Robots take on the real world at Punggol Digital District
Robots may perform well in controlled laboratory environments but deploying them in the real world presents an entirely different set of challenges.
At the Punggol Digital District Robotics Industry Day, co-organised by JTC, IMDA and NRP, bringing robots from lab to life was a central theme of the “Architecting the Robot-Ready Precinct” panel.
Introducing the discussion, Tang highlighted that robots can often struggle when confronted with the unpredictability of everyday life.
“In a controlled environment, failure means not performing the task,” said Tang Bing Wan, Chief Digital & Technology Officer at JTC. “But in the real world, they may fail or struggle to interact or work with humans, encounter gantries and different unfamiliar systems.”
Enter Punggol Digital District (PDD). By combining physical and digital infrastructure, robotics companies can test-fit, deploy, and scale solutions quickly and efficiently.
A key component is the Open Digital Platform (ODP), an open-standard, multiprotocol middleware system connecting infrastructure across the district, co-developed by JTC and GovTech.
When robots move within and between buildings, they need to communicate with other systems. Some examples of these would be access-control gantries and lifts. “The Open Digital Platform integrates multiple systems within PDD, offering companies plug and play access,” said David Tan, Assistant CEO at JTC.
PDD also provides wireless connectivity, digital-twin capabilities and access to infrastructure data, including CCTV feeds and information on building systems.
PDD’s value add then, Tan said, is to provide both “the physical infrastructure and the digital infrastructure to support your test-fitting, scaling and deployment.”
Integration and negotiation challenges
According to Managing Director of Panasonic R&D Centre in Singapore, Dr Takeshi Ando, the greatest obstacle to robotics deployment is not necessarily technology but getting the support of the ecosystem.
Drawing on his previous experience developing robotics projects in Japan, Ando said the hardest part was often dealing with the multitude of stakeholders involved in a deployment.
“The hardest part is often even developing the robot. It’s negotiating with stakeholders.”
PDD offers a different model, he said.
“In Singapore and in PDD, JTC becomes a kind of first point of contact,” Ando explained. “This is very useful and helpful in reducing the time and effort required to start real-world deployment of a robot.”
Expanding boundaries
Singapore Institute of Technology’s (SIT) Associate Vice President, Emerging Technologies, Chan Hian Lim, sees PDD as an opportunity to connect academia, industry and government within a genuine living laboratory.
Together with JTC and IMDA, SIT has established what Chan described as an “integrated tripartite relationship” to support real-world testing.
On the university side, SIT operates its own Living Lab Network, which can tap into data from building-management and other systems. SIT is currently exploring how its network can work alongside the ODP to allow mixed fleets of robots to operate across even larger parts of the district.
Chan said SIT is already testing robots for applications such as cleaning, including robots operating from Level 1 to Level 10.
“To make this precinct different and unique, there are two things,” he said, highlighting the importance of supporting mixed fleets in unstructured environments and developing a precinct-level robotic middleware framework.
SIT has also established its Centre of Intelligent Robotics (CIR) to build capabilities spanning data collection, engineering, AI training and industry deployment.
Commercialisation
Beyond demonstrations, robots also need to prove that they can deliver genuine commercial value.
For Ando, not all pilots are created equal. “A proof of concept for technology validation, a proof of concept for customer-value validation, and a proof of concept for business validation are all completely different.”
While AI has made building robots easier, he argued that creating a sustainable robotics business remains difficult.
PDD's mixed-use environment, with offices, commercial spaces, public areas and indoor and outdoor environments, provides a valuable setting for identifying viable use cases. “I think this is the best place to explore potential use cases,” Ando said.
For JTC, the ambition is to make that journey as straightforward as possible. “Essentially, JTC wants to play the role of a one-stop centre for you,” Tan said. “Our job is to reduce your barriers to entry and allow you to quickly test-fit, deploy and scale in a real-world environment."
Working with people
As robots increasingly operate in the public sphere, safety and cybersecurity are critical considerations for JTC. “Essentially, in terms of safety and security, we want to make sure that people and robots can not only co-exist but work together safely,” said Tan.
Ando emphasised that real-world environments present challenges that laboratories cannot fully replicate. “In an actual use case, not everyone is interested in or aware of the robot.”A pedestrian could be visually impaired, using a wheelchair or simply looking at their smartphone. “Therefore, we need to stress test not only normal operations but also unexpected situations.”
Lastly, the robotics revolution also requires investment in people.
“We speak a lot about AI, robots and so on, but we all know that this is an emerging area and that the market is short of talented people.”
SIT is expanding its educational programmes for both undergraduates and mid-career professionals. “Just a few weeks ago, we sent 50 students to Shanghai Jiao Tong University for a two-week summer school,’ Chan said. “We should not underestimate the need to build the talent pipeline needed to build a robot-ready future.”
PDD offers more than a robotics testing ground. Ando summed up the distinction succinctly: “Normal business parks give us the opportunity to evaluate robots. However, in my opinion, PDD gives us a platform to learn, integrate, validate and commercialise.”
This article was adapted from the Punggol Digital District Robotics Industry Day’s panel Architecting the Robot-Ready Precinct: Unlocking Singapore’s Digital Economy through Infrastructure Interoperability, Public Safety and Innovation within the PDD Testbed.
Moderator: Tang Bing Wan, Chief Digital & Technology Officer at JTC
Panelists: David Tan, Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Development Group at JTC; Dr Takeshi Ando, Managing Director of Panasonic R&D Centre Singapore; and Chan Hian Lim, Associate Vice President, Emerging Technologies at Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT).