Speech by Senior Minister of State for Defence, Mr Heng Chee How, at the Singapore Amazing Flying Machine Awards Presentation Ceremony

Professor Lim Tit Meng, CEO of Singapore Science Centre,
Mr Cheong Chee Hoo, CEO of DSO Laboratories,
Partners, 
Friends,
Ladies and Gentlemen,        

A very very good afternoon to all of you. This is my first time to be at the Singapore Amazing Flying Machine Competition (SAFMC). And I had the pleasure of witnessing some the very best examples, just zip through of all the obstacles just now. Machines, they are wonderful. The skillsets of the people who are flying them and the science that goes behind that. It just is so very, very exciting. Makes everybody, young and old, feel young again. It is that sort of energy and therefore, I can truly say I am very impressed by the imagination and creativity shown in the earlier demonstrations and these speak volumes about the commitment and passion of the innovators who have worked hard on each invention. I look forward to meeting more of them later. 

The SAFMC is the longest running flight competition in Singapore, and this year marks, as we have been told, its 11th anniversary. We have a total of 1,788 participants this year. Now, this compares to about 800 participants when we first started 11 years ago. And, I am heartened to see there is very good growth in the community of young innovators over the years. I would like to applaud the SAFMC committee for their dedication in nurturing the interest and igniting the imagination of each and every generation as we aspire for many more to come. And we hope that through things like that, we can really also ignite interest in the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and the pursuit of Engineering occupations, jobs, careers.

Innovating Through Curiosity 

The SAFMC is more than just a competition, obviously. It is a journey where every participant is exposed to hands-on learning as they transform ideas into reality. You may now start to realise that folding a paper plane is no longer just a straightforward task. Well, folding is not that difficult. After you fold it, you make it fly and it goes some distance and in the direction that you want it to follow, for the target area that you want it to get to, that comprise understanding how many variables work together. That one is not easy. You may find yourself beginning to question how it can fly, or how it can fly better or further. You may even begin to do research, to explore new ways of enhancing your plane's flight abilities. Slowly, but surely, your curiosity will be piqued, and possibilities will indeed be endless. This is but the start of a journey in pushing the boundaries of Science and Technology.

It is this curiosity that has paved the way for fields like drone technology to reach new heights. It is also this curiosity that has pushed engineers to constantly ask themselves, "What more can be done to make drones more effective? Can drones be designed to work in a swarm to achieve a larger mission? How can drones recover when they get into accidents?" These questions have driven engineers to develop new technological solutions to maximise efficiency, such as programming drones to mirror the fast and nimble flight behaviour of insects.
    
Impact of Innovation and Science & Technology on Everyday Living

It is also such curiosity that underpins some of the most innovative contributions to society today. Take the example of the alumni from the National University of Singapore (NUS) who founded this organisation called Yonah. Yonah is a social enterprise that uses creative design and technology to improve healthcare, or to improve healthcare access for isolated communities in remote areas. So, it is not just technology for its own sake, it is not also technology just for a commercial purpose, but it is, in this case, technology for a social good. So technology is neutral but as it improves, the possibilities of using it for all kinds of different purposes that serve humankind, that sphere enlarges and we should constantly also push not only the frontiers of technology, but also the frontier of possibilities, for the public good, for commercial possibilities, for defence, for all kinds of different areas. I must tell you this, one of the things that I watched just now was the precision with which that drone could pick up the payload. I am trying to do something like this now, I'm trying to find out where I last left it. So what it does is that Yonah is building a suite of unmanned drones to deliver medical supplies to the residents of some of the more remote villages in Papua New Guinea, who are surrounded by dense forest and they find it difficult for healthcare workers to get to them. 

Ultimately, it is also this curiosity that leads to innovation. Innovation is something which Singapore, and indeed countries around the world, relies greatly on in order to move themselves forward. And in the case of Singapore, we have a Smart Nation vision. So if you take one of our projects, The Gardens by the Bay, it is one of the most talked about engineering and horticultural marvels that we are very, very proud of and I think it has gained some international renown since it opened in 2012. One of its two supersized conservatories, the Flower Dome, has more than 6000 pieces of coated state-of-the-art, double-glazed panels, and these panels are designed to allow the penetration of light but at the same time to reduce heat within the Dome. This, coupled with the internal temperature control system, it allows that Dome to house more than 5,000 plant species which would otherwise not be able to survive in Singapore's climate. So how do you bring the world's flora into one place, for people to appreciate and to enjoy when the world's climate differs depending on where you are talking about? So you have to be able to then mimic and all these kinds of things require Science and Technology and with that, it becomes possible. It makes the otherwise impossible, possible. 

Central to our vision of becoming a Smart Nation in Singapore is the focus that we are placing on developing a digital society. The harnessing of digital technology, such as artificial intelligence, big data, and robotics, will revolutionise the way we plan and build our city. This can be seen in such initiatives like Auto Rider, the first fully operational self-driving vehicle that enhances connectivity within the Gardens by the Bay. On a larger scale, we are working towards designing Smart towns and Smart homes, and creating more conducive living environments through data analytics and digital planning tools. Obviously, the journey will have its ups and downs but the direction is very clear, the possibilities are there and it really becomes a challenge to our ingenuity and our resilience and our determination to get there. 

Securing Our Future

Innovation is also a key enabler of Singapore's national security. At the Ministry of Defence, I have witnessed how our Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)'s continuous development have allowed it to become a force that others deem formidable and leverages on innovation to be more effective and efficient in defending Singapore against external threats. Coastal surveillance, for instance, which used to be a highly manual operation, is now conducted also with the help of Unmanned Watch Towers which are designed and developed by DSO National Laboratories. These towers can automatically sieve out potential threats and alert soldiers from the command centre. So then they can react, so obviously then since you are better able to sense and position where the threats are coming from then it improves the efficiency of the deployment. And as a result, you can have manpower savings, in this case estimated to be about 30 percent. For a country like Singapore then obviously it is not only something that is sophisticated but it is something that is necessary because manpower is critical. We do not have a lot of people, so we have to make everybody count and be able to enhance our defences against ever increasing and more challenging threats.  

Closing 

As a nation that is not very old, 50-odd years, we have had the privileges of experiencing how innovation, and science and technology have managed to change the landscape of Singapore and have been used to improve our lives. As future generations of scientists, engineers, innovators, and inventors, all of you will play key roles in shaping the future of Singapore if you are Singaporean, then of the region, and of the world, wherever you may live. Today, it might be a flying machine here at the SAFMC, but tomorrow, it could be something else, something that could change the course of history. The prospects are exciting, and the possibilities, endless.

Finally, I would like to once again extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the participants and winners. You have proven that if you put your mind to it, then anything is possible. I look forward to learning more about your innovations that will make Singapore, the region, the rest of the world a better place, a better planet for everybody. Thank you very much.