Shaver having adaptive surface

1. A shaver comprising:

a skin engaging portion and

a cutting element,

wherein the skin engaging portion comprises a force-generating member, configured and arranged to generate a force of attraction to the skin of a user,

wherein the force-generating member comprises an electro-adhesive element comprising at least two charge-holding electrodes connected to a voltage source to output a voltage to induce a local charge onto the skin of the user, the electro-adhesive element covered by an insulating layer to prevent contact between the at least two charge-holding electrodes and the skin,

a control element configured to selectively adjust said force of attraction during use, wherein the control element comprises a sensor for measuring a parameter associated with the skin and,

a controller configured to control the voltage source to change the voltage to selectively adapt the force of attraction in response to a measured property of the parameter.

2. The shaver according to claim 1 , wherein the parameter is indicative of a direction of movement of the skin engaging portion with respect to the skin.

3. The shaver according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is arranged to selectively adjust the force of attraction of the force-generating members located ahead of the cutting element in a measured direction of movement of the shaver across the skin.

4. The shaver according to claim 2 , wherein the skin engaging portion comprises a face plate in which a plurality of cutting elements are located, each comprising a rotary shaving head having a rotating cutter, and a plurality of force-generating members are provided, distributed around a periphery of the face plate, wherein the controller is operable in response to a direction of movement measured by the sensor to selectively increase the force of attraction of those force generating members located ahead of the rotary shaving heads with respect to the measured direction of movement.

5. The shaver according to claim 1 , wherein the parameter is indicative of a degree of doming of the skin ahead of the cutting element.

6. The shaver according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is arranged to increase the force of attraction on detection of the degree of doming exceeding a predetermined value.

7. The shaver according to claim 1 , wherein the skin engaging portion comprises a plurality of force-generating members and the force of attraction of each force-generating member can be selectively adapted independently of the other force-generating members.

8. The shaver according to claim 1 , wherein the cutting element is moveable with respect to the skin engaging portion to perform cutting of hairs during shaving.

9. The shaver according to claim 8 , wherein the shaver comprises a plurality of cutting elements each comprising a rotary shaving head having a rotating cutter.

10. The shaver according to claim 1 , wherein the shaver is a wet-shaver having one or more elongate blades mounted in a guard.

11. The shaver according to claim 1 , wherein the cutting element is moveable with respect to the skin engaging portion to cut hairs during shaving.

12. A method of controlling operation of a shaver comprising:

moving a skin engaging portion of the shaver across a skin of a user in a direction of motion, whereby the skin engaging portion engages the skin and a cutting element of the shaver engages hairs to be cut, wherein the skin engaging portion includes a force-generating member configured to generate a force of attraction;

adjusting the force of attraction between the skin and at least a region of the skin engaging portion during said movement, in order to adjust a degree of stretching of the skin ahead of the cutting element, wherein the force-generating member comprises an electro-adhesive element comprising two charge-holding electrodes connected to a voltage source to output a voltage to induce a local charge onto the skin of the user, the electro-adhesive element being covered by an insulating layer to prevent contact between the at least two charge-holding electrodes and the skin;

measuring a parameter associated with the skin; and

selectively adapting the force of attraction in response to a measured property of the parameter by controlling the voltage source to change the voltage.

13. A shaver comprising:

a skin engaging portion: and

a cutting element,

wherein the skin engaging portion comprises a force-generating member, configured and arranged to generate a force of attraction to the skin of a user,

wherein the force-generating member comprises an electro-adhesive element comprising adjacent first and second charge-holding electrodes covered by an insulating layer to prevent contact between the electrodes and the skin and connected to a DC source such that the first and second electrodes may be oppositely charged with respect to each other,

a control element configured to selectively adjust said force of attraction during use, wherein the control element comprises a sensor for measuring a parameter associated with the skin and,

a controller configured to selectively adapt the force of attraction in response to a measured property of the parameter.

14. The shaver according to claim 13 , wherein the parameter is indicative of a direction of movement of the skin engaging portion with respect to the skin.

15. The shaver according to claim 13 , wherein the parameter is indicative of a degree of doming of the skin ahead of the cutting element.

16. The shaver according to claim 13 , wherein the controller is arranged to increase the force of attraction on detection of the degree of doming exceeding a predetermined value.

17. The shaver according to claim 13 , wherein the skin engaging portion comprises a plurality of force-generating members and the force of attraction of each force-generating member can be selectively adapted independently of the other force-generating members.

18. The shaver according to claim 13 , wherein the controller is arranged to selectively adjust the force of attraction of the force-generating member located ahead of the cutting element in a measured direction of movement of the shaver across the skin.