Speech by 2M Tan See Leng at the Opening Ceremony of the Centre for Advanced Robotics Technology Innovation

Professor Subra Suresh, NTU President,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

1. A very good afternoon to all of you. I am glad to join you for the opening ceremony of the Centre for Advanced Robotics Technology Innovation, or CARTIN.

Introduction

2. Singapore is the second most automated country in the world after South Korea, according to a 2021 report from the International Federation of Robotics. Singapore’s robot density has grown by more than 25% on average per year between 2015 and 2020 – we now have more than 1 industrial robot per 20 workers.

3. Looking ahead, analysts expect continued rapid growth in robotics. The Boston Consulting Group projects that the global robotics market could expand by more than ten-fold between 2020 and 2030. There are thus significant opportunities to be seized by three key groups: researchers, companies, and workers.

Encouraging researchers to pursue industry-relevant research

4. First, researchers. With this rapid growth, it is critical to build a vibrant robotics ecosystem in Singapore, where our universities and research institutions work closely with companies to pursue innovative and industry-relevant projects. This will position Singapore as a global hub for robotics solutions.

5. In this regard, I am glad to see that CARTIN brings together the expertise of NTU, NUS and A*STAR, to conduct R&D in three key application pillars. Namely, logistics, manufacturing and robots for humans.

6. I am heartened to hear that our researchers will work closely with industry partners to define use cases, and translate the research to industrial applications.

  a. For example, researchers in CARTIN will study how robots can facilitate complex assembly processes in the precision engineering sector.

7. I encourage our researchers to continue to pursue such industry-relevant research. This will help our companies to create new and transformative products and services, enhance Singapore’s competitiveness, and create good value added and high paying jobs for Singaporeans.

8. The Government is supporting such work through the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 plans, where we had identified robotics as a field which serves various domains.

  a. The National Robotics Programme, set up in 2016, is also helping in this effort through the building of a vibrant robotics ecosystem and Singapore-based differentiating robotics capabilities.

Encouraging companies to automate

9. The second main emphasis is on companies. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the demand for robotics technology by companies to automate their processes.

10. Robots were deployed worldwide to help fight the crisis - medical robots were used to monitor patients and alleviate the load on healthcare systems; cleaning robots were used to sanitise premises at a stepped-up frequency; logistics drones were used to make last-mile deliveries, and reduce the exposure of frontline workers to the virus.

11. Here in Singapore, as our labour market grew tighter, our companies also found new ways to operate on a leaner workforce, by depending on automation and technology.

a. Take for example the Rapid Automated Volume Enhancer, or “RAVE”. This technology was developed by A*STAR to handle COVID-19 test samples and testing in labs.

b. The robot helps to automate some of the manual steps usually required in sample processing, such as uncapping sample tubes and performing pipetting. This helps to minimise potential human errors and infection risks to our laboratory workers.

12. Even as we are moving back towards normalcy, I encourage companies not to slow down their journey of automation. The Government will continue to provide support to companies to automate their work processes, such as through the Enterprise Development Grant.

Encouraging workers to upskill

13. The third emphasis is on workers. There are good jobs being created with the growth of the sector. Let me share with you two examples.

  a. NTU shared with me about Dr. Yuan Shenghai (袁圣海). Dr. Yuan is a 33-year Singapore Permanent Resident. After graduating from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Dr. Yuan obtained his bachelor’s and PhD degrees from NTU. He is currently a Research Fellow with CARTIN, where his research interests include machine learning and autonomous systems.

b. A*STAR shared with me another story, about Dr. Yan Shijun (颜世俊). Dr. Yan is a 37-year-old Singaporean working in A*STAR. He designs artificial intelligence algorithms for robotic applications. As a technical lead on a CARTIN project, he aims to make robots that can learn from human operators through physical demonstrations. Dr. Yan believes that this will help to make the usage of robots easier.

14. I am happy to hear about these examples of locals pursuing opportunities in robotics. Looking forward, we will face an eventual shrinking workforce, and we will need to supplement that shrinking workforce with automation and with robotics.

15. I understand there will be anxieties that some workers might have about whether they would be replaced by robots in their jobs. There will be some jobs that will be disrupted. For example those involving highly repetitive and labour intensive tasks. But look at it from the positive angle. This will free up our workers to take on other more productive and value added jobs, for example, in operating and maintaining the robots.

16. The Government will continue to provide support for workers to upskill to be able to take on good jobs in robotics. More broadly, I also encourage workers to be willing to undergo training to gain new skills. Give it a try, take that leap of faith, and be familiarised with new work processes.

Conclusion

17. In conclusion, robotics will become increasingly important to Singapore as our economy continues to transform. Our research community, our companies, and our workers all have a part to play in this transformation process.

18. My best wishes to CARTIN’s success to become one of the centres of excellence for robotics technology innovation and research in Singapore and globally. I look forward to seeing its innovations being used to transform our industries and create good jobs for Singaporeans.

19. Thank you.