I-Health - Designing a Smart Massage Product-Service System for the Sub-health Status of Young People Based on Traditional Chinese Tuina Therapy

The rapid development of information technologies, artificial intelligence, and the Internet has enabled the emergence of smart products and on-demand e-services as an integrated solution to meet individual user needs. In the medical and health industry, smart product-service systems have been widely applied. Suboptimal health (sub-health) status can be considered an intermediate stage between health and disease, characterized by a range of uncomfortable symptoms such as chronic fatigue, sleep disorders, poor mood, and aches. However, sub-health cannot be identified accurately by medical standards. Tuina therapy, an ancient form of massage from traditional Chinese medicine, can improve these symptoms by focusing on balancing a person's energy flow with various techniques such as kneading, pressing, rolling, and stretching. In this study, we designed a smart massage product-service system based on Tuina therapy for young people suffering from sub-health status. The system integrates traditional Chinese medicine with intelligent technologies, sensors, and connectivity. The product can provide relief to young people who suffer from sub-health but lack the time and energy for long-term medical treatment. This research provides a valuable design case for applying traditional Chinese medicine in a new scenario with smart technologies.