Robotics firm AiTreat's EMMA robot can deliver an amazing massage that can rid you of your aches and pains. The robot masseuse is set to embark on a new product evaluation in the United States powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the Mayo Clinic campuses.
In Singapore, EMMA will also undergo a randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing the efficacy of the massage robot when giving existing therapies such as Tuina, a massage used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), in managing chronic low back pain. EMMA, short for Expert Manipulative Massage Automation, aims to alleviate the manpower shortage of skilled massage therapists and possibly to augment the work of physiotherapists.
It will help bring down treatment costs while providing consistent high-quality treatment to every patient in need of a massage. Using the clinical treatment results gathered through the new trials and deployments, AiTreat will improve the AI algorithms and performance of its robot. They seek to launch the next-generation EMMA in Singapore, US and China markets by 2024.
AiTreat was founded in 2015 by Dr Albert Zhang, an alumnus from the NTU's pioneer batch of its Double Degree programme in Biomedical Sciences and Chinese Medicine. Since then, the start-up has completed a multi-million Series A funding round last year and is currently planning for its Series A+ fundraising later this year.