20 May 2002

OPENING ADDRESS BY RADM (NS) TEO CHEE HEAN, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION & SECOND MINISTER FOR DEFENCE ON THE OCCASION OF THE OPENING OF THE SINGAPORE ROBOTIC GAMES 2002 AT THE SINGAPORE EXPO ON MON 20 MAY 2002 @ 9.30 AM

I am pleased to be here this morning to officiate at the opening of the Singapore Robotic Games 2002.

2 Firstly, I would like to commend the organizers, comprising representatives from our institutes of higher learning, ITE, the Science Centre, the Robotic Games Society (Singapore) as well as the newly formed IEEE¹ Robotics and Automation Society Singapore Chapter for continuing to work together to make this event a reality.

3 Since 1993, the Singapore Robotic Games has been providing the platform for robotics enthusiasts to showcase robots competing in tasks that challenge robotic capabilities. The Games seek to inculcate an understanding and appreciation of robotics and automation among the general public; and to encourage innovation in robot design among young engineers,

4 Robotics is an area where there are infinite possibilities, limited only by the boundaries of human imagination. Robots have been around for less than 50 years, but the idea of inanimate creations that do our bidding is much older. Real robots became possible in the 1950s and 1960s, with the invention of transistors and integrated circuits. Compact, reliable electronics and a growing computer industry added brains to the brawn of already existing machines.

5 Public fascination with robotics peaked in the early 1980s, spurred in part by movies like Star Wars, which featured robots C3-PO and R2-D2 as helpful sidekicks to human masters. Robots in books and films were often depicted as having human characteristics, such as possessing the ability to hear, speak, see and move. The more human looking ones were called "Android"(Greek word for "Man") because they behaved like people, using intelligence to carry out all kinds of tasks. The robots of our imagination have become reality.

6 Robots can now "sense" their environment and make use of the information they obtain to carry out their tasks. The more advanced robots have electronic sensors ("eyes", "ears" and "touch") to detect sound, light and heat. The robots of today can now speak and read.

7 However, there is more excitement in store. Innovations and progress in IT will make it possible for robots of the future to perform an amazing variety of actions. They will be able to handle numbers or words with ease, understand voices, read scripts, recognise faces, and even sense what is going on around them, such as changes in temperature. They can then act on this data and react accordingly using sound, movement, or speech.

8 Advances in micro-electro-mechanical systems have paved the way to better, smaller and more efficient systems that facilitate the creation of more useful robots today. The move is towards intelligent automation to realize intelligent systems and products that would further improve the quality of life.

9 You can see examples of intelligent automation in more and more consumer products such as fuzzy logic based "anti-shake" cameras and intelligent washing machines that work harder if the clothes are dirtier. In manufacturing, you have mobile robots able to do more than one task. In medicine, they can be used to aid in surgery. For example, Microscopic robotic devices enable doctors to explore inside human bodies, for minimally-invasive surgery and laparoscopic procedures. Robotic devices have also been deployed for menial work; so, we have wall-climbing robots cleaning windows of skyscrapers and ship hulls, as well as robots in our home, helping us do housework. For our amusement and entertainment, we also have robotic toys, such as Sony's dog Aibo, which can express sadness, joy, anxiety and grief.

10 Robotics provides tremendous scope for people to exercise their creativity and to be innovative. The Singapore Robotic Games, for instance, encourages students and the public to take an active part in creating their own robots to perform the various tasks required in the games. I am sure that the Games will not only help the students to broaden their mental horizons and problem solving skills but also provide them with an opportunity to apply what they have learnt in the classroom in an innovative and creative way. I am therefore glad to know that around 1300 participants from our secondary schools, junior colleges and Institutes of Higher Learning are participating in the Games. The number of students participating has also increased over the past nine years indicating that robotics is not out of reach and is fun. For the first time, a total of 14 foreign teams are also taking part in the Games, which is a compliment to the organizers of the Singapore Robotic Games and is an indication of the rising profile of robotics internationally.