Tung Meng Fai, the executive director of the NRP; Prof. Tan Chorh Chuan, the chairman of A*STAR; Vanessa Yamzon Orsi, CEO of the OSRF; and Dr, Wang Wei, the deputy executive director of R&D at A*STAR SIMTech and A*STAR ARTC, attended ROSCon. | Source: NRP
The National Robotics Programme, or NRP, of Singapore yesterday announced new initiatives to advance robotics adoption and build a future-ready robotics workforce. They include setting up a shared testbed, a new collaboration, national standards to advance robot interoperability, and a program to strengthen talent development.
“Through open collaboration and shared infrastructure, Singapore is helping industry partners deploy robotics faster, safer, and more widely,” said Tung Meng Fai, the executive director of the NRP. “It is encouraging to see the Robotics Middleware Framework, which originated from Singapore, now proliferating globally as Open-RMF and creating impact across industries. These latest initiatives reinforce Singapore’s role as both a contributor to the global open-source community and a hub for robotics adoption.”
The NRP said these initiatives reflect the country’s growing role as a global testbed for open and interoperable robotics, uniting public agencies, research partners, and companies to translate innovation into scalable, real-world solutions.
The announcements were made at ROSCon 2025, a developer conference for open-source robotics. The Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF) hosted the show in Singapore for the first time.
The NRP was established in 2016 as part of the RIE (Research, Innovation and Enterprise) initiative. The organization aims to catalyze differentiated robotics capabilities in Singapore through the funding of use-inspired research and use-driven development. NRP also uses the projects it funds to grow Singapore’s robotics talent pool and nurture a vibrant local ecosystem.
Singapore NRP creates testbeds for RMF
Guest-of-honor Prof. Tan Chorh Chuan, the chairman of A*STAR, toured the Singapore Pavilion at ROSCon. | Source: NRP
Singapore’s National Robotics Programme co-launched the Robotics Middleware Framework (RMF) in 2018. The organizations developed the program locally with partners Changi General Hospital (CGH), the Centre for Healthcare Assistive and Robotics Technology (CHART), Synapxe, HOPE Technik, and OSRF. It became one of the world’s first standard platforms for robotics interoperability.
Built on the Robot Operating System (ROS), a set of software libraries and tools that help developers build robot applications, RMF enables robots and systems from different manufacturers to work together. It reduces repetitive integration work and helps robotics adopters and companies deploy robots more safely and efficiently. RMF is already in use in major facilities such as the CGH and the Changi Airport.
To enable safer and faster deployment of robots in shared environments, NRP announced the establishment of the ELEVATE at BCA Braddell Campus — a national sandbox for RMF. The organization made the announcement together with the Public Sector Science and Technology Policy and Plans Office (S&TPPO), the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).
This sandbox provides both a physical and virtual test environment for collaboration. It enables end users, OEMs for robots and infrastructure, and system integrators to come together and validate how robots, lifts, and building systems interact in facilities management using Open-RMF. It will be the first of several sectoral sandboxes planned to drive RMF adoption across industries.
NRP is inviting local partners to participate in the sandbox at ELEVATE at BCA Braddell Campus. Several companies, including Black Sesame Technologies, Delta Electronics, HOPE Technik, KABAM Robotics, LionsBot, MEGAZO Technologies, Panasonic, and SIMPPLE, are the first participants of the sandbox.
A*STAR and OSRF to collaborate on best practices
Back row from left to right: Dr. Brian Gerkey, board chair of the OSRF; Prof. Tan Chorh Chuan, chairman of A*STAR; and Mr. Tung Meng Fai, the executive director of the NRP. Front row from left to right: Ms. Vanessa Yamzon Orsi, the CEO of the OSRF; and Dr. Zhang Jingbing, the senior R&D director of smart robotics and automation at A*STAR SIMTech and A*STAR ARTC. | Source: NRP
To strengthen international collaboration, the A*STAR Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (A*STAR ARTC) and the OSRF signed a memorandum of understanding.
The partners said they will co-develop best practices, guidelines, and testing plans for RMF as it relates to open source robotics, using the sandbox at ELEVATE at BCA Braddell Campus as a reference site. They also plan to focus on ecosystem growth through roadmap development and community engagement.
“Our collaboration with the Open Source Robotics Foundation underscores A*STAR’s commitment to advancing open, interoperable technologies,” said Dr David Low, CEO of A*STAR ARTC. “By combining A*STAR’s technical expertise with OSRF’s global experience, we aim to further develop the Open-RMF as a universal framework for robot interoperability and accelerate robotics adoption across industries. This partnership exemplifies A*STAR’s mission to translate research into real-world impact.”
Singapore develops two national standards for interoperability
Avidbots deployed cleaning robots at the Changi Airport in Singapore. | Source: NRP
To support safe and scalable robotics adoption, Singapore’s two new national standards for robot interoperability were showcased at ROSCon 2025. These standards are:
- Singapore Standard (SS) 713: Data Exchange Between Robots, Lifts and Automated Doorways
- Technical Reference (TR) 130: Interoperability Between Robots and Central Command Systems
Robotics working groups developed the SS 713 and TR 130, overseen by the Manufacturing Standards Committee under the purview of the Singapore Standards Council. These working groups, co-convened by CHART and HOPE Technik, were made up of government and industry stakeholders. They established clear guidelines governing how robots should communicate with lifts, automated doorways, building systems, and central command systems.
SS 713, which focuses specifically on building infrastructure integration, offers a unified protocol for standardised robot operations in complex facilities. Companies aligned with this standard will be able to demonstrate readiness to facility operators. The NRP said efforts are under way to elevate SS 713 to the international ISO level, setting a global benchmark for robotic communication with facility systems worldwide.
Creating a future-ready robotics workforce
To strengthen Singapore’s robotics talent pipeline, the ROS-Industrial Consortium Asia Pacific (ROS-I AP), led by A*STAR ARTC, and SGInnovate launched the ROS Train-and-Place Programme on Deep Tech Central.
This program builds on an earlier partnership between ROS-I AP and seven Institutes of Higher Learning. This partnership focused on nurturing a baseline competency of ROS-related capabilities that the industry can rely on. It did this through harmonising students’ learning outcomes and improving their ROS capabilities.
The latest collaboration between ROS-I AP and SGInnovate will emphasise industry placement. It will use SGInnovate’s ecosystem connectivity and talent development programmes to connect talent directly with robotics companies such as AiTreat, Fabrica AI, Griffin Labs, Hivebotics, and Vilota.
By equipping trainees with hands-on experience and connecting them with deployment opportunities, the program hopes to address the talent gap in robotics and embodied AI and build a pipeline of ROS-trained talent. The data and insights generated from Deep Tech Central will also enable a deeper understanding of robotics talent needs and industry demand, strengthening the capabilities of Singapore’s robotics ecosystem while contributing to the wider global robotics community, said the partners.
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