Dennis Ledenkof is the CEO and founding father of roboSculptor the roboSculptor, an autonomous platform for physique remedies developed by well being business specialists and powered by AI. It ideally matches the longevity idea and delivers exact, secure, and comfy touchless wellness remedies.
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 associate preferred 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 bought precious recommendation. To invent one thing that doesn’t require human energy.
It took my workforce 9 months to make a demo that showcased the idea of a robotic therapeutic massage. At first, we wished to develop a product that merely mixed the traditional form of a physique contouring machine with a cobot. , simply on prime of it. It appeared like an easy-to-implement thought.
1st iteration of including a robotic to a standard aesthetic machine. Scheme.
Nevertheless, as we delved deeper into the challenge, we realized our preliminary imaginative and prescient did not align with the intricate calls for of the system we had been constructing. We underestimated the complexity of the enterprise.
The subsequent iteration of the system bought 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 assessments, our engineers discovered that the system wasn’t inflexible sufficient to carry out therapeutic massage actions at increased speeds. After accumulating all this info the engineers began to work on a brand new construction. It was a difficult job to construct it. Nonetheless, it resulted in a special, 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 developments are likely to shift, you begin to study extra concerning the firms 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 units, our firm got down to develop a robotic system able to delivering a full-body therapeutic therapeutic massage based mostly on lymphatic drainage. The Vibrocompression by spheres technique goes past mere rest—it is a scientifically confirmed approach for decreasing physique quantity and bettering pores and skin oxygenation, achieved solely by means of mechanical software. No laser or electromagnetic emission. Fairly pure and wholesome though very environment friendly therapy. All we do is simply mix a long time of expertise and analysis with at present 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 therapy requires a system able to translating the place of a bodily physique into alerts the machine can perceive. Merely put, we would have liked to create a digital map of the human physique to information a robotic manipulator. It is a vital problem, however a fair greater one is the necessity to always monitor the affected person’s place—generally known as 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 only a few seconds in the past.
To unravel this, we developed a system utilizing 4 lidars that create some extent 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 accurately requires analyzing a big quantity of information. To precisely detect the pose, we’ve created an AI/ML mannequin that optimizes pose detection. Our system can now map the physique at a pace 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?
On the subject of therapeutic massage remedy, there has all the time been a sure degree of subjectivity round what’s efficient. As an illustration, what stress degree 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 software motion pace. 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, just like how a preferred video platform makes use of likes to find out viewer preferences. Gathering extra knowledge on the effectiveness of remedies will finally enhance the standard of care based mostly on huge knowledge evaluation.
May you clarify the function of the 3D digital camera system in enhancing the effectiveness of the remedies?
A robotic is an automatic system which will work together with actual objects based mostly on the duty it’s preprogrammed for. Merely put, it’s a machine that may see, make selections and act based on its assigned duties. Probably the most efficient methods to detect a human physique’s place is by utilizing Lidars—3D depth sensors, sometimes called ‘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 are mapped onto the affected person’s physique. Lidars generate some extent cloud, which is then used to construct this exact map.
Dennis, the founding father of roboSculptor, envisioned by 3D scanners as some extent cloud.
Are you able to clarify how the system adapts a therapeutic massage session based mostly on the consumer’s biometric suggestions?
In the course of the process, sufferers also can regulate the stress degree. The system is paired with an app that lets customers outline ‘no-go zones’—delicate areas the machine ought to keep away from throughout therapy.”
It’s probably not biometric suggestions that we implement within the present model, though we’ve evaluated completely different evaluation techniques like measuring BMI, pores and skin high quality, and so forth. Whereas these might make the system extra customized, they’d additionally complicate its operation. At later phases, we are going to get again to those matters. The present model of roboSculptor permits patiens to decide on varied therapy packages relying on their objectives, with the selection performing as a setting. In the course of the process, sufferers also can regulate the stress degree. The system is paired with an app that lets customers outline ‘no-go zones’—delicate areas the machine ought to keep away from throughout therapy.
illustration of no-go zones on a feminine 3-D mannequin. roboSclulptor.
What vital challenges did you face whereas creating roboSculptor, and the way did you overcome them?
First comes the safety. Fortuitously for shoppers, you possibly can’t simply put a product or a expertise available on the market with out passing all the required assessments. However passing them takes time for enterprise, generally greater than anticipated. Furthermore, the complicated interaction between innovation and regulation can sluggish the adoption of disruptive applied sciences, resulting in a paradoxical state of affairs the place cutting-edge options face resistance from conventional frameworks.
Financial uncertainty provides one other layer of complexity. Fluctuations in market demand, regulatory adjustments, and surprising geopolitical occasions can all throw a wrench. For starters, they could have an effect on the feasibility and profitability of startups and repel potential buyers with the funds to assist product improvement. And elevating funding for robotics is tough sufficient now as it’s. Traditionally, buyers hesitate to again robotics ventures because of the excessive price of analysis, improvement, prototyping, manufacturing, and longer improvement cycles in comparison with software-based ventures. We will see this from firms 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 as a result of their excessive prices. Subsequently, firms might not develop on the tempo that you’d anticipate. 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 frequently?
Physique detection entails processing a considerable amount of knowledge. To optimize the tactic 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 knowledge is used to replace a physique map that assists a robotic in delivering a personalized therapeutic massage. This permits the robotic to adapt to any posture adjustments and supply exact software positioning and efficient therapy.
How do you see the function of AI and robotics evolving within the healthcare and wellness sectors over the following decade?
Based on knowledge 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’t 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 improve 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 instances extra income for wellness services. 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 also can scale back errors, enhance effectivity, and enhance affected person service.
How do you envision roboSculptor remodeling the wellness business?
One of many issues in motels’ SPA/wellness facilities is the dearth of expert therapists. In the course of 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 steadiness than earlier than. The opposite one is that therapist’s schedules are decided by labor legal guidelines and their bodily skills. Within the period of constantly rising consumption, the demand must be lined. And the labor market doesn’t have sufficient specialists to supply.
As cited in ISPA 2023 analysis paper ‘Workers shortages had 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 lined by specialists accessible.
Labor is likely one of the limitations in lots of industries and economics basically. I imagine that implementing automation is not going to solely ship remedies at extra versatile and handy instances for customers but additionally considerably impression the wellness business. By including robotics, we will increase accessibility to very important providers and guarantee constant high quality for a a lot bigger variety of individuals worldwi
Thanks for the good interview, readers who want to study extra ought to go to roboSculptor.
