Aches and pains are the bane of human existence and a good masseuse can actually make them disappear with a proper massage. Unfortunately, the skill needs time to develop and the treatment itself may not be quite that affordable. Not to mention that a specialist may not always be available when you have need for one.

What then is the solution to your massage woes? Try a robotic masseuse. AiTreat is a start up company founded by Albert Zhang, a graduate of the Nanyang Technological University at Singapore. The robotic massage therapist developed by the company is called Expert Manipulative Massage Automation or EMMA for short.

Emma is a robotic arm with a 3d printed massage tip that offers sports  and other injury rehabilitation and pain management. Emma has been designed to work along with a physiotherapist as well as a Chinese physician. The robot is not a means to replace a therapist, rather a way for improving productivity by allowing a single therapist to treat multiple patients.

Zhang claims that Emma has a user friendly interface and consists of a single 6 axis robotic arm which is capable of highly articulated movements. It’s sensors include a 3D stereoscopic camera for vision, pressure sensors for the comfort and safety of the patients and more. This is one useful science project.