terror Shift to West Africa, Flags Nigeria, Lake Chad as Key Hotspots The United States has warned that...
Africa’s Talking Drum: When the Monkeys Took the Baobab
By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu Africa’s Talking Drum: When the Monkeys Took the Baobab In the heart of the great Kambara forest...
Ramaphosa Blasts Criminal Attacks on Africans as South Africa Faces Fresh Xenophobia Crisis
Ramaphosa Blasts Criminal Attacks on Africans as South Africa Faces Fresh Xenophobia Crisis South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the recent...
Algeria Calls for New Era With France While Keeping Colonial Wounds in Focus
Algeria Calls for New Era With France While Keeping Colonial Wounds in Focus Algeria’s military chief, General Said Chengriha, has urged Algeria...
Africa’s Talking Drum: The Night the Fireflies Disappeared
By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu Africa’s Talking Drum: The Night the Fireflies Disappeared In the peaceful valley of Mavuno, the nights were famous...
Africa’s Talking Drum: The Village That Borrowed Tomorrow
By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu Africa’s Talking Drum: The Village That Borrowed Tomorrow In the flourishing kingdom of Endara, life was once simple....
Africa’s Talking Drum: The King Who Painted the Walls
By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu Africa’s Talking Drum: The King Who Painted the Walls In the shining kingdom of Emandla, visitors often...
Africa’s Talking Drum: When the Leopard Guarded the Goats
By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu Africa’s Talking Drum: When the Leopard Guarded the Goats In the hill kingdom of Zubari, the...
LATEST POST
WAFCON 2026: Senegal Fall to Algeria as Morocco Make Winning Start
WAFCON 2026: Senegal Fall to Algeria as Morocco Make Winning Start Senegal began their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a...
US Suspends Iran Bombing as Trump Considers Next Move
US Suspends Iran Bombing as Trump Considers Next Move The United States has suspended its strikes on Iran for a third consecutive night...
BBNaija Season 11: Meet the Housemates Battling for ₦160m Grand Prize
BBNaija Season 11: Meet the Housemates Battling for ₦160m Grand Prize The 11th season of Big Brother Naija has officially kicked off with...
Sewuese Dies After Allegedly Being Trafficked to Cotonou for Prostitution
Sewuese Dies After Allegedly Being Trafficked to Cotonou for Prostitution A young Nigerian woman identified as Sewuese has died after she was allegedly...
Shakira Reveals What Drew Her to Burna Boy for World Cup Song
Shakira Reveals What Drew Her to Burna Boy for World Cup Song Colombian superstar Shakira has explained why she turned to Nigerian Grammy-winning...
Wanted Soldier Arrested While Allegedly Supplying Military Uniforms to Terrorists
Wanted Soldier Arrested While Allegedly Supplying Military Uniforms to Terrorists Troops of the Nigerian Army have arrested a soldier who had been declared...
Lagos police arrest woman over alleged N450m land fraud involving 30 buyers
Lagos police arrest woman over alleged N450m land fraud involving 30 buyers The Police Command in Lagos State has arrested a 41-year-old woman,...
“Maybe He’s a Racist” — Trump Takes Aim at NBA Superstar LeBron James
“Maybe He’s a Racist” — Trump Takes Aim at NBA Superstar LeBron James US President Donald Trump has stirred controversy after suggesting that...
Africa’s Talking Drum: Mama Nkem Left Before Her Daughter Was Ready
By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu Africa’s Talking Drum: Mama Nkem Left Before Her Daughter Was Ready In Umuoma Village, people said that a mother’s...
Cash Reportedly Stolen From Super Falcons Players’ Hotel Rooms in Casablanca
Cash Reportedly Stolen From Super Falcons Players’ Hotel Rooms in Casablanca The Super Falcons’ preparations for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations...
Harvard-Trained Nigerian-American Engineer Raises $7m for Robot Designed to Assist Hair Braiders A Nigerian-American engineer and Harvard graduate, Yinka Ogunbiyi, has secured $7 million in seed funding to develop a robotic device designed to make hair braiding faster and less physically demanding for professional stylists. Ogunbiyi’s company, HaloBraid, is developing what it describes as the world’s first patented braid-assist robot. The device is designed to work with hairstylists by handling some of the repetitive movements involved in knotless braiding. The funding round was led by Seven Seven Six, a venture capital firm founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. AlleyCorp and Bling Capital were also among the investors. The technology has already attracted significant interest, with more than 7,000 salons reportedly waiting to use the system. HaloBraid is designed as a collaborative robot, meaning it works alongside a human stylist instead of attempting to replace one. The hairstylist remains responsible for sectioning the hair, creating the initial knot and completing the final styling. The robot then assists with the repetitive weaving process down the length of the braid before the stylist returns to finish and shape the ends. According to the company, the technology could cut the time spent on some knotless braid appointments by roughly half, allowing salons to serve more clients while reducing the physical pressure on stylists. For Ogunbiyi, the idea was born from personal experience. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she spent four days installing knotless braids on herself, an experience that made her consider how technology could assist with the most repetitive aspects of the process. She subsequently teamed up with co-founder David Afolabi to develop HaloBraid. The company’s technology is also aimed at addressing the physical demands of professional braiding. Stylists who spend years performing repetitive movements can experience problems affecting their wrists, hands, shoulders, back and joints. By assisting with the most repetitive stage of braiding, HaloBraid hopes to reduce the strain on beauty professionals and help them work more efficiently. Ogunbiyi said the technology would not take away from the personal experience of visiting a salon. Rather, she believes it can allow stylists to spend less time on repetitive movements while continuing to handle the creative and personal aspects of hairstyling. Before launching HaloBraid, Ogunbiyi worked on smart kitchen appliances and Internet of Things products. She holds a joint master’s degree in engineering and business administration from Harvard University. With a $7 million investment and thousands of salons already expressing interest, HaloBraid is seeking to introduce robotics into one of the world’s largest and most labour-intensive beauty markets.
Harvard-Trained Nigerian-American Engineer Raises $7m for Robot Designed to Assist Hair Braiders A Nigerian-American engineer and Harvard graduate, Yinka Ogunbiyi, has secured $7...
