MEDIA RELEASE
ROBOTS IN THE HOUSE
Robot competition aims to spur young scientist to challenge the limits of technology and human creativity
Singapore, 16 January 2007 – It may be a feat for some of us to run a marathon, do a pole balancing act, participate in a wall-climbing competition, take part in a soccer match, compete in a thrilling “gladiator” event or even to go on underwater naval and scientific explorations. However, members of the public will be entertained by a resemblance of their form vying in the aforementioned activities and other highly anticipated events come 16 January 2007.
Running into its 14th year, the Singapore Robotics Games 2007 (SRG 2007) will be held at Republic Polytechnic over a 3-day period. This year, SRG has attracted almost 810 contestants from various Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, Junior Colleges, Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Polytechnics and Universities with a total display of 360 robots for the forth-coming 15-competition events. Each year, the events of the SRG are made progressively more challenging with the addition of at least one new event or competition. This provides continuity and ensures incessant growth of technological creativity and challenge. Among the intriguing highlights, one new addition to SRG 2007 is the ‘Underwater Robot Competition’ that aims to spur interest and promote education amongst students to the fascinating marine world, and to motivate young and aspiring engineers and scientists to further pursue this field of study.
Dr. Marcelo H Ang Jr., Chairman of the SRG Organizing Committee and President of the Robotic Games Society, said, “SRG is an excellent platform in educating the public on the fascinating world of automation. They will be surprised by how much our robotic friends are capable of doing, aside from performing industrial tasks. It is almost like taking a glimpse of what the future may be like given the rate of advancement and rapidly-changing trends in the automation technology. Hence, this challenging competition serves as an exciting opportunity for students and young engineers to showcase their innovations and contribute to the development of robotics technology in
SRG is an open competition which welcomes international participation. While it promotes a wide-ranging spectrum of skills, it is primarily focused on design innovation, technical excellence and creativity. There will be 3 top prizes in each competition and the winning teams will be awarded with a trophy and a cash prize each.
Added Mr Yee Choon Seng, Secretariat of SRG and Assistant Honorary Treasurer of the Robotic Games Society, “We want to recognize and reward our participants for their hard work, hence, SRG will be a good platform to display their work to the general public. At the same time, we hope to provide an opportunity for them to be exposed to a diverse field of knowledge and encourage them to explore related career possibilities in a fun-filled manner.”
SRG 2007 will be held at Agora Hall 1 at Republic Polytechnic, followed by a workshop on 19 January 2007 by a distinguished and internationally renowned speaker, Dr. Aristides A. G. Requicha, who is also the Chief Judge for SRG at a hotel in
The seminar will address nanorobotics, an emerging area within nanotechnology. Discussion topics will include automatic manipulation of molecular-sized objects; sensors, actuators and other components and systems for nanorobots; coordination and programming of swarms of nanorobots. The image of the current state of nanorobotics that will emerge from this is that of a highly interdisciplinary, vibrant, and rapidly evolving and growing field with remarkable future potential, but also with major challenges ahead.
The various organizers will continue to educate the public on robotics and automation and constantly improving the dynamics of the competition.
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About
Into its 14th year, the Singapore Robotic Games (SRG) aims to raise public awareness and appreciation of robotics and automation. The events in the SRG also provide benchmarks for practical robotic R&D, with the aim of advancing robotics and automation technology in
The SRG is jointly organised by Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, Institute of Technical Education, Singapore Science Centre and Robotic Games Society (
About Republic Polytechnic
The first educational institution in
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Shirleen Lu
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Republic Polytechnic
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Email: shirleen_lu@rp.sg