1.2B
Chinese speakers worldwide
The world's largest single-language population — and the cultural home of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Ethnologue 2026).
PolyU · School of Design · MedTech Lab
MaiPal 脉伴
Intelligent Traditional Chinese Medicine
Health Companion Agent
An AI wellness companion designed around the logic of 望闻问切.
A warm, trustworthy guide for adults 45–65 navigating sub-health.
Background
A generation reaching the age where prevention matters most.
Chinese-speaking adults aged 45–64, in mainland China, Hong Kong and Chinese communities worldwide, are entering the sub-health stage — and increasingly value preventive care rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
45–64
The sub-health window
The life stage where bodily function quietly declines and health awareness sharpens — exactly when preventive care matters most.
2.25M
Hong Kong — our launch market
Adults aged 45–64 in Hong Kong, nearly a third of the city — our beachhead before expanding across Greater China (HK Population Projections 2022–2046).
The Problem
Two pressures, one window of opportunity.
Physical decline begins quietly
The 45–64 age group is at a stage where bodily functions gradually decline — slowed metabolism, reduced muscle strength, changes in cardiovascular function.
Without active prevention, these changes accumulate and lead to chronic disease, disability and greater medical demand.
Report of Population Health Survey 2020–22Health awareness turns to anxiety
When physical condition deteriorates, middle-aged individuals often develop stronger health awareness than younger years — but this heightened perception can trigger health anxiety and excessive worry about underlying disease.
The rise in health consciousness creates an opportunity for effective intervention — through empathetic psychological support and lifestyle adjustments rooted in long-term care.
Godino et al., 2014 · Alsenany 2025Our Solution
A digital TCM doctor that slows you down, not funnels you through.
MaiPal brings authentic Traditional Chinese Medicine wisdom into everyday life through an empathetic AI practitioner. Users enjoy warm, natural conversations that quietly deliver the essence of 望闻问切 — without any clinical feel.
A trusted, long-term health friend rather than another medical app.
为了下一个五十年。
For the next 50 years.
脉
Habit Building 习惯养成
Wellness Regulation 调理身心
Prevention 未病先防
Emotional Support 心绪相伴
Tech Accessibility 科技亲和
Quality of Life 生活之美
Product
Digitizing 望闻问切 — the four classical TCM diagnostic methods.
MaiPal replicates TCM's Four Diagnostic Methods (四诊合参) through natural conversation. Each method becomes an unhurried interaction, not a clinical test.
望
Wang
Inspection
LLM Vision analyzes facial complexion, vitality, skin tone, dark circles and puffiness via front camera — delivering structured TCM face & tongue diagnosis in seconds.
闻
Wen
Auscultation
Real-time Web Audio analysis extracts pitch (F0), volume (dB), jitter, spectral tilt and pause frequency from natural speech — replacing Python Praat with pure browser-side acoustics.
问
Wen
Inquiry
The AI doctor asks warm, contextual questions about sleep, diet, digestion, emotions and lifestyle — one question at a time, never clinical or overwhelming.
切
Qie
Palpation
For users with wearables, MaiPal accesses device-detected heart rate data to approximate pulse insights and enrich the four-diagnostic synthesis.
Customized Daily Intervention Planning
个性化每日调理
Generates a 7-day TCM plan with photo check-ins, learning resources and guided meditation audio — each task earns points redeemable at partner clinics.
Integrated Wellness Product Ecosystem
全链路调理生态
Curated herbal teas, medicinal soups and supplements from HKTVmall and Eu Yan Sang — one-tap purchase links bridge AI recommendations to real products.
Longitudinal Personal Health Profiling
长期健康追踪
A month-view health calendar tracks detection history, task completion and points — with date-detail sheets showing progress bars for each metric over time.
App Preview
A calm consultation, rendered on warm xuan paper.
MaiPal opens with a name, not a logo. The doctor speaks like a kindly grandfather who knows you. Every interaction nudges you toward unhurried, long-term care.
你好，CC
脉医生今天来陪你看看身体
你好呀，今天需要脉医生帮你看一下身体状况吗？
好的，麻烦您。
我先看看您的气色，您正对手机就好。
需要检测
改天再说
请输入您想说的话…
脉医生 · The chat home
An always-quiet doctor on rice paper
- 01Greeting
你好呀
脉医生 greets the user by name with a sentence-final 呀 — soft and never clinical. OAuth login with Google, Apple or Microsoft.
