It’s not every day that you find yourself lying on a massage table while two robotic arms knead your body. But there I was, dressed in a skintight slate gray outfit, my face buried in the donut-shaped headrest, while an AI robot gave me a 30-minute massage. I felt a little strange, but also, oddly enough, relaxed.
This relaxation is thanks to Aescape’s AI robot. Aescape is banking heavily on its AI massage robots and is launching ten robotic massage tables these days, like the one with which I had a 30-minute session.
Eric Litman, founder and CEO of Aescape, spent years battling chronic pain. Consulting massage therapists to treat a persistent disc bulge that prevented him from turning his head did not satisfy him. He really wanted someone to do exactly what he asked. So he spent seven years building a robot massage therapist.
Massage table uses AI to scan client’s body
The massage table uses AI to scan the client’s body on the table to generate data before performing a massage. It records over a million 3D data points to map the body’s position on the table and target key anatomical points.
It stores this data to allow returning users to personalize their massage and meet the needs of each client. Through machine learning of the massage table, the AI becomes smarter, aggregating data from all the bodies it has ever performed massages on for a better session.
Throughout the development of the table, Aescape worked with and consulted with massage therapists to simulate the practice of a massage therapist. And if you’re afraid, like me, that the robotic arms will accidentally break your bones while giving a massage, fear not: “The arms themselves are just strong enough to give a good massage, and they are no more stronger than that… And with this model of your body, we are much more precise than a therapist,” Mr. Litman told me.
A massage suit that helps robotic arms perform a friction-free, oil-free massage without the user having to undress
“You’ll be able to specify not only treatment protocols, but also a plan that matches how you feel about your body,” says Molly O’Connor, a spokesperson for Aescape. It will also be possible to program massage sessions specific to an activity on the table. Ms O’Connor gave the example of a session dedicated to digital workers looking to relieve the back and shoulder tension they experience from working at a desk.
Aescape’s launch of its semi-autonomous massage tables (semi-autonomous because they depend on user data and settings) comes in the United States at a pivotal moment for the massage therapy sector. Employment of massage therapists is expected to grow 18% between 2022 and 2032, paving the way for more jobs and opportunities for people (or AI robots) in this field, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. UNITED STATES.
Each user dons Aescape’s Aerwear, a slate gray top and bottom that helps the robotic arms perform a gentle, frictionless massage without the aid of oil and without the user having to undress. The Aerwear also works with perception sensors when your body is scanned.
The robot massaged my upper back, shoulders, spine, lower back and glutes
On the table, the user customizes the leg and headrests, the pressure levels of the massage arms, the music and the screen saver that is displayed during the massage. Then the two spaghetti-shaped mechanical massage arms come to life and begin to knead, extend and move.
Nina Raemont/ZDNET
The robot massaged my upper back, shoulders, spine, lower back and glutes. I appreciated the customization of the pressure level and felt like I was in control of the massage, which isn’t always the case when seeing a human massage therapist. At one point the pressure from the arm was too intense, but I suddenly remembered that I could reduce it and receive a massage on my own terms and preferences.
“There was a lot of thought and effort put into how to operate the robot safely, making sure the arms are designed the right way and the vision system doesn’t fail, and knowing what people like and what really delights them,” Mr. Litman said.
I thought about all my friends who wouldn’t feel comfortable undressing for a massage or being touched by a stranger
I wouldn’t say the robot does a stellar job of targeting nodes. The machine’s “hands” – which blow hot air – have seven different surfaces that can simulate the palm of the hand, forearm or elbow. But they’re too big to look like fingers, so the little tensions in my body weren’t addressed well.
The air points felt like two hot fists, rather than fingers, digging into my body. What the robot lacks in small details it makes up for in a broader, relaxing experience.
While receiving this robotic massage, I thought of all the friends and people I know who would not feel comfortable undressing for a massage or having their body touched by a stranger. This seems to me to be a valid alternative for these people. Aescape’s research confirms this: The company has identified 10 million Americans who have never had a massage because they didn’t want to be touched by a stranger.
Maybe in a few years you’ll end your fitness session with a massage session with a robot
The massage tables will be installed at Equinox fitness clubs in New York to start, but they are not exclusive to Equinox members. The price for a 30-minute massage is $60.
It may seem strange today, but maybe in a few years you will end your fitness session with a massage session with a robot.
Source: “ZDNet.com”