In some ways, the room appeared acquainted. As with previous massages I had obtained, the lights have been dim, the air smelled vaguely of aromatherapy and there was an inviting mattress within the middle of the house.
However one factor was completely different: Hooked up to the mattress have been two massive, white robotic arms, which have been about to work on my physique for a half-hour.
The hulking machine was developed by Aescape, a start-up primarily based in New York that claims to have created “the world’s most superior therapeutic massage.” The contraption consists of infrared sensors, which scan the physique to create an in depth map of its muscle construction. Utilizing machine studying, it then analyzes the data and creates a customized therapeutic massage plan. The robotic is at the moment accessible at a resort and therapeutic massage studio in New York Metropolis, and Aescape says it will likely be on provide at 10 Equinox areas this month.
The corporate is betting that the elements of a conventional therapeutic massage some individuals don’t take pleasure in — the oils, the nudity, the small speak — may be solved utilizing synthetic intelligence and robotics.
I used to be on the Aescape workplaces in Manhattan to check the idea.
I become an outfit supplied by the corporate (leggings and a good, long-sleeved shirt). As soon as on the mattress, I lay face down with my head in a doughnut pillow and my arms resting comfortably overhead on a bolster. On the opposite facet of the pillow was a contact display. I tapped a button to start.
