Centre Profile
Singapore Polytechnic’s 5G & AIoT Centre was set up to assist enterprises in prototyping and adopting technology that allows them to monitor their work in real-time, control applications remotely, and analyse data more efficiently by tapping on tools such as sensors and cloud platforms. The centre focuses on smart built environments, advanced manufacturing, and urban sustainability.
Problem Statement
Maintaining the highest safety standards is a priority for the construction and manufacturing industries. Workers in the sector are more susceptible to accidents and injuries than other workplaces. However, making sure dozens of people don the right gear and follow protocol is hard for managers to do on their own.
Ensuring that the buildings and walls are sturdy is also difficult, especially when abnormalities are not visible to the naked eye, and the inspection process is often labour-intensive and time-consuming.
Impact Achieved
In 2023, Sembcorp Solar Singapore approached the 5G & AIoT Centre to create an AI-based video analysis tool that provides real-time feedback from surveillance cameras. This software alerts safety officers when workers are not wearing the correct safety gear or following guidelines, enabling officers to supervise multiple sites and enhance productivity.
Following Singapore's mandate for video surveillance on construction projects over $5 million, demand for the tool has surged. The centre's lead AI engineer, Ng Yong Thiang, noted its role in helping contractors comply.
Building on this partnership, the team worked with RAK Materials Consultants to develop software that detects facade defects early, preventing costly repairs. Using AI algorithms trained on past inspection videos, the system can analyse 3,000 images daily, compared to five days if one person did it, said Ng Cheng Keyong, RAK’s technical director. “The AI model developed by SP will enhance our productivity.”
These innovative AI solutions led student Randall Teh to win the Lee Hsien Loong Interactive Digital Media Smart Nation Award this year for his contributions to Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative.
From left to right: 5G & AIoT Center Director Tan Chee Seng; Singapore Polytechnic students Lance Lai Jia Ler, Randall Teh, Fong Zhi Lum, Ang Kai Jie; and Lead AI Engineer Ng Yong Thiang.
“This project is deeply meaningful”, said Teh, who studied computer engineering. He worked on this project from “end-to-end”, developing the hardware, cloud software, and participating in discussions with Sembcorp. “If I were to repeat my Diploma with SP, I would choose this same route over and over again.”
Using AI algorithms trained on past inspection videos, the system can analyse 3,000 images daily, compared to five days if one person did it, said Ng Cheng Keyong, RAK’s technical director. “The AI model developed by SP will enhance our productivity.”