Alleviate your aching back and problematic knees with a robotic massage specialist
In the heart of Singapore, a technology start-up named AiTreat has made a groundbreaking breakthrough. They have developed Emma, short for Expert Manipulative Massage Automation, a robot masseuse that is set to revolutionise the healthcare industry.
Emma, now in its 3.0 version, is the fruit of the labour of Albert Zhang, an alumnus of NTU Singapore. The robot is equipped with advanced sensors and a robotic limb that boasts six degrees of freedom, enabling it to deliver clinically precise massages.
One of Emma's key features is its incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cloud-based computing. This technology allows Emma to calculate the optimal massage for each patient, track their recovery over a course of treatments, and generate a performance report for physicians.
Emma specialises in back and knee massages, mimicking the human palm and thumb to replicate therapeutic massages such as shiatsu and physiotherapy. The AI computes the exact pressure to be delivered during the massage procedure, ensuring a personalised experience for each patient.
The robot masseuse is also equipped with two soft massage tips made from silicon, which can be warmed, providing additional comfort for the patients. Using Emma in chronic pain management has the potential of creating low-cost treatment alternatives in countries where healthcare costs are high and ageing populations have a growing demand for such treatment.
While Emma can handle most of the massage, it is not designed to replace human therapists entirely. The human therapist can focus on areas such as the neck and limb joints that Emma cannot massage, ensuring a comprehensive treatment for the patients.
The technology behind Emma aims to address workforce shortages and quality consistency challenges in the healthcare industry. By automating repetitive tasks, Emma allows human therapists to focus on more complex aspects of treatment, thereby improving the overall quality of care.
Emma was developed by AiTreat, a technology start-up incubated at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore). The company collaborated with the University of Queensland for the development of Emma, which is now in service at the NovaHealth Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic.
With Emma, the future of healthcare looks promising, offering a blend of technology and human touch to deliver effective, affordable, and consistent treatment to patients worldwide.
