Robotic tech talk
On Aug 18, 2025, I attended the robotic tech talk to learn the status and knowledge of roboic in Singapore. SGInnovate NRF tech talk. The take way from the workshop are:
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Understanding the situation of Singapore robotic goverment support and industry development
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Learning robotic development: simulation => physical deployment
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Development tool for simulation: particularlly ROS 2. As a AI/ML algorithm and software background, it is interesting to study how to integrate ROS & AI/ML model
Summary of tech talk
Based on the images provided, here is a summary of the meeting content, which appears to be focused on the state of robotics in Singapore.
Key Themes:
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Singapore’s Adoption of Robotics: Singapore is a major global player in robotics adoption. As of 2024, Singapore has a high robot density with 770 robots per 10,000 workers, making it the second-largest adopter of robotics in the world, behind the Republic of Korea. This is significantly higher than the average global robot density of 162 per 10,000 workers.
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Economic Impact and Growth: The robotics sector is a key driver of Singapore’s economy. The revenue of the robotics sector is expected to grow by approximately 20% from 2025 to 2029, representing an estimated increase of USD 75 million. The presentation highlights a substantial impact on the medical, electronics, and logistics sectors over the past decade. A pie chart shows shifts in revenue share from 2016 to 2025, with medical and electric/electronic sectors seeing significant growth in revenue share, while logistics’ share has declined.
- Strategic Focus and Initiatives: The presentation mentions SGInnovate, a key organization in Singapore’s deep tech ecosystem. Its mission is “to translate today’s technologies into tomorrow’s opportunities.” Key figures for SGInnovate as of March 2024 include:
- Over 80 portfolio companies.
- S$85 million invested.
- A community of over 155,000 strong.
- Catalyzing over S$1.2 billion in follow-on investments.
- It is described as Singapore’s “only one-stop gateway for Deep Tech learning and career development.”
The presentation also outlines Singapore’s Research Innovation & Enterprise 2025 masterplan, which focuses on four strategic domains:
- Human Health & Potential
- Smart Nation & Digital Economy
- Urban Solutions & Sustainability
- Manufacturing, Trade & Connectivity
- Skills and Career Opportunities: Robotics professionals are in high demand in Singapore, but there is a shortage of available talent. The technical skills needed to work with robotics systems are categorized into:
- Designing
- Programming
- Assembly & Implementation
- Maintenance & Troubleshooting
Industry sectors with high demand for robotics professionals include:
- Healthcare (e.g., assistive robots)
- Logistics and Supply Chain Management (e.g., warehouse automation)
- Retail, Hospitality and Entertainment (e.g., customer service robots)
- Advanced Manufacturing (e.g., 3D printing and precise assembly)
- Physical vs. Simulation-Based Workspaces: A comparison table highlights the advantages of simulation-based robotic workspaces, which are increasingly important for design, testing, and optimization. Key advantages include:
- Cost: Lower (software licenses vs. physical components).
- Time: Faster (quick iteration in a virtual environment).
- Safety: No risk of physical injury.
- Flexibility: High (easy and instant changes).
However, physical workspaces offer “real-world accuracy” for final validation and production.
- Training and Education: The meeting seems to be promoting a course, possibly the “SIMTech SCPT in Industrial Automation.” The course features:
- Broad and deep knowledge with a focus on “why.”
- Hands-on learning combining theory and practical projects.
- Focused technical expertise.
Specific topics covered in the course include automation design and simulation, robotic system planning, and programming using tools like RoboDK and ROS, with hands-on experience in simulation tools.
- Robot Operating System (ROS), defining it in three key ways:
- It is a middleware software used to build advanced robotics solutions.
- It provides a library of free software components and tools for robotic development.
- It is a major international open-source project with hundreds of thousands of users.
- showcases open-source projects built on the ROS framework, specifically ROS 2:
- NAV 2: A framework for navigation in mobile or surface robots.
- ROS 2 Control: A framework for developing hardware drivers.
- MoveIt2: A framework for robotic manipulation, used for developing commercial applications, prototyping, and benchmarking algorithms.
- Open-RMF: A software system that allows different robot fleets to work together and interact with building infrastructure.
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