Singapore uses robots due to labor shortage

Nurse robots can monitor patients' vital signs in the intensive care unit, while waiter robots will help carry customers' dirty dishes to the kitchen.

The United States and many European countries are concerned about the rapid progress of artificial intelligence. Scientists say it will cause mass unemployment. However, in Singapore, strict regulations on foreign workers are causing companies to struggle with a lack of human resources. Using robots in service industries, from restaurants to hospitals, is therefore becoming the optimal solution.

Louis Tan, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital (Singapore), said: "The government is restricting foreign manpower. It is difficult for us to recruit good personnel now. Technology is just one of the solutions."

The hospital has used IBM’s Watson technology for its nursing robots, which monitor patients’ vital signs in the intensive care unit. They can combine readings like blood pressure and heart rate, and then use algorithms to calculate the probability that a patient’s condition will deteriorate.

Robot collects dirty dishes at Chilli Padi Nonya restaurant. Photo: Reuters

“In the past, this required human analysis and judgment. But now, we can use technology to handle them,” said Tan.

The pilot program, which has been in place since this year, has already significantly improved patient safety. “It doesn’t mean nurses are no longer needed. It just means they have more support. It increases efficiency and makes patients safer,” Tan said.

At the Chilli Padi Nonya café near the National University of Singapore, dirty dishes are also collected by a robot waiter. However, it cannot pick them up on its own, but instead has to announce to customers: "Can you help me clear your table?" After customers place their dishes on a tray, the robot takes them back to the kitchen.

“In Singapore, it is very difficult for us to hire foreign workers. So using robots is the most useful. Customers also like them and come here regularly,” said store manager Kannan Thangaraj.

So far, though, only a handful of restaurants here are testing robots. One challenge is cost. Singapore-based robot maker Unitech Mechatronics sells each robot for more than $34,300. But the Singapore government will subsidize nearly 70 percent of the cost of the restaurant trial.

Also in Singapore, a research center for MasterCard has designed the first payment application for SoftBank Robotics’ Pepper robot. Several Pizza Hut stores in Asia this year will use the robot to take orders and process card payments for customers. The goal is to free up servers to focus on more complex interactions with customers.

In this year's budget, the Singapore government plans to spend more than S$450 million over the next three years to support the deployment of robots. They will focus on providing affordable robots to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Technology has not always been welcomed, however. A Singapore restaurant’s plate-collecting robot was once smashed by an employee.

While the use of industrial robots is booming globally, with nearly 250,000 sold last year, the service sector is still lagging behind, with just 24,000 sold in 2014, according to the International Federation of Robotics.

Analysts predict the global service robot market will accelerate as advanced technology allows robots to perform more complex tasks in more challenging environments. In Japan, robots are widely used in manufacturing. The government also supports the use of robots in service industries such as healthcare and nursing.

According to VNE