12 December 2003

SPEECH BY MR CHAN SOO SEN, MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND SPORTS, AT THE PRIZE PRESENTATION CEREMONY OF THE SECOND ADVANCED ROBOTIC SOCCER COMPETITION 2003, ON FRIDAY, 12 DECEMBER 2003, AT 4.00 PM, AT THE SINGAPORE POLYTECHNIC, VANDA ROOM

1. It gives me great pleasure to be here to give away the prizes to the winning teams of the Second Robotic Soccer Competition organised by Singapore Polytechnic. I understand that this year, the total number of primary and secondary school student-participants has increased by some 60 percent to 374 entries, over last year's total of 230 participating entries. This is encouraging as it indicates our schools are providing ample opportunities for their students to learn beyond the confines of the classroom, and to engage in activities that combine both fun and learning in an innovative way.

2. The rate of development in robotics has been breathtaking, and I am sure many of us who watched movies such as Star Wars and A.I.¹ were captivated by scenes of androids performing all the functions that we always thought only humans were capable of. From simple robots that could accomplish only the most rudimentary actions to the complex robots that are used in space exploration today, we have indeed come a long way in the robotics revolution.

3. Robotic Soccer is a field that has won its fair share of fans since the idea was first mooted. While the robot-players suffer from severe limitations such as their dependence on particular environments like an even surface and wall enclosure, it is predicted that in the year 2050, we will see the first match played between the reigning human football champions and a team of humanoid robots. It promises to be an even contest, with no guarantee that the human team will win.

4. Robotics is a field of technological endeavour with many exciting possibilities. We would like to encourage our students to tap this resource and be involved in its research and development to advance the state of robotic performance. This ties in well with Singapore's need to maintain our competitive edge in technology and its industrial application. To do that, we must be at the forefront of applied research in all major fields of technology, and Robotic Soccer is one way to get our youth to be passionate about the infinite possibilities that technology can yield for the human race. Robotic Soccer is a small step in this direction, as it exposes its participants to the field of robotics, machine vision, RF technology² and gaming strategy.

5. The Robot Soccer Camp and the Robot Soccer Competition are excellent vehicles for developing particular and universal intellectual abilities in our young people. They provide our students with the opportunity to keep in touch with the major advances in robot technology, and to spark their interest in applied technology. More importantly, students engaged in designing robots for competitions such as this gain knowledge and skills beyond what their textbooks are able to impart. They develop creativity, lateral thinking and problem-solving skills, traits found in all fields of successful human endeavour.

6. When students apply their knowledge in novel, resourceful ways, and harness their creativity to the fullest, they are engaging in meaningful, creative activities. I hope that their experience in the competition will inspire them to develop the passion to seek original ways of solving problems and develop in them the desire to be inventive.

7. I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to the prizewinners today. The robots you have created have proved to be of a superior standard, and I hope that you will continue to contribute to this growing field.