[Big read] Humanoids at the door: Can we really trust robots in daily life?

Would you entrust your 95-year-old mother, who is no longer as mobile as she once was, to a humanoid robot to help her walk, get in and out of bed, or even use the toilet?

Such a scenario will not be hard to imagine in the future. At present, however, getting humanoid robots to fully take over human labour presents not only technical challenges, but also raises a thought-provoking question: can humans truly trust robots?

Chinn Lim, co-founder and CEO of Singaporean robotics firm dConstruct, uses this example to highlight that widespread adoption of humanoid robots still has a long way to go due to the lack of safety and legal guarantees.

He asked, “Would you entrust a person to a robot? What if it malfunctions? Who will bear responsibility in the event of an accident?”

Some might counter that if people have accepted driverless cars, why not autonomous humanoid robots?

Lim contended that there is a huge difference between humanoid robots and autonomous vehicles. He said, “Self-driving cars operate on strictly regulated pathways. The rules are clear and universally applicable. Meanwhile, domestic service robots navigate unstructured environments. In our homes, chairs and buckets are placed haphazardly, or there could be traces of water on the floor. The potential scenarios are difficult to control, so the level of complexity is significantly ramped up.”

He highlighted the absence of legislative norms for the safe use of humanoid robots as a critical factor that limits the advancement of the industry. Insurance providers are reluctant to underwrite the pertinent risks, and even when they do, there is no clear legal basis for recourse should something go wrong. This makes it hard for operators to protect themselves.

Having said that, precisely because humanoid robotics is still in its nascency, it presents tremendous opportunities for Singapore.

Lim believes that, by establishing a “sandbox” environment to accelerate testing, Singapore could secure a place in this emerging field. This would allow companies to experiment with products while studying policies and regulations, and formulate standards. 

Humanoid robotics falls within the broader industry of embodied artificial intelligence. Simply put, it involves the fusion of AI — i.e. the “brain” — with the “body” of a robot, enabling the former to exchange information with its environment through a physical medium, comprehend problems and make decisions accordingly.

Over recent years, wheeled robots for patrols, cleaning and logistics management have emerged on the market.

Building upon this foundation, humanoid robots can perform more complex tasks with dexterous dual-arm manipulation. They can, for example, grasp objects, perform tactile actions, and interact with their surroundings.

These days, both private enterprises and government agencies are showing keen interest in humanoid robots.

One example is the security services provider Certis, which has recently launched its next-generation robotics initiative. It seeks to develop concierge, patrol and surveillance capabilities for both humanoid and quadrupedal robots.

At Certis’ new headquarters at Paya Lebar Green, humanoid robots provide live demonstrations, allowing the public to directly perceive how AI, robotics and human operators work together.

Kelvin Tay, Certis’ chief robotics officer, said, “Humanoid robots can alleviate staff shortages in tasks that require on-site engagement, communication and simple interaction. However, in order to realise viable solutions, they need to be integrated with broader systems, such as those of command centre coordination, visual analytics, workflow automation and AI allocation.”

He added that many of the repetitive, low-skill tasks performed by security personnel, such as patrolling, simple interactions with people and report writing, or acting as a deterrent, can be undertaken by humanoid robots. This allows security personnel to focus on work that requires judgement.

In May this year, the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) announced a S$100 million (US$77.6 million) investment to establish the world’s first development centre dedicated to humanoid robotics for public safety.

This new facility, the Home Team Humanoid Robotics Centre, will commence operations next year. There are plans to deploy humanoid robots in firefighting, hazardous materials operations, and search and rescue from mid-2027 onwards. They will assist Home Team personnel in mission execution to mitigate safety risks.

When interviewed, Chen Zhihao, deputy director of HTX’s Robotics, Automation and Unmanned Systems (RAUS) Centre of Expertise, noted that humanoid robots hold potential as the next growth driver for Singapore’s robotics industry. However, he also emphasised that they should be viewed as part of a broader ecosystem rather than standalone solutions.

“The human-like form of these robots enables them to operate within human environments without requiring extensive infrastructure modifications. New opportunities across the logistics, healthcare, manufacturing and public safety sectors thus become apparent. The success of this field hinges on the synchronised advancement of embodied AI, dexterous manipulation and reliable movement on the part of machines, as well as safety protocols,” said Chen.

