A table that cleans itself? Food centre operators turn to tech as cleaners become harder to find
Associate Professor Harold Soh from NUS Computing provided expert perspectives in CNA's report that examined whether automation and robotics can help address manpower shortages in Singapore's food centres.
Commenting on trials such as a self-cleaning table prototype at NTU, Associate Professor Soh described food courts as a particularly challenging environment for robots.
"Effective cleaning in such a space requires both physical intelligence (dexterous hands, balance) and social intellligence (knowing when to move, stop, and how not to annoy or injure customers), he said. "Robots today struggle with both."
Associate Professor Soh added that while robots can perform impressive feats in controlled settings, they continue to struggle with everyday tasks such as handling irregular food waste, managing spills, and operating safely in dynamic, crowded public environments. Integrating perception, prediction, planning and human-aware interaction remains an unsolved challenge outside the labs.
The report highlighted that while automation may assist with routine tasks, human cleaners and supervision remains essential, emphasising the technology alone is not a simple solution to labour constraints in food centres.