Hey Siri, book Emma & Baymax for my acupuncture

Hey Siri: Set reminder

Hey Siri: Book appointment for my acupuncture with Baymax

Hey Siri: Add massage treatment session with EMMA too

EMMA… Watson?   Wat?

No, not that Hermione Granger.

It is EMMA, which stands for  Expert Manipulative Massage Automation.

It is a robotic masseuse launched at a Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic – NovaHealth in Singapore which was officially launched in October 2017.

HOW DOES EMMA DO IT?

Apparently, she has robotic arms that can massage your back and knee areas. She has soft silicon tips that are warmed to a comfortable 38 to 40 degrees celsius. First, the patient will receives consultation as per normal and then, the type of massage is determined by the attending physician. EMMA uses her camera eyes to calibrate and target the acupuncture points correctly. If the pressure is not suitable, the patient can control it through a handheld control.

But, “Stop right now thank you very much, I need somebody with a human touch” (*cue Spice Girls -STOP).
One of the patients said that he was not concerned with the lack of human touch. He also thinks that ” having a robot as a masseuse allows him to enjoy peace and quiet during the massage as a robot will not converse with him”.

Now, on to another interesting news that I saw the other day.

TCM student creates an acupuncture robot

 A college student Xu Tiancheng, a postgraduate student at Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine was inspired by Baymax, a healthcare robot from an animated movie – Big Hero 6.

He mentioned that although people have different body shapes and sizes,  the acupuncture points are measured in proportions hence the right positions are all in the same places on the human body.

HOW DOES BAYMAX DO IT?

For example, the acupuncture point He Gu LI 4, is located in the the back of the fist. Between the first and second metacarpal bones, in the midpoint of the radial part of the second metacarpal bone. This is claimed to be in the same position regardless of the body shapes. The robot has to be calibrated to find the right acupuncture points.

WHAT IF BAYMAX NEEDLES TOO DEEP?

Don’t worry, the robot can measure  the patient’s height and subcutaneous fat before inserting the needle. It also has sensors to prevent needles from doing too deep. However, it cannot be trusted with crucial parts of the body such as the head, neck and waist.

 

Imagine a world of Western Medicine + A.I. + Traditional Chinese Medicine

Would you like to be treated by a robot? Or perhaps you have already tried them before?
Would love to hear your experience 🙂