With regard to the development of this field, a spokesperson for Singapore’s Economic Development Board stated, ‘Singapore is optimistic about the transformative potential of embodied AI. Smart robots of this type perceive their environment, learn from it, and interact accordingly.”

He noted that embodied AI can be deployed in complex, unstructured environments, such as in the advanced manufacturing, maritime and aviation industries.

Since 2016, the National Robotics Programme (NRP) has been supporting innovation through phased initiatives to build Singapore’s capabilities in developing sophisticated robotics and embodied AI. Last year, the government allocated an additional S$60 million to the programme to bolster the translation of R&D into enterprise, especially in manufacturing, logistics, facilities management and healthcare.

Currently, Singapore has over 300 robotics-related enterprises, a 50% increase from the 200-plus companies recorded in 2023. These encompass both global and Singaporean firms providing robotic products and automation solutions.

According to Deloitte, Singapore’s robotics sector is experiencing robust growth, with the market valued at about US$400 million in 2025. This market is dominated by service robots, which account for roughly 50% of the market and are widely utilised in logistics, healthcare and other sectors.

Singapore’s market size is projected to expand to US$1 billion by 2030, highlighting the robotics field’s tremendous room for further growth.

Associate Professor Mohan Rajesh Elara from the Engineering Product Development Pillar at the Singapore University of Technology and Design contended that Singapore’s robotics industry has moved beyond the experimental phase and is now entering a period of “mature deployment”.

Within the manufacturing sector, Singapore ranks second globally in terms of robot density. According to data from the International Federation of Robotics, Singapore deployed 770 robots per 10,000 employees in 2023, surpassed only by South Korea.

Even so, Singapore has yet to have a company that can create humanoid robots on a par with Optimus, the perceptive humanoid robot developed by electric vehicle giant Tesla, supposedly capable of doing the work of a factory employee, a babysitter and — in time to come — a surgeon.

In Mohan’s view, Singapore is still nurturing companies that are leaders in their respective niches, as exemplified by LionsBot, which specialises in the production of cleaning robots. At the same time, the country’s strength lies in its system integration capabilities, whereby hardware, AI, collaborative platforms, data and operations can come together effectively for deployment in real-world settings.

LionsBot’s CEO and co-founder, Dylan Ng Terntzer, said that Singapore is a leading adopter of robotics technology, having built a thriving ecosystem consisting of system integrators, suppliers and solution partners. Such an ecosystem makes the process of robot adoption smoother and more reliable.

Transnational robot manufacturers are also actively collaborating with Singaporean SMEs. The Japanese robot producer OMRON, for example, works closely with SMEs through collaborative robotics projects, proof-of-concept activities and training programmes.

Elang Kumaran Suppiah, OMRON Asia Pacific’s spokesperson, noted that such collaborations not only accelerate technological adoption, but also ensure that his company’s solutions are adaptable across a diverse range of industries, from logistics and F&B to electronics manufacturing.

It is widely acknowledged within the industry that humanoid robots have yet to reach a tipping point. To realise their true transformative potential, they need to be integrated into broader systems.

Certis’ Tay believes that humanoid robots, especially bipedal models, are still three to five years away from large-scale commercial utilisation. The key factors for reaching that point are stability, safety and a high price–performance ratio. In contrast, owing to their higher ease of movement, wheeled humanoid robots are expected to come to mature deployment sooner.

LionsBot’s Ng concurs that Singapore’s robotics is not completely mature yet — many of its robots are still imported from global brands rather than locally manufactured.

Chan U-Gene, deputy director of the NRP, identified interoperability as a major challenge. “As robots become more common and get scaled up, they must not only perform exchanges with one another but also interface with infrastructure. For instance, if cleaning robots are to clean multiple floors, they must communicate with the lifts and work out their routes in coordination with other robots, so as to achieve greater efficiency,” he said.

To address this issue, Singapore has pioneered the world’s first Robotics Middleware Framework, to enable the industry to facilitate communication and collaboration between robots and systems from different manufacturers through an open-source system. To support safe and scalable robotics adoption, the Singapore Standards Council has also established a set of industrial protocols designated “SS 713”, which applies specifically to the local robotics sector. This ensures enhanced interoperability between robots and various systems, thereby improving overall operational efficiency.

