TECHINNOVATION TECH OFFERS

Industrial robots are typically deployed indoors in factories for industrial automation applications such as manufacturing and production. Outdoor deployment in the absence of the traditional work cell boundaries, will typically necessitate safety precautions and perimeter fencing in order to maintain a safe working perimeter between the robot and any surrounding personnel. A Singapore-based research team has developed an integrated Outdoor Mobile Robotic Platform capable of executing the manual operations of human workers outdoors. The solution is based around the concept of a weather-resistant industrial robot arm mounted on a mobile vehicle platform. The system is integrated with vision systems and sensors to provide the appropriate safety zone monitoring and offers versatility catering to various use-cases via custom end effectors.

Traditional aluminium production is energy-intensive and increases greenhouse gas emissions. In contrast, recycling aluminium offers a more sustainable alternative, reducing energy consumption and minimising environmental impact. Recycling aluminium can cut carbon emissions by up to 95%, significantly reducing the carbon footprint. This technology aims to promote a circular, sustainable approach by incorporating recycled aluminium into outdoor furniture applications. This technology utilises recycled aluminium pipes of a uniform diameter, reducing material usage and waste. The use of a single angled jig ensures precise and efficient shaping, streamlining the production process without compromising quality. This eco-friendly design is lightweight, weather-resistant, and stackable, making it ideal for both public and private outdoor spaces. With various colours and finishes, it offers long-lasting durability and low maintenance, supporting sustainable manufacturing practices that aligns with modern design standards and promotes a longer product lifecycle. The technology owner is interested to out-license this fabrication technology to furniture companies and further co-develop this sustainable furnishing approach using alternative materials to design eco-friendly furniture.

Clay is a naturally occurring material composed mainly of fine-grained minerals, demonstrating plasticity through a range of water content. Given the low recycling rate of food waste in Singapore (18%), incorporating food waste in existing clay products presents an opportunity to conserve natural resources and develop more sustainable clay materials. This technology involves the development of food waste-incorporated clay, which permits safe biodegradation over time without the use of kiln firing. A selection of food waste is carefully treated and blended into the clay to create sustainable clay with high waste content, high nutrients, great workability, and appropriate shelf-life. Each type of food waste contributes different physical and chemical properties to the clay, affecting its biodegradability and workability. Apart from food waste, a naturally occurring binder is also added to ensure overall biodegradability. By adjusting the formulation of the food waste-incorporated clay, its appearance and other functional properties (such as strength and workability) can be made comparable to conventional clay, with the added benefit of nutrient (calcium, potassium, nitrogen, carbon) leaching capabilities. This creates sustainable, biodegradable clay for various built environment applications. The technology owner is interested in working with companies seeking sustainable clay materials on joint R&D projects, out-licensing and test bedding opportunities.

With the rise of IoT (Internet of Things), companies worldwide are leveraging various sensing data to create innovative services. Among the various methods for detecting the presence of individuals, Wi-Fi sensing is being utilized, leveraging Wi-Fi as the standard wireless infrastructure. The aim is to develop new, precise services tailored to users while maintaining privacy protection. Unlike traditional methods that may involve cameras or other invasive technologies, Wi-Fi sensing technology operates without cameras, detecting individuals through Wi-Fi signal interactions. This non-intrusive approach is well-suited for applications such as energy-saving systems, elderly care and more. By integrating multiple modules, these sensors meet predetermined performance criteria, effectively detecting individuals around Wi-Fi-enabled devices without compromising user comfort or privacy. The technology owner is seeking research collaboration with chipset and module vendors, as well as application developers.

Traditionally, the construction industry has managed information flow through documents and drawings from the design phase to building maintenance, but this information has often been fragmented and not centrally organized. With the rise of digital technology, Building Information Modelling (BIM) has become more widely used, enabling comprehensive management of building lifecycles. However, generation of Digital Twins remains a complex task. The process requires expensive 3D scanning equipment, specialized software, and skilled personnel to process the data. Many companies struggle to fully utilize advanced 3D technologies like BIM and Digital Twins due to these barriers. The technology owner has developed an AI powered 3D spatial platform solution that simplifies the creation of Digital Twins and integrates AI technologies to enhance on-site operations. Through the integration of proprietary AI algorithms, it enables the smart generation of the Digital Twins from either their proprietary or third-party scanning solutions and unlocks various AI capabilities utilising the 3D model that even less experienced team members are able to fully leverage on, driving operational efficiency. With the "Conversational AI" capability, it enables the documentation of drawings and reports within the 3D spatial model for easy referencing to facilitate problem-solving through dialogue. The "Asset Detection AI" and “Anomaly Detection AI” capabilities not only automatically detect and map fixed assets onto the Digital Twin and provide an automated ledger generation from it, but also have the function to identify issues (such as cracks or rust) and pinpoint them accurately within the model for prompt action.

