Macau-developed AI Traditional Chinese Medicine robot already in use in Portugal

Macau University of Science and Technology researchers developed a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) AI-powered diagnostic and dispensing robot that has already entered the European market following a new strategic partnership in Portugal.

The “Herbizon AI TCM Robot,” created by the Biomedical Engineering Research Team of Macau University of Science and Technology and the Guangdong Provincial Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, offers an integrated, one-stop service for health assessment and instant herbal wellness drinks.

The project was shared in a recent seminar at the UNU Macau AI Conference 2025 held at the Galaxy International Convention Center.

The event, which also commemorated the 80th anniversary of the United Nations and the 50th anniversary of the United Nations University, brought together 500 participants from across 30 countries to discuss the urgent need to shape AI policy frameworks.

The core of the system is an LLM-based TCM Diagnosis and Prescription Recommendation model, trained on extensive medical literature, case studies, textbooks, and classics, leveraging the Hengqin TCM Large Model and the DeepSeek platform.

This system integrates the four classical diagnostic methods of TCM—inspection, auscultation and olfaction, inquiry, and palpation—by using multimodal perception (such as facial and tongue analysis) and interactive Q&A to achieve an accurate diagnosis and a personalized Herbal Medicine Recommendation.

The process is designed for speed and convenience: the robot can deliver an AI-powered health assessment and a freshly brewed, personalized herbal wellness drink in just 3 to 8 minutes. This feature aims to bridge the gap between traditional, time-consuming TCM consultation and the demand for fast, reliable health solutions.

The international ambition of the project was formalized on March 7, 2025, in Lisbon, where Zhuhai Herbizon Technology Co., Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Portuguese Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic and the Portuguese Youth International Exchange Center.

This agreement, supported by the Chinese Embassy in Portugal and the Macau SAR Government, was said to mark the full implementation of the “Aoben Tang Traditional Chinese Medicine Robot” project in Portugal, and “positioning Macau as a key platform for promoting TCM to Portuguese-speaking countries and beyond”.

Citing iiMedia Research data, MUST researchers say China’s TCM wellness tea market reached RMB 41.16 billion (MOP46.1 billion/$5.7 billion) in 2023, representing a 27.3 per cent year-over-year increase.

Driven by the revival of TCM culture and the popular concept of “medicine food homology,” this market is expected to more than double, exceeding RMB100 billion by 2028.

The Herbizon Intelligent TCM Robot is powered by a suite of cutting-edge technologies, including Intelligent Robotics, the Hengqin TCM Large Model, and DeepSeek, enabling it to deliver an integrated AI diagnosis and smart herbal brewing process.

The system aims for efficiency, delivering a health assessment and herbal wellness drink within 3-8 minutes—a quick brew process that integrates AI-powered TCM health assessment and herbal preparation in one step.

The machine is available in Professional, Standard, and Lite Editions to suit various settings. The TCM Large Language Model empowers Traditional Chinese Medicine with AI for more accurate diagnoses.

It offers a Holistic Health Scenario through a comprehensive wellness assessment based on facial, tongue, and pulse analysis, combined with an interactive Q&A.