The NRF Investigatorship grant will support SMU Professor Archan Misra’s vision of a smart city where humans and devices work collaboratively on projects.

SMU Professor Archan Misra has received a National Research Foundation (NRF) Investigatorship grant to develop new capabilities in ultra-low power sensing and embedded machine intelligence, which can catalyse innovative applications in smart cities, factories and buildings.

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While we forge ahead with urban development and technological advancements, let's pause and take a leaf from history and see how the past can offer us a different perspective in mitigating climate change.

Cities have been the centres of innovation and economic growth throughout our history. By 2050, urban areas are expected to be home to 68% of the global population. As cities continue to evolve, transform and grow, technology has been playing an increasingly critical and differentiating role in the way that cities function. As next-generation digital technologies get more pervasive, they have the potential to transform the fundamental fabric of our cities and in turn deliver on key citizen outcomes – that of more efficient and inclusive services, more economic growth and opportunities, and a sustainable planet, thus driving better quality of life. The question is, what is beyond the horizon? Youths today are the architects of tomorrow’s reality, and it is imperative that we equip our young with the tools required to create the Cities of the Future that we envision. Hear from Dell Technologies’ President of Asia-Pacific & Japan and Global Digital Cities, Mr Amit Midha, on how the Cities of the Future will evolve and transform, accelerated by the increasing adoption of next-generation digital technologies, what skillsets will be in demand, and how you can leverage on resources available to you to thrive in this important growth sector. Mr Midha will join the panellists for a discussion on the potential blindspots which may come as we build these Digital Cities of the future: inequitable access, cybercrime, and sustainability are a few examples. The discussion will also address how some of these adverse impacts could be mitigated, and how the public-private partnership axis can help to ensure that we continue to develop technology in a way that leaves no one behind.

Understanding how real-time data can help with predicting passenger behaviour and reduce commuter wait time on the last mile journey

It might be an ambitious aspiration, but by 2030, Singapore hopes that 75 per cent of all peak-hour commutes will be conducted through public transport.

This vision of future urban mobility centres on fostering a ‘car lite’ society, where a smart, multi-modal public transportation infrastructure offers commuters an affordable and convenient alternative to private car usage.

Universities play a key role in building resilience, said SMU President, Prof Lily Kong. Research done by universities can make a difference in strengthening societies and communities. The academic sector contributes through the graduates whom universities nurture, who go on to add value by creating solutions and ideas that address adversities faced by societies.

There is a reason why engineers and designers provide machines with the semblance of friendliness, but it takes more than that to establish trust between AI and humans.

I was at Promenade MRT Station waiting to travel to work, when my attention was drawn to a little boy pointing at a cleaning robot moving in my direction. It was making comforting gurgling noises, its eyes were blinking gently and soft music accompanied its movements.

"Look at its smiley face!" said the boy and we all boarded the driverless train without a worry.