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Good afternoon

Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment & Ministry of Transport,
Members of the SUTD community — our faculty, students, staff, and volunteers —
Friends,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for joining us today for this uniquely SUTD event. At SUTD, it is never business as usual. We are constantly looking at new and innovative ways to do even the most mundane of tasks. Take this beach clean-up for example. Like many other organisations before us, we have activated our community to come down here today – the difference is that our little village comprises not just faculty, staff, and students, but also smart robots!

SUTD has always been different. It’s our DNA. We were the first to introduce an interdisciplinary pedagogy and the first to roll out a Design AI degree even before AI became a buzzword. And now, we are once again trailblazing by charting a bold course towards AI as the world’s first Design AI University. Today’s event provides a glimpse into our vision of humans and AI collaborating seamlessly. Our smart robots and drones, designed and retrofitted in-house, are here to demonstrate their potential as they assist in cleaning the beach.

On their own, each robot and drone is a tool designed for specific tasks. Organised the way we have for today’s clean up, they formed a team with us, expanding how and what we can clean. Soon, with advanced AI vision and interactivity, the robots and drones can even communicate and coordinate with us to prioritise where to clean, for example, if they spot several full trash bins that have been tipped over by strong winds.

Despite the uncertainties in weather, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to our faculty, staff, and students for their steadfast efforts in bringing this event to life.

The SUTD community is tackling various areas of the beach today with our innovations. Sand-E, developed by our student group, the SUTD Organization of Autonomous Robotics (SOAR), sifts through sand to remove litter and plastic debris along the shoreline. PANTHERA 2.0 autonomously sweeps pavements, ensuring clear pathways for pedestrians, cyclists, and joggers. Procyon, a four-legged robot, assists by transporting collected trash to disposal areas. Additionally, BLASTER, a drone equipped with pressurised jetting capabilities, cleans hard-to-reach structures such as beach walls and buildings. These are just some of the AI-powered innovations developed by our SUTD community that we are showcasing today. There are more technologies and creative solutions at work, demonstrating how AI and design can come together to create meaningful impact. We look forward to showing them to you!

Together, these innovations showcase the ingenuity and collaborative spirit of our maker community.

To our volunteers, thank you for your dedication to this meaningful cause.

Let’s roll up our sleeves and make a difference—not just by cleaning the beach but by contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable environment for all. Thank you.