ROSCon 2025 & RIC-AP Summit 2025 Blog Series: Singapore’s Defining Week for Open-Source Robotics

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As we look back on 2025, this blog is a recap of one of the most impactful weeks for open-source robotics in the Asia-Pacific region.

On 30 October, the RIC-AP Summit expanded beyond conference halls into the real world with a series of curated site tours across Singapore. These tours showcased how ROS and Open-RMF are not just concepts but living deployments across manufacturing, healthcare, and smart infrastructure.

If the Summit sessions were about vision and strategy, the tours were about seeing robotics in motion—from factory floors to hospitals, airports, and digital districts.

Importantly, the tours brought together participants from different companies and countries, reflecting the truly international nature of the ROS-Industrial community and the collaborative spirit of Asia Pacific’s robotics ecosystem.

1. ROS in Manufacturing: SIMTech & ARTC + Black Sesame Technologies, Singapore Polytechnic

SIMTech & ARTC

  • Spotlight on smart manufacturing innovations.

  • Demonstrations of autonomous material handling and intelligent inspection systems.

  • ROS-powered robotics showing how open-source frameworks are shaping industrial transformation.

  • Reinforced Singapore’s role as a hub for advanced automation and digitalisation.

Singapore Polytechnic – Robotics, Automation and Control (RAC) Hub

  • Cutting-edge RAC Hub at the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

  • Co-location labs with industry partners like ShenHao and JP Neura.

  • Demonstrations of collaborative and inspection robotics powered by ROS.

  • Clear example of academia-industry collaboration driving automation and intelligent control systems.

2. RMF Deployment in Healthcare & Reconfigurable Robotics: CHART, SUTD

CHART – Centre for Healthcare Assistive & Robotics Technology (CGH)

  • Demonstration of RoMi-H (Robotic Middleware for Healthcare), built on Open-RMF.

  • Multi-fleet interoperability enabling ROS and non-ROS robots to work seamlessly in hospitals.

  • Integration with lifts, automatic doors, and enterprise systems for streamlined operations.

  • Showcased how robotics enhance patient care and operational efficiency in smart hospitals.

SUTD – Reconfigurable Robotics Showcase

  • Outdoor mosquito-catching robot “Dragonfly” and snake-repulsing “Naja.”

  • Infrastructure-focused robots like “Meerkat” and “Panthera 2.0.”

  • Nested reconfigurable robots demonstrating adaptability across environments.

  • A creative exploration of embodied AI, blending research ingenuity with real-world challenges.

3. RMF/ROS Deployments: CAG, CPCA, KABAM Robotics, Punggol Digital District – Panasonic

Panasonic – Fleet Management with RMF

  • Proprietary AI-enhanced RMF integration.

  • Features like congestion detection, human presence recognition in elevators, and prevention of unintended companion following.

  • Practical, operationally relevant fleet management for smart districts.

KABAM Robotics

  • Smart+ RMF Solution integrating multi-robot coordination with PABX and access systems.

  • Security robots tied into surveillance, access control, and facility management.

  • Tour of R&D facilities showcasing innovation in robotics for secure, automated environments.

Changi Airport Group (CAG)

  • Firsthand insights into CAG’s Open-RMF journey.

  • Live demonstrations of RMF features supporting airport operations.

  • Strategic vision for scaling interoperability across one of the world’s busiest airports.

CPCA – Hospitality Robotics Integration

  • Work-in-progress deployment of cleaning and delivery robots in hotel operations.

  • Robots integrated with lifts and automated doors via RMF dashboard.

  • Future vision: hotel staff requesting ad hoc robot tasks via StayPlease app.

  • Demonstrations of robots performing floor cleaning, restaurant bussing, and seamless interaction with smart infrastructure.

RIC-AP Summit Tour 2025: Key Takeaways

  • Manufacturing track: ROS is powering industrial transformation, bridging academia and industry.

  • Healthcare track: Open-RMF is operationalised in hospitals, enhancing patient care and efficiency.

  • Smart infrastructure track: Airports, hotels, and digital districts are adopting RMF for multi-robot orchestration.

The tours underscored a powerful message: Singapore is not just hosting conversations about robotics—it is living them. From labs to live deployments, the RIC-AP Summit tours demonstrated how open-source robotics is shaping industries, communities, and everyday life.