The Knowledge to Decide

Robots are now prevalent across many industries, not only heavy manufacturing. Today’s robots are more precise and can be controlled remotely, which is why there is a preference for them over error-prone humans in some parts of the services industry. With over 179,000 industrial robots sold worldwide in 2013, robots are now set to conquer a new arena – the household. What is a robot? The first thing that comes to mind when the word robot is uttered is a machine that imitates a human being, such as the androids from Hollywood’s Star Wars or Terminator movies. The reality, though, is that the hundreds of thousands of industrial robots operating in the world resemble high-tech machinery more than high-tech humanoids. A robot is defined as a programmable, self-controlled device with electrical, electronic or mechanical units. Robots have some advantages over humans when it comes to work – they have better physical endurance and are more adept at working under uncomfortable or da

5 December 2016 The Business Times – Views from the Top Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. will impact Asia massively As the year 2016 draws to an end, there have been many upsets and surprises. Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting shared his insights in The Business Times – Views from the Top section on 5 December 2016 on the impact which Donald Trump’s victory will have on Asia. Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. elections presages a change in direction for US foreign and economic policy but in ways that are not yet completely predictable. Perera opined that President Trump is expected to curb America’s economic and military engagement with Asia. However, his commitment to improve expenditure for domestic infrastructure may contribute a growth boost to the US and global economy. His ability to push through his spending plans is plausible as Republicans control both houses of Congress. Nonetheless, a volatile and cautious outlook is expected fo

Wearable technology may be quietly engineering a revolution in our lives. The full commercialization of wearable technology may liberate people from being tied to the home or office, increasing the importance of public spaces. And the merging of electronics with apparel promises to revolutionize the apparel industry in the same way that electronics revolutionized the automotive industry – up to one third of the value of a car now resides in the electronics. From Google Glasses and Apple’s iWatch to medical tracking devices, wearable technology is now within reach. How will it transform our lives? Market watchers have projected wearable technology to generate USD4.6 billion in revenue by the end of 2013. Approximately 10 million smart glasses are predicted to be available in the market by 2016, growing by 250 percent on average each year. Smart watches would also come into their own as a significant, high-growth market. Without a doubt, wearable tech will see massive, early-sta