GETTING CREATIVE: Students from MRSM Kota Putra, Terengganu setting up their robots – the Haste Motriz and Vantoriz – at the exhibition booth. Both the robots are designed to aid the disabled, senior citizens or sick people to shift between rooms or floors at their premises. — Photo by Jeffery Mostapa
KUCHING: The state is looking seriously into training students in robotics and automation skills to meet the manpower demands of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).
Infrastructure Development and Communications Minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong yesterday said such training would also enable the state to enhance the efficiency and productivity of its labour force to compete globally.
“If we can enhance our knowledge in automation, if we can go for robotics, the state will become more efficient with significant increase in productivity.
“With this, we will be able to lower the cost of production, enabling us to compete with the rest of the world and become equivalent to countries such as Japan and China who are already at the top in terms of technology and skilled workforce level,” he said when officiating at the second International Symposium on Robotics and Intelligent Sensors (Iris) 2012 at Hilton Hotel here.
Among those present were Iris 2012 honorary chairman Prof Dr Masahiro Ohka from Nagoya University of Japan, general chairmen Prof Dr Iskhandar Baharin and Prof Dr Ahmed Jaafar who is Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) dean of Mechanical Engineering Faculty, and conference chairman Dr Hanafiah Yussof.
Manyin, who is also Tebedu assemblyman, added that robotics and intelligent sensors could also be applied to various fields like plantations, bio-medicine, manufacturing, automotive and non-destructive testing (ND).
Touching on plantations, in which the state is embarking on a large scale, he reported that the state had more than 1 million hectares of palm oil plantations which require application of robotics and intelligent sensors.
The symposium, themed ‘Smart Sensors, Smart Robots’, presents a comprehensive landscape of the progress and development of the 21st century, with robotics and sensors playing a pivotal role in the future technology of mankind.
Iris 2012 is organised by UiTM’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in collaboration with the Malaysian Robotics and Automation Interest group (Myraig), the Malaysian Society for Engineering and Technology (MySET) and Nagoya University, the Graduate School of Information Science.
The inaugural International Robot PRIDE Competition 2012 was also held together with the symposium. The objective of PRIDE is to explore and exhibit innovative ideas and designs within the scope of Robotics, Sensors, Automation and Intelligent Systems.
Among the highlights at the opening ceremony yesterday was a live robot show by Aldebaran Robotics of France. Launched in 2005, Aldebaran Robotics is among the first in the world focusing on humanoid robotics. Aldebaran manufactures the NAO humanoid robot, a star in the education and research market worldwide.
Myraig was formed on Feb 17, 2010 as an interest group under MySET aiming to be the professional platform where engineers, technologists and industry players can meet to discuss robotics and automation programmes and policies.