Researchers at Ontario Tech University, Canada, have developed an AI-based massage therapy training platform prototype called TheraQuest that simulates real-world therapeutic massage scenarios.

The research has been published by Shengqian Wang, a researcher at the faculty of science within Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Canada.

The application has been created to address the communication difficulties that often occur in a country with varying languages and cultural backgrounds, which can lead to the misdiagnosis of conditions.

The researchers also highlighted that consumers without English or French proficiency may use simple words to describe complex conditions or passively agree with therapists' assessments.

The system uses large language models (LLMs) to generate diverse virtual patients, with unique symptoms and profiles that mirror real-life conditions.

The virtual consumers provide verbal and textural information that allows the trainee massage therapist to determine the best treatment and adjust pressure levels.

The virtual consumers offer immediate feedback and an expert assessment summary is also provided, to enable trainees to refine their diagnostic skills.

The researchers created TheraQuest based on a review of literature about current traditional massage therapy training methods, the use of virtual patients in clinical education environments and the growing trend of gamified teaching in healthcare.

The system has been developed as a web-based training application that does not require the trainee to wear augmented/virtual reality headsets.

While the researchers found the immersive capabilities of such headsets appeared to help trainees in healthcare education settings, the weight of the headsets was determined to be a problem in a massage therapy context – due to the amount of time a user would need to wear one.

The system prompts trainees to ask follow-up questions, tests responsiveness, highlights specific actions that influence guest outcomes and errors relating to incorrect areas of massage or pressure levels.

TheraQuest rewards trainees according to their communication, dialogue and competence with stars, based on performance. These contribute to a global ranking leaderboard, motivating participants to refine their skills, accumulate stars, climb the competitive ladder and engage further with their training.

Learn more about TheraQuest here.