你好呀，今天需要脉医生帮你看一下身体状况吗？ - 02Face & tongue · 望诊
我先看看您的气色
LLM Vision analyzes complexion, vitality, dark circles, puffiness and tongue coating in real time. Structured JSON output feeds the doctor's reasoning.
我看您今天气色略偏淡，舌苔薄白，齿痕轻。 - 03Voice acoustics · 闻诊
听听您的声音
Web Audio API extracts F0 pitch, volume dB, jitter, spectral tilt and pause count — real acoustic analysis, no Python needed.
声音稍低微，语速偏慢，换气偏多。中气略有不足。 - 04Daily plan · 调理计划
今天的调理
A 7-day TCM plan with photo check-ins, learning links and guided meditation audio. Each task earns 10 积分 redeemable at the clinic store.
早上：枸杞红枣茶 · 午后：散步30分钟 · 晚上：足浴泡脚 - 05Clinic store · 医馆
中医馆
Curated herbal products from HKTVmall & Eu Yan Sang with one-tap purchase. Partner clinic directory with navigation, booking and real-time ratings.
虫草党参益气鸡汤 HK$188 — 点击去购买
Traction & Progress
From research database to clinical collaboration.
Technical Implementation
AI doctor dialogue
Built on a real TCM knowledge database to simulate authentic consultation.
Real-time speech recognition
User speech is transcribed and the AI reply is synthesized to speech in real time.
Face & tongue recognition
Image-based extraction generates a professional TCM diagnostic report.
User Testing
20+
Participants from mainland China and Hong Kong, across four iterative rounds.
- Round 1 Framework Recognition
- Round 2 Trust Issues
- Round 3 Interaction Experience
- Round 4 Adherence & Long-term Use
Clinical Collaboration
范
Dr. Lian Fan, MD
Director Physician · Doctoral Supervisor
Secured clinical collaboration to validate our TCM-based AI solution and its potential in preventive care — bridging Chinese and Western medicine.
Ecosystem & Roadmap
A three-phase path from Hong Kong outward.
Ecosystem development
1
MVP · 0–6 months
Free MVP
Validate product-market fit in Hong Kong. Core 望闻问切 dialogue and daily plan.
2
Growth · 6–12 months
Hospital & Healthcare
Premium tier opens. Clinic partnerships and verified Chinese-medicine practitioners.
3
Ecosystem · 12–24 months
TCM E-commerce & Education
Closed-loop wellness products, insurance partnerships, education content for long-term care.
Market expansion
2026
Phase 1
Hong Kong as Foundation
Establish product-market fit and operational model in the initial launch market.
2028
Phase 2
Greater Bay Area Expansion
Leverage Hong Kong experience to rapidly expand into major cities of the Pearl River Delta.
2030
Phase 3
Tier 1 & 2 Cities, Mainland China
Replicate the Hong Kong coverage model across mainland Chinese tier-1 and tier-2 cities.
Team
MedTech Lab, School of Design, PolyU.
A multidisciplinary team across design, AI engineering, product and system development — building MaiPal for the next fifty years.
Market Lead
K
Dr. Anthony Kong
Professor, School of Design
Rich experience in Digital Media, Storytelling for Transmedia, Digital Culture and Humanity.
- 2023 RED DOT Award winner
- 2024 Bronze Award, DFA Design for Asia Awards
- 2025 Global Top 10 Award and GDA Winner, HKDA Global Design Awards
AI Engineer
L
Dr. Giovanni Lion
Visiting Lecturer, PolyU
Researcher and developer in the field of generative AI and storytelling. 15+ years experience in multiple languages and platforms.
Product Lead
C
Ziyi Cao
PolyU Master Student
Experience in product operations and user research; strong multimedia and interaction-design foundation.
- 2026 Recycling Fund's 10th Anniversary Design Competition Runner-up
System Engineer
J
Xi Jin
PolyU
Hands-on experience in interactive system productivity and user-tool development. 6-month internship at Xinguodao (tool design & iteration).
- Independent game developer · multiple Game Jam participations
Designer
Y
Linjie Yin
Design and Research Assistant, PolyU Design
Rich experience in human-computer interaction design; international industrial experience in user-interface and experience design.
- 2026 Recycling Fund's 10th Anniversary Design Competition Runner-up