The increasing complexity of plant and factory operations, coupled with growing demands for energy and carbon management, has created an urgent need for integrated solutions. These solutions must not only manage assets and optimize production processes but also measure and reduce carbon emissions, driven by mounting government pressure to achieve smart and green manufacturing with low carbon output. This technology is tailored for manufacturing plants and energy-intensive industries such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals - sectors facing significant challenges to lower operational costs, boost production efficiency, and meet carbon neutrality goals. By leveraging 3D visualization, operational simulation, real-time data collection, and big data analytics, this technology reconstructs the entire production and operational processes through a digital twin. It integrates and replicates data from system upgrades, engineering construction, production activities, and process principles. The implementation includes the digital delivery of engineering assets, the creation of a digital twin model based on operational mechanics and historical data, and the seamless integration of operational management with energy and carbon management systems through real-time data access. This technology ultimately establishes a cloud-based digital twin platform that enables comprehensive asset management, production workflow optimization, and precise monitoring of energy consumption and carbon emissions, paving the way for developing low-carbon, smart plants. The technology owner is seeking collaboration with industrial manufacturers, plant operators, energy management companies, engineering design firms, IoT sensor and software providers to co-develop and implement this technology in practical applications, delivering tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of diverse clients.

Insomnia, particularly when caused by stress or anxiety, poses a significant challenge for many individuals. Traditional treatments, including sleeping pills, can be effective but often come with potential side effects and long-term dependency concerns. Addressing this issue, an innovative sleep patch has been developed to offer a non-invasive, drug-free solution for improving sleep hygiene. This sleep patch is designed to tackle common sleep problems such as insomnia and irregular sleep patterns, particularly those triggered by stress and anxiety. Unlike conventional medications, the patch leverages natural products to promote relaxation and support continuous sleep without the adverse effects associated with long-term drug use. Clinical research, including stress experiments and polysomnography studies, has demonstrated the patch’s ability to induce sleep for over 12 hours by alleviating stress. This makes it an ideal choice for individuals seeking a safe, effective alternative to conventional sleep aids. The technology owner is looking for collaboration with local research institutions and universities to validate the effectiveness and safety of the product through comprehensive research and clinical trials.

Indoor vertical farming is pivotal for addressing future food challenges, particularly in arable land-scarce countries. One common method is hydroponics, which uses mineral and nutrient solutions in a water-based platform to grow crops. To optimize the crop yield and to reduce the man work hours required, it is important to automate crop health monitoring and replenishing of specific nutrients. Currently, these tasks are labour-intensive and subjective. While some imaging techniques exist for detecting plant stress and chlorophyll monitoring, a complete system covering all aspects is still lacking. For nutrient analysis, tools like pH and electroconductivity meters can only detect a change in the nutrient composition to start a feedback loop but are unable to determine the specific nutrient component or deficiency level. This technology is a comprehensive quantitative monitoring system integrating imaging spectroscopy and laser-based elemental spectroscopy to quickly identify the crop growth stages, alert crop stresses (tested on several lettuce species) and quantify specific nutrient levels in the nutrient supply. This allows for reduced man work hours and improvement of crop yield.

Access to clean and safe drinking water is essential for health, yet millions of people worldwide still lack this necessity. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 2 billion people globally use drinking water sources contaminated with feces, leading to severe health consequences. Unsafe water, along with inadequate sanitation and hygiene, is estimated to cause 485,000 diarrheal deaths each year. Water purification technologies face significant challenges, especially in decentralized systems lacking the efficiencies of large-scale operations. They often have a substantial carbon footprint due to energy-intensive processes and reliance on chemicals. Existing portable devices primarily use filtration and have a limited lifetime on-site, with little opportunity for cleaning to restore its performance.  Developed by a research team, this technology effectively addresses the above challenges by employing electrochemical methods that generates strong oxidizing agents to kill micro-organisms present in raw water and potentially degrade organic pollutants that conventional portable reactors cannot remove via filtration. Due to its working mechanism, the device is self-cleaning and does not need regeneration. By harnessing solar energy and activated carbon, this chemical-free purification approach is not only environmentally friendly but also perfectly suited for deployment in remote areas, developing countries, and disaster-stricken zones where traditional water treatment infrastructure is lacking. The technology owner is looking for collaborations with local SMEs to co-develop scaled systems and deploy it through disaster relief organizations, government agencies and non-profit organizations in selected developing countries.