Apsara Horizon is the dialogue segment of Alibaba Group’s Apsara Conference. It features figures who are engaging with Asia’s cutting-edge technologies. In these dialogues, esteemed guests share their stories and perspectives on the challenges, opportunities, and future of their respective fields. The topic of the third Apsara Horizon conversation on October 20 was “Healthcare and wellness with robots,” featuring guest speakers Jane Shen, marketing manager of Aubo Robotics, and Liu Kai, COO of AiTreat.
Massage therapy is popular with people all around the world. Introducing robots as massage therapists naturally leads to the challenge of replicating human movements in mechanical equipment. Aubo Robotics focuses on refining the delicate technology that is behind the motions that mimic pinches, kneading, and other massage techniques, Shen said. Acknowledging that new customers may be hesitant to try robot massage therapy, Liu said that massage robots work in tandem with human therapists to ensure that they provide treatment that is as good or even better.
Liu shared his excitement about the potential for robots to be utilized by physicians as they digitalize traditional Chinese medicine. This could introduce quantifiable and standardized treatments that normally vary based on the expertise of individual physicians. With continued adoption of massage robots, there is an opportunity to develop new application scenarios beyond clinics, like in personal homes. Western medical settings may also utilize these robots too.
Check out the full conversation in “Healthcare and wellness with robots” below: