Dan Burns, VP of partnerships, Aescape / photo: Aescape

in 2017, Aescape has been developed in collaboration with licensed therapists and industry leaders. It launched in US cities last year and has secured US$128 million (€117.4 million, £98.6 million) in funding so far. Clients include Utah’s Velære wellness community, 60 Equinox fitness clubs, Ritz-Carlton Bacara in California and Four Seasons in Orlando and Baltimore. It’s also aiming to operate internationally by the end of 2025.

We’re looking to partner with global leaders in hospitality, sports, corporate offices and luxury real estate.

Using our booking app, you can browse locations and check availability. After booking, members receive session details via text and email.

Treatments begin with customers putting on a size-inclusive bodysuit with nothing underneath for optimal friction, they then lie on the table and are scanned by four overhead sensors. These sensors generate 1.2 million 3D data points about the body to help with precision, ensuring optimised pressure, technique, flow and customisation.

Two robotic arms are topped with Aerpoint ‘hands’ each featuring seven surfaces that can be adjusted for pressure and heated for added comfort as they move over the body.

Users control the entire massage experience via an interactive touchscreen, situated below the face cradle. Using this, they can select targeted areas, pressure levels and even music preferences. The system remembers personal settings, allowing guests to continue their wellness routines across different locations.

Aescape is an entirely autonomous system but users can alert staff with a call button if necessary at all of our partner locations.

Our massage library is constantly expanding. Treatments range from 15 minutes (for those with hectic schedules) to longer, 60-minute recovery sessions. Each massage also focuses on a different part of the body – from upper, middle and lower back to glutes and hamstrings with pressure points and target areas completely in the user’s control. Options might include Upper & Mid Back Focus (30 minutes), for example, or Total Back & Glutes (60 minutes)

Aescape is the first commercially available, fully automated AI massage experience. Unlike other percussive instruments which are self-administered, its two robotic arms have been designed to deliver double the bodywork in half the time.

It’s created to provide an incomparable level of precision and customisation, complete with a comprehensive library of varying massages to fit the needs of virtually anyone, from high-level athletes to first-time massage goers.

Our license model, which qualifies as an operating expenditure item for the majority of our partners, is US$7,500 (€7,199, £5,984) a month or US$245 (€235, £195) a day. There’s a minimum lease of three years and implementation, including installation and training, is US$10,000 (€9,565, £7,925). We do not sell the equipment outright at this time.

Aescape’s booking app enables on-demand massage bookings, driving revenue for partners. To generate a positive ROI, a partner needs to make US$245 a day, which equates to 2 hours of Aescape utilisation.

Carole Eyssautier, general manager / photo: Capsix

in development for nine years and we installed our prototypes between 2019 and 2021 in large workplaces, allowing us to learn from different body types and create the most intuitive user experience. In 2023, we partnered with our first three spas to finalise the development of additional services and officially launched in commercial settings early last year. Our head office and workshop is in Lyon, France and we also have a showroom in Paris. Europe and North America are our primary markets.

Clients include high-end resorts and spas, longevity centres and premium gyms.

iYU performs AI-driven massage directly on bare skin. After selecting their protocol, sound immersion and table temperature, users lie on an extra-wide comfy table – just like the start of a normal treatment.

AI is at the heart of the iYU experience, intervening at three key points. Our programmes have been designed and tested by massage professionals and physiotherapists in advance based on a generic human body model or ‘digital twin’.

AI algorithms automatically adapt these programmes based on the user’s morphological structure from a 3D scan which provides a detailed map of muscles and tension points in just a few seconds.

Thirdly, iYU uses AI for real-time adaption according to the 3D scan.

The treatment is administered by Kuku’s LBR Med, a collaborative robot arm with 28 sensors that’s used in medical procedures.

Capsix has developed and patented an articulated hand that attaches to the arm and adapts to the bumps and hollows of the human body to enable precise gestures. We’ve also created a contact membrane (iYU skin) which has a skin-like feel that softly glides over the body and can be used with or without oil.

The treatment can be customised by the user, adjusting the pressure in real-time or starting or stopping the session via a remote control which is designed to be simple and intuitive. Alternatively, the operator can also personalise the treatment by choosing iYU protocols that align with its target clientele, or even by developing its own signature programmes.

iYU offers two operating modes. The first one is fully autonomous enabling the user to completely manage their own session. This is favoured by gyms which want to offer free access to the service or hotels that want to offer iYU anytime of the day.

The second mode, preferred by spas and wellness centres, offers a setup where the user is assisted by a member of staff. The interaction screen is different; it provides access to more protocols, including those with oil.

