The break-neck speed of technological advancements in our world is causing permanent changes to our societies and how we view them. Cities from the 60s and those today are already completely different, and we can only dream of what our cities will look like in the next 60 years. But Singapore is the closest future city we have today, and it’s worth taking a peak at its progress and extrapolating from it.
1. Robot Work Force
There is a silver lining to any dark cloud, and COVID-19 was as bleak as possible. But now that the rain is gone, we can see some of the improvements it made, and the most noticeable in Singapore is the steadily rising robotic worker segment. There are currently 605 robots per 10,000 human employees, making Singapore second on the world map, slightly behind South Korea. The rise and improvements of AI led to a slew of improvements for the city.
AI powers the robots doing menial and dangerous work like construction jobs. But it can also enhance lives with AI baristas, automated metros, and AI-powered casinos, which offer personalized and enhanced gameplay (source: www.basketballinsiders.com/en-sg/online-casinos/slots/), alongside providing enhanced protection and a fair playing environment.
Highly developed AI robotic trainers, called RoboCoaches, assist people with physical therapy, recovery, and exercises, providing much-needed medical relief. With more robots doing physically demanding, menial, and dangerous jobs, people in Singapore can focus on doing more important, productive, and advanced jobs, propelling Singapore’s progress even further!
2. Augmented Reality
Google Glass may be ahead of its time, but current Singapore AR strides have moved that dream a bit closer to reality. The Virtual Singapore project has a high goal, as it is creating a fully dynamic 3D model of Singapore, which can even be used for urban planning, various simulations, dynamic decision-making, projections, and city design. All across town, it’s possible to find AR commercials enhanced by simply looking at them through your phone.
The fusion of phones and AR is the next possible leap and innovation, where virtual options and functions can become accessible via mobile phones. Such examples include the iFashion Cloud, where we can finally test out various clothes on us in virtual rooms, via our mobile phones, and not leave the comfort of our homes. Afterward, the selection is delivered to us, and traffic in Singapore is our next topic.
3. Smart Traffic
Anyone who lives in a bigger city knows that traffic can be insufferable. Countless hours lost due to jobs, frequent accidents, and constant carbon emissions due to fuel are some of the worst offenders of big city transport networks. To bypass that, Singapore is evolving its traffic to a new level, automating it, and making it autonomous. Autonomous car testing began with robot taxis on a small and controlled scale in 2016.
But today, that robot taxi fleet has expanded to more blocks and is funded by big companies like AutoX and Waymo. Autonomous vehicles are electric, have zero emissions, and rely on advanced AIs to navigate the cityscape. Singapore robot taxi service is a glimpse into our driving future, and its success can easily be replicated in other driving segments of various industries. The future might hold AI buses, trains, trucks, and even airplanes, where their progress lies on the foundations laid by Singapore pioneer programs.
4. Smart Nation app
The old saying goes “There is an app for everything.” In Singapore, even the government has its app, allowing citizens to access government services from their phones, anytime and anywhere. Besides requesting and filling out government forms, citizens can also access public information, updating them with location and real-time info about disasters, emergencies, and matters of national importance.
Based on the user’s location, this app can provide relevant data to the citizens, where they can use the feedback function to report crime, damaged public facilities, littering, or anything they might find related to government functions. Smart apps don’t stop there, as they aim to boost the quality of life for the elderly people living in Singapore. The future is bright for everybody, and medical chatbots can ward off loneliness, providing constant communication for the elderly who feel isolated and lonely.
The elderly no longer need to travel to the doctor or wait in line, as digital health programs save time and energy in Singapore. Patients can use online portals to make appointments, check their vital status, health, and prescriptions, and book treatments. They can even order prescription refills and livestream doctor appointments, making Singapore’s health sector one of the most advanced in the world.
Progress is inevitable. Sometimes, it is slow, and sometimes, a miraculous breakthrough happens overnight and shakes the foundations of our beliefs. Cities are our hives, a place where most of us live and from which modern civilizations thrive. It’s only natural that each technological advancement finds its place in our cityscapes. And with each day, we will witness new and incredible man-made wonders beyond our wildest imagination. With Singapore being at the forefront of innovation!
