Singapore uses robots to replace workers

Singapore is a country that relies heavily on foreign workers. However, according to Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower, the number of foreign workers here has decreased by about 235,700 people between December 2019 and September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, not everything is bad. COVID-19 and disease prevention measures have helped drive the adoption of technology and automation by Singaporean companies during this time.

At a construction site in Singapore, a robot Four-legged “Spot”, made by the US company Boston Dynamics, is scanning the mud and gravel sections to check the progress of the work, the data will be provided back to the control room of the construction company Gammon . Gammon’s General Manager said that using Spot will save more than half of human resources than before

Michael O’Connell, General Manager of Gammon, said: “Replacing workers at the workplace with technology solutions has produced remarkable results.”

According to the 2021 report of the International Federation of Robotics, in Singapore, there are 605 robots for every 10,000 positions in the manufacturing industry, the second highest rate of robot adoption globally, after South Korea.

In addition to the manufacturing industry, robots are also considered to be helping to solve a major problem in the food and beverage service industry. For example, the robot arm that makes coffee, after being installed in more than 30 subway stations, has brought about desirable results.

“Besides hiring engineers and data scientists, we are now pouring money towards automating the service industry,” said Keith Tan, CEO of Crown Digital.

Bringing many benefits, but robots are not for everyone. There are still customers or businesses who express a desire for human interaction. For example, going to a restaurant or at a coffee shop, a small conversation between a customer and a waiter will feel more real and closer than with a robot.

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