Chinese robot masters massage techniques, pinches, vibrates with human-like hands
This new robot can give traditional Chinese massage just like a master masseuse.
Researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the University of Shanghai for Science have successfully developed a new robot that uses traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) techniques to give massages. This new robot could eventually find a place in healthcare, wellness, and rehabilitation facilities as an additional patient therapeutic tool.
“We adopt an adaptive admittance control algorithm to optimize force and position control, ensuring safety and comfort,” wrote Yuan Xu, Kui Huang, Weichao Guo, and Leyi Du in their paper published in the journal arXiv.
“The paper analyzes key TCM techniques from kinematic and dynamic perspectives and designs robotic systems to reproduce these massage techniques,” they added.
The as-yet-unnamed robot uses jaka zhu7 robotic arms, each with a multi-functional massage hand installed at their ends. These “hands” have been meticulously designed to mimic the approximate size and shape of a human hand.
Chinese TCM-trained robot masseuse
According to the team, the robot’s hands have four operation modes, each emulating different TCM massage techniques, such as the concept of zang-fu organs and meridians. To this end, the hands can perform palm punch, vibration, kneading, and finger technique function modules.
Each function requires different hardware tools to perform tasks like turning the hand into a fist or providing directed vibration to an area. Others, like the kneading function, employ a specially designed “kneading motor” that allows the robot to “pinch” the user’s back.
“We adopted a compliance control algorithm based on adaptive admittance control, aiming to optimize force and position control to address challenges such as patient posture changes and muscle stiffness differences, ensuring the safety and comfort of the massage process,” wrote Xu, Huang, and their colleagues.