SINGAPORE - Automation and robotics will be needed to supplement Singapore's eventual shrinking workforce - which is why the country should focus on the development of robotics technologies, said Manpower Minister Dr Tan See Leng on Monday .
Dr Tan said it is important for researchers to develop projects that can be applied in industry and work closely with companies, even as the Government identifies robotics as a national priority in its research and development plan. The Covid-19 pandemic has spurred the demand for robotic technologies and automation of processes, he added, and robots have been deployed worldwide to help fight the crisis, to alleviate the load on healthcare systems for instance.
"I understand the anxieties that some workers might have about whether they would be replaced by robots in their jobs," he added, acknowledging that some jobs, like those involving highly repetitive and labour-intensive tasks, will be disrupted. The NTU scientists will also work with researchers from the National University of Singapore and Agency for Science, Technology and Research. Some of the centre's ongoing work on robotic companions for humans is done at NUS.
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