Atlantis Online
March 28, 2024, 04:20:46 am
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: Were seafarers living here 16,000 years ago?
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=34805893-6a53-46f5-a864-a96d53991051&k=39922
 
  Home Help Arcade Gallery Links Staff List Calendar Login Register  

Robot gives facial massages

Pages: [1]   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Robot gives facial massages  (Read 57 times)
0 Members and 9 Guests are viewing this topic.
Adrienne
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 2428



« on: October 10, 2007, 03:38:43 pm »

Robot gives facial massages

Story Highlights
Robot gives therapeutic facial massages

Robot fitted with ceramic spheres that roll over the skin

Robot developed initially for patients with jaw-related medical problems


     
TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- With steely arms sprouting cables and wires, the WAO-1 robot looks nothing like a relaxation device.



The WAO-1 robot give therapeutic facial massages.

 But researchers at Tokyo's Waseda University hope the contraption will soon be deployed to hospitals and spas across Japan to give therapeutic facial massages.

The WAO-1 robot, which stands for Waseda Asahi Oral Rehabilitation Robot 1, is being developed initially for patients with jaw-related medical problems who require facial massages as part of their treatment, according to project leader Atsuo Takanishi.

The robot's arms are fitted with ceramic spheres the size of golf balls, and the spheres roll over the skin. The arms' movements are controlled by a complex set of algorithms designed to emulate massages, while six sensors at the base of the arms measure and adjust the pressure applied by the spheres, Takanishi said.

The technology has to be more refined than those in electric massage chairs because the facial bone structure is much more fragile than back or spine bones, he said.

Another research team member, Ken Nishimura, said the robot could be adjusted to give beauty and relaxation massages.

"This technology can be applied very widely," Nishimura said. "I'm looking forward to a time when this robot will give beauty facials at spas."

The team is set to start clinical trials using the robot in November, according to Takanishi. The robot, developed with Japan's Asahi University, must be approved by a government safety panel before it becomes available to hospitals or to the public.

Japan is a leader in consumer robots. A robot that gives shampoos is already widely deployed at hair salons across Japan. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/10/10/robot.face.massage.ap/index.html
Report Spam   Logged

"In a monarchy, the king is law, in a democracy, the law is king."
-Thomas Paine

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter



Pages: [1]   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by EzPortal
Bookmark this site! | Upgrade This Forum
SMF For Free - Create your own Forum
Powered by SMF | SMF © 2016, Simple Machines
Privacy Policy