Emma the robot masseuse gets to work in Singapore

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A robot masseuse called Emma is offering Singaporeans high-tech back massages with a gigantic metal arm and warm silicone tips which her creators say perfectly mimic the human touch.

The robot began work at a clinic in the city-state this week and performs "tui na", a type of massage practiced in traditional Chinese medicine.

Emma, which stands for Expert Manipulative Massage Automation, consists of a white metal arm with heated silicone tips that mimic the human palm and thumb, with customers massaged while lying on a bed.

For 68 Singaporean dollars (50 US dollars), customers at the traditional Chinese medicine clinic get half an hour of robotic massage, five minutes of massage by a human therapist and around 20 minutes of acupuncture.

Emma offers high-tech back massages at a clinic in Singapore.‍ /Screenshot from AFP video

Calista Lim, a Beijing-trained physician at the clinic, said the robot eases her workload, allowing her to focus on seeing more patients.

She said the massage robot is also useful in plugging a labor shortage, as it can be difficult to find good therapists in Singapore.

"Tui na" involves applying pressure to certain points of the body. Practitioners of Chinese medicine believe it can help relieve various ailments from headaches to depression.

Still, Lim conceded some patients were initially apprehensive about being massaged by a machine "because they watched a lot of horror movies."

But most warmed to the idea after trying it out.

Traditional Chinese medicine, which uses herbal medicines and techniques such as acupuncture, is popular in Singapore where most of the population are ethnic Chinese.

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Source(s): AFP