Robotics can drive meaningful change, says SUTD’s Dr Malika Meghjani

The essence of robotics for Dr Malika Meghjani lies in its potential to effect purposeful change in society. "The meaningful impact gives me a lot of joy," she asserts. She knows this firsthand, being deeply involved in research.

Named as one of the World's 50 Most Renowned Women in Robotics 2020 and also on the Singapore Top 100 Women in Tech 2023 list, Dr Meghjani is an assistant professor at the Singapore University of Technology and Design's Computer Science and Design pillar.

She also directs the institution's Multi-Agent Robot Vision and Learning Lab, which designs algorithms for efficient, reliable and scalable robots that work both independently and collaboratively with humans. It is a long, formal title that she encapsulates into a succinct "roboticist" on LinkedIn.

For Dr Meghjani, robotics is a technical endeavour and a gateway to addressing pressing societal challenges. She leverages her expertise in field robotics across diverse sectors, from aerial drones that locate survivors in disaster scenarios to self-driving cars to underwater vehicles used for coral reef monitoring and marine trash collection.

Marine environment monitoring is particularly close to Dr Meghjani's heart, saying, "We want to make it a prime focus given the fast pace of climate change." In Singapore, the former Autonomous Vehicle Lab lead research scientist at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology and her research team partner with the St. John's Island National Marine Laboratory and the Tropical Marine Science Institute to develop innovative solutions for coral reef monitoring and water quality assessment.

She explains the current process: A human diver with a camera documents the reef, classifies the corals, and compares the current state with previous data. This is usually done monthly to monitor changes and identify significant events.

While feasible, robots can perform these tasks more consistently, providing more reliable references from the same locations over time.

And while this sounds eerily like a manifestation of the fear that robots will take away human jobs, Dr Meghjani parallels historical technological advances.

"When we first had cars, they said drivers would be out of jobs. But that wasn't the case. When we first had computers, they said accountants would be out of jobs. That wasn't the case. Now that we have robots, naturally, the same question comes in."

Likewise, the job scope of those impacted will shift towards more rewarding and consequential tasks, she adds.

Her empathy is heightened as she highlights: "The overall idea in robotics is not to replace humans but to augment them, working alongside and assisting them in their tasks in a more meaningful and efficient way."

So, robots can handle repetitive and less enjoyable tasks in reef monitoring, allowing humans to take on more qualitative aspects of their work. "It's about collaboration, not replacement," she says.

The word "collaboration" pops up frequently in our conversation. The concept of humans and robots working together and achieving collective good has been central to her approach to robotics for over two decades.

And it looks to continue that way as Dr Meghjani shares her dream for the future: "To see humans and robots working together seamlessly, just as humans do with each other in a team."

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