Dennis Ledenkof is the CEO and founding father of roboSculptor the roboSculptor, an autonomous platform for physique therapies developed by well being business consultants and powered by AI. It ideally matches the longevity idea and delivers exact, protected, and comfy touchless wellness therapies.
Are you able to share the journey that led you to create roboSculptor?
I got here up with the thought to construct a robotic physique remedy system in 2019 throughout my journey to the US. I used to be searching for a distributor for an aesthetics machine. Whereas the potential companion favored the outcomes, the process was too time-consuming and required extremely expert labor, making the unit economics unclear. The process took an hour and was bodily demanding, with such specialists being exhausting to seek out. Throughout that journey, I didn’t get a distributor, however I acquired helpful recommendation. To invent one thing that doesn’t require human energy.
It took my crew 9 months to make a demo that showcased the idea of a robotic therapeutic massage. At first, we needed to develop a product that merely mixed the basic form of a physique contouring machine with a cobot. You already know, simply on prime of it. It appeared like an easy-to-implement thought.
1st iteration of including a robotic to a conventional aesthetic machine. Scheme.
Nevertheless, as we delved deeper into the undertaking, we realized our preliminary imaginative and prescient did not align with the intricate calls for of the system we have been constructing. We underestimated the complexity of the enterprise.
The subsequent iteration of the system acquired a tunnel-like form.
Early model of roboSculptor – portal-like form.
It has been exhibited in some commerce reveals as an idea. The suggestions was that the machine appeared fairly large and, to some, even intimidating. Throughout further robotic motion exams, our engineers discovered that the system wasn’t inflexible sufficient to carry out therapeutic massage actions at larger speeds. After accumulating all this data the engineers began to work on a brand new construction. It was a difficult process to construct it. Nonetheless, it resulted in a distinct, extra open and pleasant design.
The precise roboSculptor design.
How has your expertise with earlier ventures influenced the event of roboSculptor?
Working within the aesthetics marketplace for over a decade offers you a strong understanding of the place tendencies are likely to shift, you begin to study extra in regards to the corporations and what merchandise they construct. However most significantly, you study to see the gaps between what the market wants and what different gamers do.
With expertise in implementing physique contouring gadgets, our firm got down to develop a robotic system able to delivering a full-body therapeutic therapeutic massage primarily based on lymphatic drainage. The Vibrocompression by spheres technique goes past mere rest—it is a scientifically confirmed approach for decreasing physique quantity and enhancing pores and skin oxygenation, achieved solely via mechanical software. No laser or electromagnetic emission. Fairly pure and wholesome though very environment friendly remedy. All we do is simply mix a long time of expertise and analysis with at the moment accessible tech and robotic devices.
How does roboSculptor make the most of AI and robotics to personalize therapeutic massage strategies?
Our engineers found that constructing a robotic machine for physique remedy requires a system able to translating the place of a bodily physique into alerts the machine can perceive. Merely put, we wanted to create a digital map of the human physique to information a robotic manipulator. It is a vital problem, however an excellent greater one is the necessity to always monitor the affected person’s place—often called dynamic pose detection—as a result of people can transfer unexpectedly. And most of the people would not desire a therapeutic massage in a spot the place their leg was just some seconds in the past.
To unravel this, we developed a system utilizing 4 lidars that create a degree cloud, which is mixed with a 3D mannequin of the human physique and always up to date. This map then guides the robotic over the physique’s floor. Constructing this map appropriately requires analyzing a major quantity of information. To precisely detect the pose, we’ve got created an AI/ML mannequin that optimizes pose detection. Our system can now map the physique at a velocity of 5-10 frames per second and supply the robotic with correct instructions to execute therapeutic massage protocols.
How does roboSculptor incorporate suggestions from customers and therapists to refine its algorithms?
Relating to therapeutic massage remedy, there has all the time been a sure stage of subjectivity round what’s efficient. As an example, what stress stage is required to carry out an environment friendly process? A robotic therapeutic massage system offers us a exact instrument for measuring stress in grams and controlling device motion velocity. We’ve designed the system in a method that the manipulator’s actions are recorded with all exact dynamics and stress ranges. The motion historical past maylater be replayed and analyzed by algorithms. By evaluating affected person preferences with particular components of the motion historical past, we will pinpoint the best strategies for every particular person, much like how a preferred video platform makes use of likes to find out viewer preferences. Gathering extra information on the effectiveness of therapies will in the end enhance the standard of care primarily based on massive information evaluation.
Might you clarify the position of the 3D digicam system in enhancing the effectiveness of the therapies?
A robotic is an automatic system which will work together with actual objects primarily based on the duty it’s preprogrammed for. Merely put, it’s a machine that may see, make choices and act in line with its assigned duties. One of the crucial efficient methods to detect a human physique’s place is through the use of Lidars—3D depth sensors, also known as ‘3D cameras.’ They assist create an in depth 3D map of the affected person’s physique. You’ll be able to consider therapeutic massage traces as tracks which might be mapped onto the affected person’s physique. Lidars generate a degree cloud, which is then used to construct this exact map.
