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Punggol robots will request pedestrian signals by radio

Delivery and patrol robots in Singapore’s Punggol district are set to activate pedestrian signals through wireless RFID cards. Four antennas are planned at one junction ahead of large-scale trials expected by year-end. The crossing preparations are described in a single Straits Times report; robots will need safety clearance and staff able to intervene.

Artificial Intelligence··Morning
A small wheeled delivery robot waits beside a pedestrian signal at a crossing between tropical greenery and residential towers.

A wireless request replaces the robot’s button press

At a junction in Singapore’s northeastern Punggol Digital District, delivery and patrol robots are to gain a way of requesting pedestrian signals. Four long-range RFID antennas are planned by the Land Transport Authority, Singapore’s transport agency. RFID stands for radio-frequency identification. The antennas cover the meeting point of New Punggol Road with Punggol Way. An onboard card will send a wireless request for the crossing light, allowing a machine without a suitable arm to avoid pressing the pole’s physical button.[1]

People will continue using the existing pedestrian buttons. Two antennas will serve slip roads near the Northshore Drive and Punggol Point Cove housing blocks; the other two will serve the two directions of Punggol Way.[1]

Installation precedes the year-end robot trials

The procurement request appeared on Singapore’s GeBiz government portal on September 21. The transport authority explained the arrangement to The Straits Times on October 2; this single report describes the installation preparations. The contractor must finish within one month of the contract’s acceptance letter. Eight companies were announced in May for large-scale cleaning, patrol and food-delivery trials, expected to begin by year-end.[1]

Safety tests and staff oversight govern approved routes

Before operations begin, robots must pass safety tests. They will travel at low speeds, display light signals and remain under authorised staff supervision. Staff can intervene or take control when needed. Operators must insure against injury and property damage, and journeys are confined to approved routes. Any extension to other locations depends on the trial results and local operating conditions.[1]

References

  1. News sourceThe Straits TimesPunggol robots will be able to request pedestrian signals wirelessly↩1↩2↩3↩4
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