In healthcare, accurately assessing pain is critical, yet it remains a significant challenge, particularly for patients unable to effectively communicate their discomfort. This includes individuals with cognitive impairments, critical care patients, and pre-verbal children. Traditional pain assessment methods rely heavily on verbal communication or subjective observer-based pain assessment, which can lead to missed or poorly managed pain, resulting in either under-treatment or over-analgesia treatment. To address this issue, this advanced AI-based solution automates the process of estimating pain intensity by analyzing facial expressions captured in video data. The technology is a deep learning system consisting of facial landmarks (specific points on a person's face, such as the corners of the eyes, nose, mouth, and other prominent facial features) extraction, 3D normalization and Spatial-Temporal Attention Long Short-Term Memory (STA-LSTM) model. These facial landmarks provide critical information about facial expressions, allowing the system to accurately assess pain levels. By integrating this technology into clinical settings, healthcare providers can significantly enhance patient care, reduce the burden on staff, and improve overall pain management practices. This solution not only ensures timely and appropriate intervention but also protects patient privacy by using non-identifiable facial landmarks, making it a powerful tool for modern healthcare environments.

Cooking oil waste has become a significant environmental problem in recent years. Improper disposal of used cooking oil and fried food scraps can lead to pollution of water sources and the release of harmful greenhouse gases. When poured down into drains, it travels through sewage systems to rivers and oceans, disrupting ecosystems, clogging water treatment plant filters, and complicating water purification processes. Additionally, there are higher costs associated with waste disposal in volume-based plastic garbage bags which are also not environmentally friendly. This technology addresses the above pain points by offering a sustainable solution that recycles discarded fried food scraps into high valued biodiesel raw material, preventing water pollution and sewage pipe blockage when discarded without appropriate measures. This innovation addresses a critical market need by providing a greener alternative to conventional disposal methods, reducing waste disposal costs and the production of high valued biodiesel as an end point.  The technology owner is seeking collaborations with companies in the fields of waste management and biodiesel production for test-bedding and research & development projects aimed at recycling fried food scraps into biodiesel.

With the global trend of industrial automation, robotic arm technology is being developed and integrated to existing business workflow, increasing labour productivity and operational efficiency. However, current end effectors attached to robotic arm excels in automation tasks of handling homogeneous robust objects but fall short in handling irregular, fragile objects. Current robotic grippers (end effector) lack the finesse and limberness required, limiting their usage in particular areas such as agriculture, F&B, pharmaceutical and logistics. The technology solution developed is a smart soft robotic gripper as a modular end effector that addresses the challenge of handling objects with varying sizes, shapes, and weights, an issue unsolved by traditional robotic grippers. This innovative gripper tool mimics the flexibility and versatility of biological structures like tendrils, enabling an extra dimension of growth and twining capabilities. By wrapping itself securely around objects, the gripper manipulates items gently, minimizing the risk of crushing or damaging them. Its integrated sensors provide real-time contact feedback capabilities, enabling precise monitoring and adaptive control by the robotic system. The technology owner is seeking collaborative partners, such as system integrators or end-users, who are in need and keen to integrate a versatile, adaptive, and gentle handling solution that can operate efficiently in environments where object fragility or irregularity is a key concern.

In a more globalized and interconnected world, logistical management becomes more complex with more demand for real-time tracking of products within the supply chain. With global events potentially disrupting any section of the supply chain, companies within are now required to efficiently provide visibility of the orders while building up resiliency to ensure smooth operation of their services. The technology solution addresses the complexities of modern supply chains by providing a unified solution that integrates multiple products & tools for efficiently managing the logistics and warehouse. The platform uses AI and IoT to deliver real-time visibility, predictive analytics, and automated workflows. This innovation aims to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance sustainability for enterprises within the logistics and warehouse sectors. The technology owner is looking for collaboration partners, who wish to leverage on their data and AI solutions to automate logistical workflow operations and enable data-driven decisions for supply chain optimisation.

Cancer is one of the most deadly diseases worldwide, requiring pathological testing to confirm the diagnosis. With recent advancements in digital pathology, there is a growing demand for AI-based digital pathology diagnostic products to manage and shorten diagnosis time for accurate and targeted treatments. Thyroid cancer is a relatively common type of cancer. The malignancy of thyroid nodules is determined through the pathological examination of cells obtained via Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) or Core Needle Biopsy (CNB). However, due to the complexities of thyroid nodule pathology, over 30% of patients' biopsy samples are classified as indeterminate, meaning they cannot be definitively diagnosed as benign or malignant. Additional testing, such as Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) molecular tests are required to provide further clarification. However, the high cost of testing limits patient accessibility. This technology is an AI-powered solution that analyze pathology images obtained through Core Needle Biopsy (CNB), providing diagnostic results for benign or malignant nodules. It offers interpretation and visualization of AI analysis results. This allows for accurate diagnosis of not only the benign(C2) and malignant(C6) cases traditionally identified by pathologists but also indeterminate(C3,C4,C5) cases that were previously challenging to diagnose. This approach ultimately reduces unnecessary surgeries, thereby improving the quality of life for patients. It offers a cost-effective alternative to expensive and less accessible NGS testing, delivering similar diagnostic accuracy without the need for additional tests. The technology owner is seeking partnerships with medical institutions specializing in oncology, including major hospitals and clinical laboratories, pharmceutical and biotechnology companies. 

