Internet-of-things nail-printing technology using non-face-to-face contact

Background: With the spread of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), face-to-face contact in business and educational hubs has decreased. This is especially true for the beauty industry, where long-term contact with operators and customers is required. Therefore, the emergence of new alternative business models is essential. Objective: The purpose of this study is to apply nonfacing and real-time three-dimensional (3D) nail-printing systems to cosmetic industries, educational institutions, and educational systems. Three-dimensional non-face-to-face printing equipment have enabled nail art to be precisely and remotely controlled, which facilitates the replacement of nail technology that is based on body contact. Methods: From January to April 2020, the use of the internet-of-things (IoT)-controlled non-face-to-face and real-time 3D nailprinting systems was tested. Nail artists and customers were isolated, and more than 200 patterns were tested with non-face-toface contact between Korea and the United States. A built-in IoT operating system was tested in an online platform, and the advantages and problems of non-face-to-face contact were systematically analyzed. Results: The rapid development of IoT-controlled non-face-to-face and real-time 3D nail-printing systems was achieved to reduce entry barriers for nail art utilizing 3D-printing technology. The most crucial parts were determined to be reliably creating 3D shapes, reproducibility, economical operation, and timely maintenance. Conclusion: The nail art business model, in which the education and business sectors depend entirely on face-to-face contact, has been disrupted and deemed unpredictable due to the social distancing norms that have been adopted for countering the COVID-19 epidemic. Nevertheless, secure and remote accessibility to non-face-to-face and real-time 3D nail-printing systems for nail artists were successfully applied and tested to respond to this situation.