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GET A PIECE OF MASSAGE ROBOTICS
Just for the feel of it
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$172,451.75 Raised
TEAM
Christian Mackin • Co-founder, Secretary, Treasurer, Director & CEO
I am a quintessential serial entrepreneur who designed a robot while on the trail to Mt. Everest Base Camp.
In 1998, I started my first company, Geokinetics; and in 2001, my next company was Cellular Science. In 2004, I started Infrastructure Solutions and designed a cabinet for the wireless telecommunications industry. Together with my brother Sean, we produced $7 million in sales during 2005. In April of 2006, we successfully exited Infrastructure Solutions with a cash sale to Powerwave Technologies. We then sold an additional $25 million of cabinets over the next 12 months. In 2006, we started Kohlex, a product-design and engineering firm with customers from Australia to America. Working with Startups to Fortune-500 companies, our staff of more than 30 engineers design products for the automation, medical, aerospace, consumer, and industrial fields.
Private Life
I am an outnumbered family man. I’ve been married for more than 30 years and have three beautiful daughters! For fun, I fly sailplanes competitively. In fact, a few years ago I was ranked in the top ten in the United States. See my loops over Mt. Whitney ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7RU8PZkoBA )
In March of 2013, I broke my back and neck in an off-road vehicle accident in the sand dunes of California. I have always appreciated titanium, but I usually admired it for mountain bike parts. I never thought titanium parts would end up holding my spine together. This life-changing accident and extensive physical therapy inspired the design of our massage robot. I imagined an autonomous robot that could diagnose, prescribe, and perform a massage to help people feel better and to relieve therapists from repetitive work.
Five months after the accident, I traveled to Nepal with my oldest daughter. We volunteered to teach English to young monks who live in a monastery near Mt. Everest. See summary video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U8W_-_vF5U ). While living on the mountain during the month of August, we decided to trek to Everest Base Camp located at 18,000 feet. I invented much of the roadmap for creating the massage robot along the trail. Over the next 12 days, while recuperating in my sleeping bag every night, I would dream about how a robot would never get tired of making me feel better.
Mr. Mackin currently spends over 40 hours per week working for Massage Robotics, Inc. while also serving as CEO for another company Kohlex, LLC for approximately 4 hours per week.
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Sean Mackin • Co-Founder & Business Development
Working as a Business Development Manager (BDM) for IS, Mr. Mackin was directly responsible for the sales for this startup company and its disruptive technology into the wireless community which included companies such as AT&T, Verizon, Cingular Wireless, and Sprint Nextel to name a few. IS was acquired by Powerwave Technologies (PWAV) a billion-dollar public company in 2006, Mr. Mackin was instrumental in the sales of over 30 million dollars worldwide of this wireless communication product. Mr. Mackin was directly responsible for the sales and technical training for PW and its global sales force. His responsibilities included sales and hands-on training around the world which encompassed most of the 50 US states, as well as countries such as Peru, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, France, Germany, England, Spain, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
Mr. Mackin is currently acting as a BDM for Kohlex which involves bringing on new customers from around the world and developing engineering teams to assist in the expansion of both new and existing products. I am also responsible for the cultivation and expansion of existing customers.
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Jerome Williams • Board of Advisors
Williams joined the NBA's "Basketball Without Borders" program, an effort to teach the game and bring resources to underdeveloped nations in Africa, Asia and elsewhere. In Toronto, he was always greeted with a standing ovation when he returned in a Bulls or Knicks uniform. Nicknamed the Junk Yard Dog (or JYD) by Rick Mahorn in his early days as a Detroit Piston for his hard work and hustle (as stated in an interview while he served as a commentator on NBA TV), Williams sometimes referred to himself in the third person.
JYD serves on the boards of:
RealWear--The next generation industrial strength assisted reality solution
Wiki link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Williams_(basketball)
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Reasons to Invest
- Massage robots are the solution to a shortage of therapists, the problems of sexual misconduct, and the escalating prices at massage and wellness clinics.
- Google believes in our vision. Google invested their money to sponsor a Premiere Google Cloud Partner for two years to support development of Machine Learning, AI, and Natural Language Processing for our robot.
