I'm thinking about getting an FUE hair transplant, what is the difference between the ARTAS robot and the Neograft?

Artas versus Neograft is a common question in hair transplantation.  Neograft is a handheld manual FUE with suction attached to it.  Based on this design there are several flaws in harvesting hairs including human error, suction injury leading to trauma to the harvested hairs and a host of other potential issues.  Artas is a state of the art robotic system used to help eliminate human mistakes by using stereoscopic cameras, computer algorithms, and continual updates.  The Artas can actually detect which hairs are in the anagen phase of growth while it is extraordinarily difficult with the naked eye.  While there a host nuances to hair transplantation, harvesting issues are nearly eliminated with an Artas.  We have abandoned the use of manual FUEs and other devices due to consistently lower hair graft rates.  Even a 10% difference, which seems slight, can make a huge impact on your final result.   

NeoGraft and ARTAS are both just tools. The hair restoration surgeon's skill and artistry is MUCH more important than the tool used to harvest grafts.
There is mention in multiple discussions of the grafts drying out with NeoGraft. In my practice, the graft containers are rotated very frequently and are bathed in liquid throughout the process, so drying out is not a risk. Like with any technique, if it is performed poorly (such as allowing the grafts to dry out), the results will suffer. We do not use the implanting hand piece with our NeoGraft procedures - the grafts are implanted manually.
There is also discussion of there being less pain with ARTAS. I'm not sure what this is referencing, but in my practice, the scalp is completely numb while the grafts are being harvested, so pain is not an issue. I do not think that post-operative pain with various FUE techniques is a concern worth debating as all the FUE techniques are likely to be very similar with respect to post-op pain.
Finally, the ARTAS system does require manual manipulation of the grafts during the extraction and implantation process, similar to Neograft, so this should not be a deciding factor. 
In summary, the big decisions to be made with hair transplant procedures lie in two things: 1. Strip harvest vs. FUE ... and 2. Finding the right hair restoration surgeon for you. Number 2 is the most important and will ultimately be the biggest determining factor in the success of your hair restoration journey.
All the best,

hairguynyc,There are many hand held motorized devices to perform FUE procedures. Neograft is a hand held motorized device that has vacuum to assist in the removal of the cored follicles. Vacuum suction can be a significant risk for drying and desiccation of the harvested grafts. Desiccation can lead to no growth.ARTAS robotic FUE is a state of the art robotic system where a two camera imaging serves as the eyes that scans the donor field accurately determining precise exit angles, density of follicles, and hair density per follicle. The sophisticated algorithms function as the brains and dictate the best approach the selected follicles which are laser targeted for extraction. The robotic arm houses  two needle system that permits the scoring of the follicle with a sharp punch that dissects the follicle to the level of the dermis. The second needle is a blunt needle, this subsequently cores the remainder to the follicle to free it from the scalp.While the Neograft hand held system is completely operator dependent, it is subject to physical tiring of the operator. The ARTAS robot is under the control of the operating surgeon but through an user interface, robots do not fatigue so the extractions are consistently extracted without fatigue of the surgeon no matter whether it is the first or the 2000th graft.Sincerely,Bernardino A. Arocha, MD