A helping (robotic) hand

Today, we’ve got the deets on:

• The state of the robotics industry
• How telemedicine business models are evolving

Dear Garage reader,

Growing up, I’d always thought that if we had helper robots in the future, they would look a lot like Rosie from the popular 60s cartoon The Jetsons.

Remember her?

Well, the future is here, and it looks better than Rosie. Singapore companies have been building sleek robots that do everything from patrolling buildings to delivering food in restaurants. Globally, the market for service robots has been expanding, and is expected to outpace the growth of industrial robots commonly found on factory floors.

Singapore was never pegged as a serious contender to build and supply robots, but a national programme launched eight years ago helped put a spotlight on the country. Last week, the National Robotics Programme kickstarted a new initiative called the RoboCluster, bringing together researchers, end-users and robotics companies to develop more technologies that can be commercialised.

In other news, we checked in with the telemedicine industry to see how the business has evolved. When we started covering telemedicine in 2018, the concept of virtual medical consultations was foreign. The Ministry of Health was concerned but curious enough that it created a “regulatory sandbox” for startups to operate in, within certain parameters.

The Covid-19 pandemic then proved the usefulness of the business. With greater adoption of telemedicine, startups are now expanding beyond general consultations to provide a wider range of services. Some have made big investments, including in physical assets, while others are expanding into wellness and preventive medicine.

Before we go, a gentle reminder that the Garage newsletter will be ending its run at the end of this month.

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Thank you for reading, and have a great week!

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