Dennis, the founding father of roboSculptor, envisioned by 3D scanners as a degree cloud.
Are you able to clarify how the system adapts a therapeutic massage session primarily based on the person’s biometric suggestions?
Through the process, sufferers can even modify the stress stage. The system is paired with an app that lets customers outline ‘no-go zones’—delicate areas the machine ought to keep away from throughout remedy.”
It’s not likely biometric suggestions that we implement within the present model, though we’ve got evaluated totally different evaluation techniques like measuring BMI, pores and skin high quality, and so on. Whereas these might make the system extra customized, they might additionally complicate its operation. At later levels, we’ll get again to those subjects. The present model of roboSculptor permits patiens to decide on varied remedy applications relying on their objectives, with the selection performing as a setting. Through the process, sufferers can even modify the stress stage. The system is paired with an app that lets customers outline ‘no-go zones’—delicate areas the machine ought to keep away from throughout remedy.
illustration of no-go zones on a feminine 3-D mannequin. roboSclulptor.
What vital challenges did you face whereas growing roboSculptor, and the way did you overcome them?
First comes the safety. Luckily for shoppers, you may’t simply put a product or a know-how available on the market with out passing all the mandatory exams. However passing them takes time for enterprise, generally greater than anticipated. Furthermore, the complicated interaction between innovation and regulation can gradual the adoption of disruptive applied sciences, resulting in a paradoxical scenario the place cutting-edge options face resistance from conventional frameworks.
Financial uncertainty provides one other layer of complexity. Fluctuations in market demand, regulatory modifications, and sudden geopolitical occasions can all throw a wrench. For starters, they might have an effect on the feasibility and profitability of startups and repel potential buyers with the funds to help product growth. And elevating funding for robotics is tough sufficient now as it’s. Traditionally, buyers hesitate to again robotics ventures as a result of excessive price of analysis, growth, prototyping, manufacturing, and longer growth cycles in comparison with software-based ventures. We will see this from corporations like ARTAS, the developer of a robotic for hair transplantation, which nonetheless hasn’t turned a revenue.
Furthermore, some options are exhausting to copy shortly on account of their excessive prices. Due to this fact, corporations could not develop on the tempo that you’d count on. And it might take years for buyers to exit and get returns from their investments.
What machine studying strategies are used to boost the therapeutic outcomes of roboSculptor regularly?
Physique detection entails processing a considerable amount of information. To optimize the strategy of pose detection in real-time, we use a neural community. By means of machine studying, we’ve developed a mannequin that constantly screens sufferers’ physique positions in actual time. This information is used to replace a physique map that assists a robotic in delivering a personalized therapeutic massage. This enables the robotic to adapt to any posture modifications and supply exact device positioning and efficient remedy.
How do you see the position of AI and robotics evolving within the healthcare and wellness sectors over the following decade?
In line with information from the Worldwide Spa Affiliation (iSpa), there was a scarcity of 29,000 therapeutic massage therapists within the US in 2022. And the deficit continues to be current. Robotic options can shut this hole. One other profit is that they will present massages to those that can not resort to conventional masseuses for various causes (from being uncomfortable with human contact to cultural nuances).
As well as, robotic and AI-based options can considerably enhance the income of SPA suppliers. For starters, robots can work extra effectively than people, performing duties quicker and extra exactly. Our analysis reveals that they will carry out double the procedures of a human therapist, producing as much as 2.4 occasions extra income for wellness amenities. Furthermore, operational prices might drop by as much as 40%, with returns on funding hitting 54% per machine yearly.
Moreover, integrating robots and AI in healthcare can automate routine duties, permitting healthcare professionals to focus extra on direct affected person care and complicated decision-making. These applied sciences can even scale back errors, enhance effectivity, and enhance affected person service.
How do you envision roboSculptor remodeling the wellness business?
One of many issues in lodges’ SPA/wellness facilities is the dearth of expert therapists. Through the pandemic, some therapists who misplaced their jobs at the moment simply modified professions. The others don’t wish to work full-time and like extra life of their work-life stability than earlier than. The opposite one is that therapist’s schedules are decided by labor legal guidelines and their bodily talents. Within the period of constantly rising consumption, the demand must be coated. And the labor market doesn’t have sufficient specialists to supply.
As cited in ISPA 2023 analysis paper ‘Employees shortages have been most frequently cited as the first motive given by spas reporting a lower of their weekly hours of operation and in addition these saying that they had decreased the variety of service supplier shifts per day.
Restricted SPA zones working hours lower the return on funding of SPA and wellness centres. Within the nearest healthcare business, it’s physiotherapists’ wants are removed from absolutely coated by specialists accessible.
Labor is among the limitations in lots of industries and economics on the whole. I consider that implementing automation won’t solely ship therapies at extra versatile and handy occasions for shoppers but in addition considerably impression the wellness business. By including robotics, we will develop accessibility to important providers and guarantee constant high quality for a a lot bigger variety of folks worldwi
Thanks for the nice interview, readers who want to study extra ought to go to roboSculptor.
