Earlier this year, Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, announced that the country is working on a National Robotics Roadmap (NRR) to increase national productivity by utilising robotics technology.
According to Ismail Sabri, the goal is to reduce reliance on foreign labour and reduce the flow of foreign cash.
According to a Bernama report, the government’s roadmap is to increase robot usage from 55 units per 10,000 workers in 2019 to 195 units per 10,000 workers by 2030.
In addition, a MyDigital Catalytic Initiatives Task Force will be formed to identify and monitor projects that can be implemented through a public-private partnership.
A few Malaysian businesses, on the other hand, are ahead of the curve and have already gotten on the robots bandwagon.
Adam robot
Robopreneur, a robotics company based in Cyberjaya, introduced Adam, standing for Advanced Development Autonomous Machine, which was named “Malaysia’s very own humanoid robot” in online reports.
The company spent a year researching and developing the robot, which was “activated” in March of that year.
The AI-powered humanoid robot has built-in voice detection to allow it to speak with humans, according to the company’s CEO and founder, Dr Hanafiah Yussof.
Adam, weighing 44kg, can also move his body and gesture with his articulated arms and hands.
Hanafiah told Bernama that Adam is a five-year project, with the next phase focused on entire body movement and refining its machine learning algorithm, which will allow it to talk more naturally and recognise emotions, among other things.
In the long run, the company wants to make more social robots like Adam that can be used in healthcare facilities and other businesses.
Spick and span
Malaysia has developed the first autonomous robot capable of cleaning floors.
According to Asyraf Abdul Rahman, CEO of Ideasparq Robotics, the robot, which will be released in 2020, has four functions: cleaning, mopping, sweeping, and vacuuming.
He told Bernama that it was built entirely by local workers, with 20 university graduates in subjects such as engineering, information technology, and industrial design.
It took six months to complete, with RM600,000 spent on research and development.
Ideasparq Robotics has collaborated with a hospital service support company to supply its robots to hospitals in Melaka and Johor.
It claimed its research found that hygiene was improved by 60% compared to manual cleaning, and that the robot would prove invaluable in minimising human contact during the pandemic.
At your service
During the Covid-19 outbreak, restaurants in Malaysia were forced to use robot waiters due to a shortage of foreign labour.
Last year, Original Penang Kayu Nasi Kandar started delivering meals and drinks to guests’ tables using robots with trays.
Customers were glad to receive their food from a robot, according to managing director Burhan Mohamed, because it reduced human touch.
In each of his ten locations across the country, he hopes to have three robots.
Meanwhile, guests are served by a robot waitress named Bella at the Heritage Central Cafe in Kuching, Sarawak.
The robot’s four trays, according to administrative assistant Nur Faridatul Husna Borhan, can each handle up to 10kg.
Sound decision
In January, Sunway Medical Centre performed cochlear implant surgery using robot-assisted technology with 3D cameras on a seven-year-old girl.
According to Dr Shailendra Sivalingam, the consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon, the procedure was a success.
“Cochlear implant surgery is traditionally done with a 2D operating microscope, and now, it can be performed using a 3D Exoscope, making us the first private hospital in Malaysia to do so.
“The surgery on Suri went smoothly without any difficulty and using the Exoscope, precise, complicated surgical manoeuvres were performed flawlessly,” Dr Shailendra said in a statement.
The child used lip reading to interact with others before the procedure, but she struggled to keep up with online education, which were the norm during the pandemic.
This encouraged her parents to consider a cochlear implant, which, unlike a standard hearing aid, transfers sound directly into the ears.
Advanced robotic surgical camera systems were chosen by the hospital because they may aid increase surgical precision and patient safety.
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