A massage robot based on Chinese massage therapy

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -As Chinese massage is increasingly popular, many physicians are needed these days. In order to promote the experience and skills of experts and reduce labour intensity during massage, a massage robot, which could reproduce the expert techniques with individualized manipulation parameters and enhanced safety control strategies, is presented in this paper. Design/methodology/approach -The kinematic and force features of key massage techniques, such as Thumb Kneading, Pressing, Rolling, Vibrating and Pinching, are summarized by analyzing the massage processes of expert physicians, and a mathematical model for robotic massage is established. With safety issues taken into account, the overall system structure of the massage robot is proposed. The system generally consists of a positioning platform and a massage end-effector which implements the massage techniques, and the end-effector is further divided into a parallel mechanism and a massage hand to accommodate different techniques. Visual tracking is used for positioning acupuncture points by recognizing markers on a massage vest worn by the patient. A pain threshold value is introduced to individualize therapy schemes and a force-position control method based on the pain threshold is presented. Findings -VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) tests for lumbar muscle strain are carried out using the massage robot, and the treatment effect of the massage robot based on traditional Chinese massage therapy theory is initially validated.Research limitations/implications -The treatment effect of the massage robot needs to be assessed clinically for more occasions and more clinical experiments will be conducted, to optimize the configuration and control strategy to meet the clinical needs in future work. Originality/value -The robotic massage system presented in this paper is acting on acupuncture points based on traditional Chinese massage therapy theory, with human manipulation techniques reproduced and expert experiences incorporated. The massage robot can take the place of a massager to perform Chinese massage. Most of the massage robotic systems published in the world perform only one massage technique and the whole massage process i...

Design and Analysis of a Chinese Medicine Based Humanoid Robotic Arm Massage System

“…The arm of a humanoid massage robot is mainly aimed at treating chronic and degenerative diseases in middle-aged and elderly people. Generally speaking, doctors usually perform pressing, kneading, and rolling, which are traditional Chinese massage techniques [18]. However, the operation of a robotic arm on the platform of a massage robot facilitates massage on the lumbar vertebra and back of the human body by pressing, pinching, kneading, rolling, vibration, and other kinds of massage.…”

“…The massage force can be actively controlled through force sensors; however, a personalized massage cannot be implemented for patients. In addition, Hu et al [18] developed and analyzed a Chinese massage robot which featured an arm with four DOFs. This robot had the end of its arm in a series with three degrees of freedom, and a parallel wrist with three degrees of freedom served as the human hand which massaged.…”

Trajectory planning for a foot massage robot based on Chinese massage therapy

“…including a massage bed, a positioning platform, a massage end-effector, a visual tracking system and auxiliary devices is presented in 2013 [3]. The robot can perform five key massage techniques.…”

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“…A Chinese massage end-effector was designed in [128]. This was able to thumb knead, press, roll, vibrate, and pinch.…”