- We are good at what we do. For 22 years, the founders have designed hundreds of products for Startups to Fortune 500 companies across the globe. They have launched new products in the areas of automation, aviation, military, medical, industrial, and consumer electronics. Plus, a successful Exit in 2006.
Overview
"Back"story and Innovation
In 2013, Massage Robotics co-founder and CEO, Christian Mackin, had an off-road vehicle accident in the California sand dunes that left him with a broken neck and back. These multiple fractures required urgent stabilization using titanium implants (see pictures below). During physical therapy and rehabilitation, he imagined a robot that could help him (and others) feel better as well as relieve therapists from their repetitive work.
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Christian Mackin | co-Founder & CEO
Christian has been a quintessential serial entrepreneur for 22 years. In 2006, he started Kohlex, a product-design and engineering firm with customers from Australia to America. Working with Startups to Fortune-500 companies, his staff of more than 30 engineers design products for the automation, military, medical, aerospace, consumer, and industrial fields. Christian knew his team of highly-skilled engineers could turn his vision of a massage robot into a working prototype.
In 2019, during a technical support call with Google Cloud Platform, their engineers became interested in our vision of a robot that would diagnose, prescribe, and perform a massage. Three months later, Google invested both its money and engineering resources. They worked collaboratively with Massage Robotics for two years to develop the Machine Learning, AI, and Natural Language Processing capabilities of the robot we call Alex.
*Images are computer generated demo versions. Product is still currently under development g
Superhuman Innovation
It is a unique experience to be touched by a massage robot. You won’t know until you know. You will have to feel it to understand it. The robot moves like a human and talks like a human, but Alex has superhuman memory. Alex uses Machine Learning and Artificial intelligence to recognize what you like and learn from it. After every massage, the robot is smarter. Alex is evolving.
The Problem
Why aren't more people getting massages?
If 92% of people believe massage therapy relieves pain and stress, then why don't they get massages? Also, 83% of people believe massages should be covered by their healthcare insurance (Source). We think most people believe massage therapy is a far better alternative to prescription drugs or surgery. So many roadblocks to a simple solution.
Massage Roadblocks
- Economics: Massages are expensive for both the wellness business and their customers.
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- Staffing: There are not enough therapists to meet customer demand (Source).
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- Reputation: Many people avoid massages because of the common negative association with sexual misconduct.
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- Inconvenience: The hassles of self-preparation. Do I really have to shave, shower, shine, and shampoo?
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- Body Issues: Problems of self-esteem and anxiety about our size, shape, fitness, skin, image, appearance, and imperfections.
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- Awkward: What is normal about being naked with a stranger, or the uncomfortable decisions of small talk and underwear on or off?
The Solution
Robots Remove Roadblocks
- Economics: A massage robot provides quality and quantity at a fixed cost. Our research and analysis show that leasing a robot will cost less than employing enough humans to keep up with Alex. This allows wellness franchises to charge less while still maintaining healthy margins.
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- Staffing: Robots are more reliable than humans. This is a paradigm shift that rethinks the massage experience. Alex can work 3 shifts, 365 days a year -without vacation, sick days, holidays, benefits, or taxes - to generate significant profits.
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- Reputation: Massage robots protect your reputation and promote your well-being. Never worry about being a victim or accused of sexual misconduct.
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- Inconvenience: With Alex, you can show up as you are - any time of the day or night, and in any condition. No need to "get ready" to see Alex, unless you want to.
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- Body Issues: The massage robot will not judge or question your size, shape, fitness, skin, image, appearance, or imperfections.
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- Awkward: The massage robot eliminates the many awkward situations that occur when you are naked in a room with a stranger.
Robotic Perfection and Organic Creativity
Innovative Design
We believe good design is both beautiful and intelligent. Our goal is to excite the senses and inspire the mind. We deliberately combined innovative materials with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Although robotic by design, Alex is personal, thoughtful, and attentive.
Alex is built on a cloud network that uses Machine Learning (ML) to understand what humans like. Every night, on schedule, Alex assimilates data from the "Borg-like" collective of all the robots. They are evolving to become better at diagnosing, predicting, and prescribing.
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Development Stage
Safety and Automation
Alex is a cobot with six-axis robotic arms that meet international safety standards for Collaborative Robotics (Source). Alex is inherently safe. The robot is simply not heavy enough, fast enough, or strong enough to be dangerous to humans.