There are three treatment ‘families’ – body (muscular manipulation), mind (for relaxation) and soul (for emotional release). Each family includes several protocols which are either 20, 35 or 45 minutes long.

iYU performs massages directly on the skin to better work the muscle. Combined with its skin-like membrane, it provides a fluidity of movement that’s very close to the sensation of human touch.

Seven internationally published articles and two studies currently being under review demonstrate the effectiveness of iYU. They show an average 58 per cent reduction in cortisol levels from one session, as well as a 28 per cent drop in insomnia issues and a 48 per cent decrease in pain reduction when used twice a week over five weeks.

We sell iYU direct for €120,000 (US$124,961, £99,875) in Europe and US$149,000 (€143,087, £119,088) in the US. In addition, an annual maintenance contract is €3,300 (US$3,436, £2,746) and US$3,950 (€3,793, £3,157) respectively.

We offer a five-year minimum lease for €2,700 (US$2,824, £2,238) a month in France, but costs vary in other countries.

ROI depends on the business model. Spas which offer iYU treatments a la carte can break even by selling two 35-minute sessions a day if they charge €40 (US$42, £33). Gyms which integrate iYU into memberships with a price increase of €10 (US$10, £8) a month can potentially generate margins of 70 per cent if they have 1,000 members or more.

Jens Schramm, CEO / photo: Robotic Therapeutics

today’s roboSculptor is the third-generation model and we launched it commercially this January. We’re based in Hoexter, central Germany and sell directly to Germany, Switzerland and Austria and we’re building a distributor network globally.

Sectors suitable for roboSculptor include luxury wellness hotels and spas, health and fitness clubs, physiotherapy centres, plastic surgery clinics, medical institutions and the home-use device market.

Our procedures can be performed on bare skin, special clothing is not needed. The roboSculptor model uses a collaborative robot arm and a complex pneumatic and electronic system to apply pressure with a special vibrocompression massage tool.

The tool is the same one used by Beautylizer, which has the same owner as us – Robotic Therapeutics. Beautylizer, a leader in the field of non-invasive cosmetology and body sculpting, has been around for 20 years and supplies more than 700 devices worldwide.

The tool has 72 independently rotating silicone spheres generating sequences of short-term compression and lifting. This constant oscillation also generates vibration that targets all layers of the skin and tissue, helping to improve blood flow and increase oxygen in the blood.

For extra comfort and enjoyment, there’s a music audio system with light screens which users can customise.

One of the most unique features, however, is our RoboGlide system which is based on real-time body detection in a 3D virtual environment. This is used to control the position of the robotic arm – during a session users inevitably move, which is why our system continuously monitors and adjusts accordingly.

It works by first entering dimensions of the body, such as weight and height. Then, up to four high-speed 3D cameras scan the body in just 10 seconds, creating a unique 3D model. When the patient moves, the system reacts in 0.1-0.2 seconds and builds a new trajectory and map of the tool’s movement.

The speed, pressure and real-time position of the vibrocompression spheres can be adjusted for a wide range of treatments lasting between 30-75 minutes. These can include, for example, lymphatic drainage, ‘healthy back’, full body relaxation or a wellness/toning or medical massage.

RoboSculptor offers pre-set treatments and a user-friendly interface and dashboards. Customers are guided through experiences by a voice recording. They’re also provided with a remote control to change the pressure of the applicator themselves.

Each user is provided with a number which they can input before their next appointment for a more personalised or consistent experience.

Visual interfaces for operators are also available if necessary and these can be used to plan treatments, monitor progress and make real-time adjustments.

In addition, roboSculptor has a while-label client app with CRM integration and a scheduling system.

No.

The fact that our dynamic robot technology adjusts to the movement of the user in real-time – combined with robotic precision, machine learning and AI – is revolutionary.

Our vibrocompression spheres feature FDA-approved medical-grade silicon which can be sterilised for each treatment. They’re designed to increase fluid filtration, flush out toxins and smooth the appearance of skin after just one session. The skin’s many receptors respond to touch, pressure and vibration, triggering signals that enhance blood circulation and lymphatic flow.

New applicators, such as those which offer microneedling or which put more pressure on the muscles without rotation, are also under development.

We offer a five-year finance solution which costs €4,200 (US$4,352, £3,503) a month excluding VAT. Shorter or longer agreements, ranging between two to six-and-a-half years, are also possible. It costs €236,345 (US$245,000, £197,600) to buy roboSculptor directly.

RoboSculptor can be used 24/7. If you sell two 60-minute massages a day at €150 (US$155, £125) the monthly income is €9,000 (US$9,326, £7,505).