SINGAPORE: Over the next five years, at least 10,000 students in Singapore will be trained to work with “physical AI”, where intelligence is no longer confined to computer screens but embedded directly into robots, drones and autonomous machines.
The initiative, supported by the National Robotics Programme (NRP), will span from primary schools to universities.
Through hackathons and industry projects, students will move beyond basic coding to solve real-world problems.
While traditional robots follow pre-set rules, the next generation of machines will need to sense, decide and act independently, industry players say.
Associate Professor Mohan Rajesh Elara, co-founder of Singapore-based cleaning robot firm LionsBot, said the current limitation of robots is a lack of situational awareness.
“The robots of today are driven by the codes that (a) programmer wrote … definitive rules that enable the robot to complete a task.”
“But a robot of today, if (it’s) doing the job and if a fainted person is on the floor, the robot often will take this person for an obstacle. The idea is, how can we empower robots with common sense to interpret this scenario?" Prof Mohan added.
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LionsBot, which has deployed over 5,000 robots in 30 countries, is now integrating this “common sense” into its fleet.
This would enable its robots to “interpret the environment and take actions beyond the rules”, for example, intervening and providing medical attention to a person, he said.
“With this transformation coming, we need talent who go beyond coding AI only in software, only on screen, to users of AI, to youth that are capable of programming (and) developing innovative physical AI systems with robots and intelligent devices.”
The company plans to reach 10,000 students over five years, through industry immersion, classroom learning and hands-on team challenges building robots.
This number is “probably only a fraction of the talent that Singapore will need”, said Prof Mohan.
He added that the programme will begin rolling out in mid-2026, offering students a “first-of-its-kind” look at how physical AI robots are developed, from the initial research and design stages to manufacturing and global deployment.
To support this technological leap, the NRP is also pushing for stronger public-private partnerships.
Mr Tung Meng Fai, NRP’s executive director, noted that while schools are excellent at teaching academic fundamentals, industry partners bring practical knowledge.
"This is where industry and the schools – public, private – can really work together,” Mr Tung said.
“The talent that we train for the ecosystem not only knows the academic fundamentals, but are also very practical problem solvers, and knowledgeable about the systems.”
He added that by exposing students to robots early, they become comfortable and familiar with using them, ensuring the technology has a real-world impact once these students enter the workforce.
Students learning to operate an autonomous robot. (Photo: LionsBot International/Facebook)
The rapid evolution of AI has left many students feeling uncertain about their future careers, industry players note.
Mr Mark Yong, CEO of Garuda Robotics, said he sees secondary school students asking “very deep, pointed questions” about what they should study to remain relevant several years down the road.
While core engineering skills are vital, adaptability and the ability to learn proactively are the most important traits for the future, he said.
Mr Yong pointed out that in an AI-driven world, the humanities remain critical.
“You will need somebody to think about the ethics of the AI you’re deploying. You need people who are conversant with the language of design to be able to build interfaces that are pleasant for people to interact with,” he said.
Since the mid-2010s, Garuda Robotics has been giving regular career talks on robotics. Those efforts have expanded in recent years to include AI-driven and autonomous systems.
It also hosts projects lasting up to a month for secondary school and junior college students. This has helped address students’ concerns about an uncertain future, Mr Yong noted.
As robots begin to make more autonomous decisions, new specialised roles are emerging.
"There’s going to be AI security engineers, because now robots are going to use common sense, and we need to have guardrails," Prof Mohan said.
“There's going to be AI trustworthiness as a big area, and a number of new jobs will be created in that domain.”
Continue reading...
The initiative, supported by the National Robotics Programme (NRP), will span from primary schools to universities.
Through hackathons and industry projects, students will move beyond basic coding to solve real-world problems.
ROBOTS WITH “COMMON SENSE”
While traditional robots follow pre-set rules, the next generation of machines will need to sense, decide and act independently, industry players say.
Associate Professor Mohan Rajesh Elara, co-founder of Singapore-based cleaning robot firm LionsBot, said the current limitation of robots is a lack of situational awareness.
“The robots of today are driven by the codes that (a) programmer wrote … definitive rules that enable the robot to complete a task.”
“But a robot of today, if (it’s) doing the job and if a fainted person is on the floor, the robot often will take this person for an obstacle. The idea is, how can we empower robots with common sense to interpret this scenario?" Prof Mohan added.
CNA Games
Show More Show Less
LionsBot, which has deployed over 5,000 robots in 30 countries, is now integrating this “common sense” into its fleet.
This would enable its robots to “interpret the environment and take actions beyond the rules”, for example, intervening and providing medical attention to a person, he said.
“With this transformation coming, we need talent who go beyond coding AI only in software, only on screen, to users of AI, to youth that are capable of programming (and) developing innovative physical AI systems with robots and intelligent devices.”
The company plans to reach 10,000 students over five years, through industry immersion, classroom learning and hands-on team challenges building robots.
This number is “probably only a fraction of the talent that Singapore will need”, said Prof Mohan.
He added that the programme will begin rolling out in mid-2026, offering students a “first-of-its-kind” look at how physical AI robots are developed, from the initial research and design stages to manufacturing and global deployment.
Related:
PUBLIC-PRIVATE SECTOR PUSH
To support this technological leap, the NRP is also pushing for stronger public-private partnerships.
Mr Tung Meng Fai, NRP’s executive director, noted that while schools are excellent at teaching academic fundamentals, industry partners bring practical knowledge.
"This is where industry and the schools – public, private – can really work together,” Mr Tung said.
“The talent that we train for the ecosystem not only knows the academic fundamentals, but are also very practical problem solvers, and knowledgeable about the systems.”
He added that by exposing students to robots early, they become comfortable and familiar with using them, ensuring the technology has a real-world impact once these students enter the workforce.
Students learning to operate an autonomous robot. (Photo: LionsBot International/Facebook)
Related:
PREPARING FOR FUTURE JOBS
The rapid evolution of AI has left many students feeling uncertain about their future careers, industry players note.
Mr Mark Yong, CEO of Garuda Robotics, said he sees secondary school students asking “very deep, pointed questions” about what they should study to remain relevant several years down the road.
While core engineering skills are vital, adaptability and the ability to learn proactively are the most important traits for the future, he said.
Mr Yong pointed out that in an AI-driven world, the humanities remain critical.
“You will need somebody to think about the ethics of the AI you’re deploying. You need people who are conversant with the language of design to be able to build interfaces that are pleasant for people to interact with,” he said.
Related:
Since the mid-2010s, Garuda Robotics has been giving regular career talks on robotics. Those efforts have expanded in recent years to include AI-driven and autonomous systems.
It also hosts projects lasting up to a month for secondary school and junior college students. This has helped address students’ concerns about an uncertain future, Mr Yong noted.
As robots begin to make more autonomous decisions, new specialised roles are emerging.
"There’s going to be AI security engineers, because now robots are going to use common sense, and we need to have guardrails," Prof Mohan said.
“There's going to be AI trustworthiness as a big area, and a number of new jobs will be created in that domain.”
Continue reading...