Robot Nail Artists Are Here And They’re Already Overbooked For Manicures
Image via Clockwork
If you’re not someone who enjoys making awkward small talk at the nail salon, or equally awkward total silence, Clockwork’s newest nail lab in San Francisco might just be for you.
Dubbed ‘The Clockwork Minicure’, this fully-automated nail appointment takes less than 10 minutes, costs less than US$10, and promises “no slipups” and “no slowdown.”
Currently, the 10 nail polish colors on offer are by OPI and L’Oreal. All the Clockwork services provided are fully automated, with no contact or conversation required.
“The average woman spends 3,120 minutes a year on her nails,” according to the Clockwork website, making clear the pain point that inspired the creation of this new service.
The company promises to get users “in and out in less than 10,” which brings forth its next lighthearted lament: “What are you going to do with all your extra free time?”
On one hand, this could be an extremely helpful service for socially-distanced, contact-free nail appointments: a niche we didn’t know was needed until global lockdowns struck last year. On the other, automating the nail industry could be a disastrous move; many salons are already struggling from the effects of last year’s restrictions, and a huge amount of jobs have been lost. Replacing humans with robots could only rub salt into this wound.
Given that robotic nail tech is still relatively fresh (the lab only opened in late May), services like gel removal and nail shaping aren't provided, and users are advised to come with bare nails as the machine can’t remove existing coats of polish. This means we won’t completely phase out the need for regular nail salons just yet.
But none of these factors stand in the way of curiosity: on the ‘lab appointments’ booking system, the earliest appointment available is already three weeks away.
[via Good Morning America, image via Clockwork]
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