SINGAPORE: Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Delta Electronics announced on June 7 (Wednesday) the establishment of the $24 million Delta-NTU Corporate Lab for Advanced Robotics.
Over the next three years, the laboratory will develop next-generation technologies targeting labour shortage challenges in the areas of manufacturing and intralogistics, which is the logistical flow of goods and materials on a company’s site, and is supported under Singapore’s National Research Foundation’s Research Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 plan.
As businesses move into the next stage of development and manpower shortages increase due to an ageing workforce and lower birth rates, collaborative robotic systems are all the more vital for the future.
These systems include “human-touch inspired robots that can adjust their grip to pick up a range of materials, from fragile glassware to volatile chemicals, and smart sensing, radar and 3D sensors systems, which allow autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to operate in a dynamic environment with human traffic like hospitals and warehouses,” a joint press statement said.
The June 7 launch was attended by Mr Alvin Tan, Minister of State for the Ministry of Trade and Industry; Professor Ho Teck Hua, the President of NTU, and Mr Yancey Hai, the Chairman of Delta Electronics.
“This corporate lab with Delta Electronics proves that NTU’s research activities are industry relevant. The lab creates opportunities for us to translate our research into impactful, real-world innovations. This is in line with the NTU 2025 strategic vision, to harness the power of digital and advanced technologies to support the discovery of new knowledge and promote better learning and living experiences,” said Prof Ho.
“We are honoured to further our long-term cooperation with NTU following the success in the field of cyber- physical systems, especially as our new joint Delta-NTU Corporate Lab for Advanced Robotics has earned the support of Singapore’s RIE 2025 initiative. We intend to leverage Delta’s smart manufacturing prowess and autonomous mobile robot know- how, as well as our Delta-NTU R&D talent to develop essential technologies for the next-generation of autonomous mobile robots. The innovation milestones of this lab will help multiple industries solve key challenges, enhance Singapore’s long-term resilience, and improve the quality of life of its citizens,” Mr Hai said.
NTU and Delta Electronics have had a longstanding partnership dating from 2016.
Some of the projects from the collaboration include a universal smart navigation system where logistics robots autonomously move goods around factory floors, and a learning analytics technology to improve learning effectiveness in the education industry. These innovations, which were test bedded on NTU’s Smart Campus, are now being scaled up for wider adoption in the industry.
/TISG