Maintaining clean air on ships is crucial for the health and well-being of passengers and crew, as well as for the proper functioning of sensitive equipment. Due to the structural specificity of ships and higher reliance on mechanical air conditioning than natural ventilation, addressing indoor air quality issues is particularly important. Advanced air purification solutions would be able to effectively address a range of airborne contaminants, including particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and biological pollutants, ensuring a safer and more pleasant environment on board. A Korean startup has developed an air sterilisation and purification system tailored specifically to the challenges of maritime environments that excels in delivering clean, safe, and compliant air quality solutions. They enhance health and safety, optimise operational efficiency, and contribute to a better overall experience for passengers and crew, while also meeting regulatory requirements and supporting environmental sustainability. The company is seeking collaborators from the maritime and built environment sectors, as well as HVAC and IoT companies, to expand their applications and explore integration of their technologies into existing HVAC systems.

A smart manufacturing and supply chain platform has been developed, enabling seafood processors to automate and digitize their production, quality control, costing, traceability, cold chain, and inventory workflows using tablet computers, sensors, and IoT devices in real-time on the factory floor. This software is a “low-code” web app that can be easily configured for both simple and complex workflows, suitable for small or large production facilities, and adaptable to the wide variety of seafood processes, including live shellfish, fresh and frozen fish, smokehouses, and industrial-scale canneries. The workflow platform includes advanced modules for IoT hardware integration, artificial intelligence, advanced analytics and reporting, a wireless cold-chain sensor, a consumer tracing app, and computer vision for automated inspection. Generative AI is also integrated into the platform, allowing users to “talk to their data” and upload documents to train the large language model. The platform provides value to customers in three core areas: First, the software and AI reduce labor costs by making data collection, management, and reporting more efficient. Second, the software enables real-time process and inventory control, replacing outdated analog paper record-keeping. Third, the software reduces data errors and strengthens traceability, improving compliance with third-party certifications and food safety regulations. Additionally, it includes AI algorithms for yield prediction, anomaly detection, demand forecasting, and drain weight prediction in the fish canning sector.

Plastic recycling plays a crucial role in achieving a sustainable future. Proper sorting of waste plastics is essential, especially in mixed waste streams where various materials are combined. Some types of plastic are not recyclable, and even recyclable ones can be difficult to separate efficiently. Sorting mixed waste streams into different recyclable categories can be time-consuming and labour-intensive, especially for materials with similar appearances, such as different types of plastic. To address these challenges, this technology aims to automate and accurately sort plastic waste, reducing the reliance on manual processing and improving overall plastic recycling efficiency. The technology on offer is a patented artificial intelligence (AI) based material sorting robot that sorts plastic waste accurately. Comprising of a camera, recognition unit and analysis unit, each unit of this system can continuously identify and sort waste plastics and generate information in real time. Blower vacuum adsorption devices are placed within each unit to pick waste in a speedy and accurate manner. This technology effectively reduces the issue of labour shortage in the waste sector, lowers operating costs and contamination rates that hinders recycling efforts. Currently, the technology has been deployed successfully in South Korea to sort polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). The technology owner is interested to work with Singapore waste collection companies on joint development projects to testbed this technology and improve plastic recycling rates.

Fermentation is one of the oldest technologies used in food processing, Traditionally, fermentation was used as a method of preserving food, as well as imparting unique flavor profiles, such as in products like soy sauce or tempeh. In recent years, driven by the demand for a more sustainable food production system, fermentation is also studied for its applications in breaking down organic matter from indigestible to digestible nutrition for human consumption, growing biomass from the microorganisms used in the process, or producing specific target compounds like protein, fat or other nutrients. With Singapore’s ’30 by 30’ goal to produce 30% of our nutritional needs locally and sustainably by 2030, fermentation technologies are primed to play a key role in the food industry.

Diabetic foot ulcer is a devastating complication of diabetes mellitus and significant cause of mortality and morbidity all over the world and can be complex and costly. The development of foot ulcer in a diabetic patient has been estimated to be 19%-34% through their lifetime. The pathophysiology of diabetic foot ulcer consist of neuropathy, trauma and, in many patients, additional peripheral arterial disease. In particular, diabetic neuropathy leads to foot deformity, callus formation, and insensitivity to trauma or pressure. The management of DFU is usually complex and challenging to clinicians in clinical practice. The critical aspects of the wound healing mechanism and host physiological status in patients with diabetes necessitate the selection of an appropriate treatment strategy based on the complexity and type of wound. Additionally, costs of diabetic foot ulcerations have been increased to the treatment cost of many common cancers. Estimated costs of DFU management are greater than 1 billion in both developed and developing countries. Moreover, infection of a DFU frequently leads to limb amputation, causing significant morbidity, psychological distress and reduced quality of life and life expectancy. 

The increasing emphasis on fire safety regulations and standards, along with the growing awareness of the potential hazards posed by fires, has driven the demand for flame-retardant coatings. These coatings play important roles in fire protection by effectively slowing down the spreading of fires, thereby preventing catastrophic accidents, safeguarding assets, and saving lives. Industry segments such as electronics, automotive, aerospace, construction, and household, which extensively utilise materials prone to fire hazards, require effective fire protection solutions. As the demand for flame retardant coatings continues to rise across various sectors, the market is experiencing significant growth. According to MarketsandMarkets, the global flame retardants market is expected to be worth USD 9.5 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2%. Particularly, the Asia Pacific region is the fastest-growing market.   Traditional flame retardants, especially those containing brominate or chlorine, have been associated with their impacts on the environment and human health. Consequently, the demand for environmentally friendly coating solutions, such as nanocomposites and natural bio-based retardants, is growing at a rapid pace. However, the performance, efficiency, environmental impact, and cost-effectiveness of these alternative materials are still hot topics of ongoing research. This tech need calls for non-toxic and innovative flame-retardant coatings capable of addressing the above challenges. Such coating solutions should be available for test-bedding, licensing, and co-development with industrial partners, paving the way for safer and more sustainable fire protection methods.