Massage robots driven by artificial intelligence are coming to market, while chatbots are becoming ever more powerful.
AI could transform our industry if we learn to embrace innovation
Massage Robotics has already launched an AI-powered device / photo: Massage Robotics
You’re lying on a massage table but there isn’t a therapist in the room. Instead, you’re scanned by a machine that detects muscle and joint issues and uses energy field imaging to locate ‘blockages’. Then an AI massage robot (that you can interact with in real-time) gets to work, taking these parameters into account.
This may sound like sci-fi, but companies such as Massage Robotics, Aescape and Capsix Robotics are engaged in bringing such products to market.
These early AI massage robots can adjust pressure and technique, but are not yet a match for a skilled therapist, however, by their very nature AI devices have the capacity to learn rapidly and our reporters who’ve tried them say sessions are surprisingly pleasant.
The industry has struggled for years with staff shortages and hasn’t done enough to invest in employee salaries, training or development, so we expect some operators to welcome AI robots that can deliver services reliably and be classed as a capital asset rather than a cost centre.
The risk for the sector, however, is that their arrival will negatively alter consumers’ views of the services we offer, meaning AI robots will need to be deployed with care.
They could prevent staff burnout if used by therapists to assist with treatments and we foresee a time when robots and humans work side by side.
But if we don’t integrate them carefully they could cause harm, so a tactical, industry-wide approach, backed up by effective training governed by leading industry bodies is needed.
Also coming down the AI track are new, highly sophisticated chatbots by Google, Microsoft and OpenAI which act as hyper-personalised internet assistants, guiding purchasing decisions.
In his debut as Spa Business’ contributing editor on page 18, Jeremy McCarthy focuses on chatbots, predicting the tech behind them will change the world on a scale akin to the internet.
People who work in spas are typically focused on hands-on healing, shying away from tech, however, we have a real opportunity to become a leading sector in the use of AI if we tackle it fearlessly and ensure our teams are trained in its use.
Although AI in its many guises still feels a way off, now is the time to prepare to embrace innovation.
Katie Barnes is the editor of Spa Business magazine
| [email protected]
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2023 issue 1
Write to reply: Letters
Zulal's Sandie Johannessen shares her passion for medical wellness and Kloodos' Julie Cichocki says wellness protocols should start with the vagus nerve
Spa People: Leekyung Han
The South Korean-born spa consultant on why her home country should be on the radar of all wellness developers
Sponsored: Art of Cryo: Working well
Spa operators and corporate offices can now offer a comprehensive, six-part wellness journey designed by Art of Cryo to elevate health
Research: Wellness Travel Consumer Survey
A general reboot and nature/outdoor activities are key considerations for wellness tourists according to a new study by WTA. Anne Dimon reports
First person: Doctor’s orders
Can a partnership with an international hospital elevate a wellness retreat? Neena Dhillon visits RAKxa in Bangkok, Thailand to find out
Interview: Justin Musgrove
We talk to the CEO of Core Life, the exclusive lifestyle brand which has ambitions to expand to the world's most affluent cities
Sponsored: Starpool: Zerobody Cryo
The new Zerobody Cryo will deliver comfortable cold therapy for spa, wellness and sports says Starpool CEO, Riccardo Turri
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
Massage robots driven by artificial intelligence are coming to market, while chatbots are becoming ever more powerful.
AI could transform our industry if we learn to embrace innovation
Massage Robotics has already launched an AI-powered device / photo: Massage Robotics
You’re lying on a massage table but there isn’t a therapist in the room. Instead, you’re scanned by a machine that detects muscle and joint issues and uses energy field imaging to locate ‘blockages’. Then an AI massage robot (that you can interact with in real-time) gets to work, taking these parameters into account.
This may sound like sci-fi, but companies such as Massage Robotics, Aescape and Capsix Robotics are engaged in bringing such products to market.
These early AI massage robots can adjust pressure and technique, but are not yet a match for a skilled therapist, however, by their very nature AI devices have the capacity to learn rapidly and our reporters who’ve tried them say sessions are surprisingly pleasant.
The industry has struggled for years with staff shortages and hasn’t done enough to invest in employee salaries, training or development, so we expect some operators to welcome AI robots that can deliver services reliably and be classed as a capital asset rather than a cost centre.
The risk for the sector, however, is that their arrival will negatively alter consumers’ views of the services we offer, meaning AI robots will need to be deployed with care.
They could prevent staff burnout if used by therapists to assist with treatments and we foresee a time when robots and humans work side by side.
But if we don’t integrate them carefully they could cause harm, so a tactical, industry-wide approach, backed up by effective training governed by leading industry bodies is needed.
Also coming down the AI track are new, highly sophisticated chatbots by Google, Microsoft and OpenAI which act as hyper-personalised internet assistants, guiding purchasing decisions.
In his debut as Spa Business’ contributing editor on page 18, Jeremy McCarthy focuses on chatbots, predicting the tech behind them will change the world on a scale akin to the internet.
People who work in spas are typically focused on hands-on healing, shying away from tech, however, we have a real opportunity to become a leading sector in the use of AI if we tackle it fearlessly and ensure our teams are trained in its use.
Although AI in its many guises still feels a way off, now is the time to prepare to embrace innovation.
Katie Barnes is the editor of Spa Business magazine
| [email protected]
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2023 issue 1
Write to reply: Letters
Zulal's Sandie Johannessen shares her passion for medical wellness and Kloodos' Julie Cichocki says wellness protocols should start with the vagus nerve
Spa People: Leekyung Han
The South Korean-born spa consultant on why her home country should be on the radar of all wellness developers
Sponsored: Art of Cryo: Working well
Spa operators and corporate offices can now offer a comprehensive, six-part wellness journey designed by Art of Cryo to elevate health
Research: Wellness Travel Consumer Survey
A general reboot and nature/outdoor activities are key considerations for wellness tourists according to a new study by WTA. Anne Dimon reports
First person: Doctor’s orders
Can a partnership with an international hospital elevate a wellness retreat? Neena Dhillon visits RAKxa in Bangkok, Thailand to find out
Interview: Justin Musgrove
We talk to the CEO of Core Life, the exclusive lifestyle brand which has ambitions to expand to the world's most affluent cities
Sponsored: Starpool: Zerobody Cryo
The new Zerobody Cryo will deliver comfortable cold therapy for spa, wellness and sports says Starpool CEO, Riccardo Turri
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