Chan said that while these standards have been developed locally to advance the adoption of robotics technology, he hopes they can be certified by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and adopted globally in the future.

Chris de Lavigne, industrial products and construction sector leader at Deloitte Southeast Asia, believes that one of the challenges faced by humanoid robots is the persistently high level of technical complexity. It remains difficult to replicate humans’ ability to balance, as well as our fine motor skills and environmental adaptability.

The high costs of design, development and maintenance also limit the large-scale deployment of humanoid robots. Furthermore, companies must address issues of safety, privacy protection, job displacement, and protocols for human–robot interaction. HTX’s Chen believes that the highly intense global competition for talent proficient in robotics and AI technology is a challenge too. In response to it, his agency’s RAUS Centre of Expertise collaborates with leading international enterprises to provide its engineering teams with opportunities to learn from top-tier experts.

In recent years, companies from the US, China, Canada and Japan have actively engaged in humanoid robotics R&D.

According to a report released by Morgan Stanley in February this year, China filed 5,688 patents over the last five years for humanoid robots, far exceeding the 1,483 and the 1,195 filed by the US and Japan respectively. Last year, Chinese companies launched 35 humanoid robot models, which accounted for two-thirds of the global total, while American and Canadian firms rolled out only eight models each.

Notable among the Chinese humanoid robots are Unitree Robotics’ G1, Xpeng’s IRON, EngineAI’s T800, and UBtech Robotics’ Walker S2. Unitree Robotics, in particular, is headquartered in Hangzhou, and is known for developing humanoid and quadrupedal robots.

In the US, apart from Tesla’s Optimus Gen 2, Boston Dynamics’ Atlas, and Agility Robotics’ Digit have also garnered significant attention. Generally speaking, humanoid robots are progressively expanding beyond industrial applications into the domestic and commercial services domains.

Estimates by industrial insiders suggest the starting price for the most basic of robots is around US$25,000; an industrial model with more automated functions can cost at least US$500,000, while more advanced AI robots may exceed US$200,000 per unit.

In July, however, Unitree Robotics launched the first humanoid robots in the world to be priced below US$6,000 per unit, thereby dramatically lowering the cost of adopting such machines.

The robotics sector has also attracted widespread attention from capital markets. Unitree Robotics is reportedly preparing for an IPO on the Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market, with a valuation as high as 50 billion RMB (US$7 billion). Should the listing succeed, it would rank among the world’s largest IPOs this year.

According to Deloitte’s statistics, surging market demand for AI and automation has spurred nearly 30 robotics firms worldwide to go public in 2025.

When it comes to this wave of robotics company listings, Deloitte’s Lavigne maintains a cautious stance. He pointed out that revenue growth at these firms has failed to keep pace with their soaring valuations, posing a potential bubble risk.

Meanwhile, Singapore-based robotics manufacturer OTSAW is preparing for a listing on the US’s Nasdaq. The company aims to raise US$20 million, which would increase its market capitalisation to about US$246 million.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, OTSAW’s robots came into the limelight for their deployment in hospitals. It was a time when hospitals, faced with healthcare staff shortages, began relying on robots to deliver meals, bedsheets and other supplies to reduce personnel workload.

As the company’s founder Ling Ting Ming stated when interviewed, OTSAW currently holds a 90% market share across Singapore’s public hospitals and plans to expand into Japan next.

Ling revealed that sustained investment is required to develop OTSAW’s overseas markets, so the business as a whole has yet to turn a profit. Even so, the company is actually in the black if the purview is limited solely to the domestic market.

Ling is optimistic about the potential of the medical robotics market. The room for growth is enormous as his company currently covers only 50 out of a total of roughly 200,000 hospitals around the globe. 

“Robots will be used more in the service sector over the next ten years,” he said. The reason being that most industrial segments have already streamlined their processes and achieved automation, whereas the service industry continues to grapple with severe labour shortages and insufficient automation. 

He added, “Whether we are talking about hotels, restaurants, airports or hospitals, workflows have to be optimised before sustainable operations and transformation can be realised. Digitalising the workforce will be central to the third wave of AI.”

This article was first published in Lianhe Zaobao as “机器人越走越近生活 本地人机产业见机遇”.

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