Alex has 2 six-axis robotic arms, each with an automatic tool changer. Interchangeable fitted attachments can deliver kneading, rolling, vibration, percussion, heat, electric pulse, and other therapeutic modalities. Guided by ML, Alex strings multiple segments together to create a personalized massage routine. Each segment is defined by cloud-stored parameters for tool, location, duration, path, speed, and force.
Motion and Voice Control
Alex biomimics the organic motions and touch pressures of a human therapist, based on algorithms and data stored in the cloud. Performing percussion, vibration, or kneading motions, Alex never gets tired - helping relieve your pain and decrease your stress.
Alex is enabled with Natural Language Processing powered by Dialogflow, which is the same platform used by Google Assistant. Using a normal voice, Alex can be guided to the left and right and to push harder or softer during the massage. Because Alex remembers every nudge, it will deliver a perfect massage every time.
Mobile App
We are rethinking the massage experience. We have developed a Massage Robotics Mobile App to enable Users to personalize their massage session. The mobile app is connected to the same cloud database and Recommendation Engine that the robot uses to create automated massage routines. Users can select from existing routines or create their own.
The mobile app screen layout allows Users to select from different categories of massage routines. We think the best category could be For You, which displays individualized recommendations based on AI and ML. In addition, the mobile app also provides other categories such as Ailments, Activities, Lifestyle, Sports, and Target Areas.
Select massage routines, customize, and share.
The above rendering of the Company's app is currently available in the Apple App Store,
but not yet available to the public.
Calibration and Sharing
As part of the user profile setup, Alex collects and stores six calibration points (see figure below). These measured coordinates are used in a proprietary algorithm, which digitally morphs each routine to match any individual User's body shape. So a routine configured for the body shape of even the largest NFL football player can be shared with the tiniest ballerina.
Users can intuitively create personalized massage routines and then share the routines publicly or privately. A doctor can share with a patient, a celebrity with a fan, or friends within a social group. This network of Users will continuously create and share fresh routines, so you will never get bored.
The Market
Deca-billion in Addressable Revenue
(Source)
Today's massage is evolving. We are disrupting the 5,000-year history of massage therapy (Source). We are creating a completely new massage experience in the $4 trillion wellness market. The global massage industry is valued at $110 billion in 2019. While the massage device market alone is estimated to be worth $10 billion in 2022, with a CAGR of 13.8% (Source). Over five years, we estimate that capturing only 1% of the 360,000 massage therapists in the United States (Source) will produce revenues greater than $1 billion based on our expected RaaS agreement terms once the product is commercially viable.
Revenue Model
RaaS just makes sense!
Our business model is based on Robot-as-a-Service (Raas), which is planned to be implemented once the product reaches a commercially viable stage. The model is a monthly subscription-based B2B approach for wellness businesses across sectors, including healthcare, commercial, corporate, private, and government. Similar to the rise of SaaS (and then HaaS) -- which hit "tech" in Silicon Valley by storm - RaaS is gaining momentum across the world.
RaaS just makes sense. We are seeing all types of robots leaving the factory floor and entering restaurants and hospitality facilities. Our massage robots will soon be entering wellness clinics. Since buying a robot is expensive and they are a depreciating asset, RaaS allows companies to reduce capital expenditures and lower operating costs.
RaaS Advantages
- High Margins: Profits built into recurring revenue and usage (as-a-service).
- Customer Retention: Stronger barrier to sales competition, making it more difficult for new entrants to displace.
- Facilitate Sales: Greasing the skid for sales by eliminating typical capital expense barriers and making way for rapidly scaling growth.
- One-Stop Solution: The business only pays a service as a subscription, without the need to purchase hardware or equipment.
- Scalability: Business growth and system flexibility go hand-in-hand. Future expansion or upgrading can be done with ease.
Sales Channels
- Healthcare: Physical Therapy, Chiropractic Clinic, Sports Rehab, etc.
- Commercial: Massage Clinics, Gyms, Hotel chains, etc.
- Corporate: Professional Sports Clubs, College Sports, Fortune 500, etc.
- Government: Police, Fire, Military, etc.
- Private: Luxury Homes, Yachts, Celebrities, etc.
