By Nur Fadhliana Shaari

Robotics technology set to boost country’s growth

JOHOR BAHRU: Robotic technology and application have become an integral part of the manufacturing and medical industry today.

In some local companies, such technology has even taken over certain tasks previously performed by humans.

To enhance its expertise in robotic technology, Malaysia has been collaborating with nations like China, which has invested in the upgrading and increase of the country’s technical expertise and knowledge in the field.

These kind of collaboration is expected to increase the number of manpower skilled in robotics following the government policy of encouraging foreign investors to engage in technology transfers.

The manager of Production and Marketing for Technology Park Malaysia (TPM) Engineering Muhammad Husni Md Zain supports this development and describes the evolution of the robotics industry in the country as a positive one. The demand for robotic technology in the country is still in the early stages but Muhammad Husni believes that it is showing promising potential.

“Robotic application is now a vital part of the competitive work culture that aims at offering the best service or product,” he told Bernama in an interview recently. Referring to a report by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), he said that there was an increased demand across the world from the robotics industry.

“The IFR report shows that the global demand for robotics equipment in 2013 were 168,000 units, five percent more than in 2012. IFR is also expecting the global market for robotics to expand by six percent in 2017 and 2018, with a value of RM40.61 billion,” he said.

According to Muhammad Husni, robotic applications are vital in an era of globalisation and for the country’s growth.

“This will become a necessary element in fulfilling global needs and standards in the next five years,” he added.

The growth of robotics technology is expected to benefit the country’s economy through higher manufacturing capacity and manpower skill.

It can also address the dependence on manpower, optimising each industry’s output.

Muhammad Husni added that it could also be used to perform tasks that were dangerous and needed to be done swiftly as well as to reduce risks and save costs.

Robotics technology is currently used in the manufacturing of cars and electronics, space exploration, support equipment for the elderly and disabled as well as household appliances, among others.

In the medical field, robotics technology or application could also help in analysing symptoms and coming up with diagnoses for diseases like cancer, he said.

Muhammad Husni believes that it is time for Malaysia to work at producing more robotic experts by nurturing them from the school level. This can be done by placing a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.

“It is very important for our country to produce a generation that knows robotics and programming. Programming expertise makes for a more competitive society,” he said.

The skill to create and programme, he said, was crucial because many jobs done manually today would be replaced by robots in the future. The upcoming “Robotic Future City” in Johor is seen as in line with the nation’s desire to produce more experts in the robotics field and to meet the needs of Industry 4.0.

Muhammad Husni said that the robotic city, the first of its kind in Malaysia, would benefit not only Johor but the entire country as well.