Dennis Ledenkof is the CEO and founding father of roboSculptor the roboSculptor, an autonomous platform for physique remedies developed by well being business consultants 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 concept 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 system. Whereas the potential associate 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 laborious to seek out. Throughout that journey, I didn’t get a distributor, however I bought worthwhile recommendation. To invent one thing that doesn’t require human energy.
It took my group 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 basic form of a physique contouring system with a cobot. You realize, simply on prime of it. It appeared like an easy-to-implement concept.
1st iteration of including a robotic to a conventional aesthetic system. Scheme.
Nonetheless, 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 have been constructing. We underestimated the complexity of the enterprise.
The following 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 extra robotic motion assessments, our engineers discovered that the system wasn’t inflexible sufficient to carry out therapeutic massage actions at larger speeds. After gathering 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 unique, 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 stable understanding of the place tendencies are likely to shift, you begin to study extra concerning 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 units, 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 lowering 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 obtainable 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. This can be a vital problem, however a good larger one is the necessity to always observe the affected person’s place—often 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 just some seconds in the past.
To resolve 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 appropriately requires analyzing a major quantity of information. To precisely detect the pose, we have now 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?
In terms 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 instrument motion pace. We’ve designed the system in a means 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 elements of the motion historical past, we are able to pinpoint the best strategies for every particular person, much like how a well-liked 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 primarily based on large 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 that 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 based on its assigned duties. One of the vital efficient methods to detect a human physique’s place is through the use of Lidars—3D depth sensors, also known as ‘3D cameras.’ They help create a detailed 3D map of the patient’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 primarily based on the consumer’s biometric suggestions?
In the course of the process, sufferers can even alter the stress degree. The system is paired with an app that lets customers outline ‘no-go zones’—sensitive areas the machine should avoid during treatment.”
It’s probably not biometric suggestions that we implement within the present model, though we have now evaluated completely different evaluation methods like measuring BMI, pores and skin high quality, and many others. Whereas these may make the system extra personalised, they’d additionally complicate its operation. At later levels, we’ll get again to those subjects. The present model of roboSculptor permits patiens to decide on numerous therapy applications relying on their targets, with the selection performing as a setting. In the course of the process, sufferers can even alter the stress degree. The system is paired with an app that lets customers outline ‘no-go zones’—sensitive areas the machine should avoid during treatment.
illustration of no-go zones on a female 3-d model. roboSclulptor.
What significant challenges did you face while developing roboSculptor, and how did you overcome them?
First comes the security. Fortunately for clients, you can’t simply put a product or a know-how in the marketplace with out passing all the mandatory assessments. 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 surprising geopolitical occasions can all throw a wrench. For starters, they might have an effect on the feasibility and profitability of startups and repel potential traders with the funds to assist product growth. And elevating funding for robotics is difficult sufficient now as it’s. Traditionally, traders hesitate to again robotics ventures because of the excessive value of analysis, growth, prototyping, manufacturing, and longer growth cycles in comparison with software-based ventures. We are able to 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 laborious to copy shortly attributable to their excessive prices. Due to this fact, corporations could not develop on the tempo that you’d anticipate. And it may take years for traders 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 displays 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 enables the robotic to adapt to any posture modifications and supply exact instrument 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?
In response to 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 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 sooner 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 services. Furthermore, operational prices may drop by as much as 40%, with returns on funding hitting 54% per system yearly.
Moreover, integrating robots and AI in healthcare can automate routine duties, permitting healthcare professionals to focus extra on direct affected person care and sophisticated 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 shortage 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 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 ‘Staff shortages were most often cited as the primary reason given by spas reporting a decrease in their weekly hours of operation and also those saying they had decreased the number of service provider shifts per day.
Limited SPA zones working hours decrease the return on investment of SPA and wellness centres. In the nearest healthcare industry, it’s physiotherapists’ wants are removed from absolutely coated by specialists obtainable.
Labor is likely one of the limitations in lots of industries and economics on the whole. I imagine that implementing automation won’t solely ship remedies at extra versatile and handy occasions for shoppers but additionally considerably influence the wellness business. By including robotics, we are able to broaden accessibility to very important providers and guarantee constant high quality for a a lot bigger variety of individuals worldwi
Thanks for the nice interview, readers who want to study extra ought to go to roboSculptor.
