Innovation Challenges

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Singapore Mobility Challenge 2022
Challenge Owner(s)
Land Transport Authority (LTA), SBS Transit Ltd, SMRT Corporation Ltd
Organiser(s) Padang & Co
Industry Type(s)
Environmental Services, Infrastructure, Urban Solutions
Opportunities and Support Selected startups will get to run a proof-of-concept project with the challenge owners!
Application Start Date 22 June 2022
Application End Date 10 August 2022
Website Click here to learn more

About Challenge

The Singapore Mobility Challenge is an open innovation initiative for technological solutions that can benefit the public transport industry and commuters in Singapore.

Selected companies will get to to work with the challenge owners - Land Transport Authority of Singapore, SBS Transit, and SMRT to test and implement their solutions in Singapore’s public transport system.

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Challenge Owner(s)Land Transport Authority (LTA)
Industry Types(s)
Digital/ICT, Education Services
Land Transport Authority (LTA)

Higher adoption of Flexible Work Arrangement during COVID-19 has changed travel patterns on public transport as we observe more commuters travelling during off-peak hours, redistributing the demand on the transport system. 

Spreading out ridership and sustaining higher take up of off-peak travel in the long term helps to optimise our transport infrastructure and promote an improved commuting experience for all. As such, we are interested in exploring gamification as part of the commute – incorporating interactive digital and mobile experiences– to inculcate and reinforce the habit of off-peak travel. In Singapore, we have seen mobile games successfully boost local businesses by creating time and location-based events to drive footfall.

What We Are Looking For

How might we encourage more off-peak travel by enhancing the daily commute with gamification? 

The proposed solution should seek to achieve the following: 
  1. Target commuters who travel frequently during peak hours, especially working adults;
  2. Retain users over long periods through replayable content; and
  3. Support the conversion towards a new behaviour of travelling during off-peak hours. 
You may wish to reference past Travel Demand Management (TDM) initiatives that LTA has trialled previously, by visiting the Travel Smart page on LTA’s website.

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Challenge Owner(s)Land Transport Authority (LTA)
Industry Types(s)Digital/ICT
Land Transport Authority (LTA)

While wayfinding within public transportation premises is a daily affair for many, persons with physical or cognitive disabilities (PWDs) may face difficulties with orientation and navigation, due to their reduced mobility or cognitive challenges. 

What We Are Looking For

How might we offer a more inclusive wayfinding experience for persons with disabilities navigating the public transportation premises?  

We are interested in solutions that can support trip planning and/or indoor navigation within MRT stations or bus interchanges for PWDs, targeting the needs of one or more of the following disability types:
  1. Persons with reduced mobility 
  2. Visually-impaired persons
  3. Hearing-impaired persons 
  4. Persons with cognitive impairments
For indoor navigation, solutions must consider GPS limitations and propose ways that would improve the indoor positioning accuracy. Your solution should improve the wayfinding experience for PWDs beyond providing text-heavy information and be relevant to the needs of the PwD identified. The improved experience could also benefit the general public and have provisions to be scaled up for other disability types in future developmental stages.

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Challenge Owner(s)SMRT Corporation Ltd
Industry Types(s)
Digital/ICT, Retail
SMRT Corporation 

Stellar Lifestyle manages retail and advertising spaces in SMRT’s rail network, and creates transit destinations with stations to make commuters’ everyday experience more convenient or interesting.
 
More people are taking the trains to return to their offices as COVID restrictions ease.  This is an opportune time for Stellar Lifestyle to better understand commuters’ needs and wants, and better plan and design the stations’ retail experiences for them.  Further, the data can be shared to Stellar Lifestyle’s tenants, so that they can better create the right service or offer the right products to commuters, and drive more offline-to-online or online-to-offline activity.
 
It will also help Stellar Lifestyle analyse foot traffic patterns to improve commuter traffic flow and reduce human congestion. Every station is different because of their locations (catchment areas).

What We Are Looking For

How might we gain insights into demographics of commuters entering or leaving the MRT station, in order to improve their in-station experience?
We are interested in solutions to capture anonymous data of commuters beyond the gantries but within the station. These are the key requirements:
  1. The solution must adhere to requirements set out in the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) and capture demographic data (minimally gender and age) anonymously.
  2. The solution should offer analytical tools to better understand demographic data to plan and manage the trade mix of all leased properties in the train stations across the network, as well as foot traffic patterns.  In other words, it should enable tenants to make an informed choice to serve the train station’s commuters with the right product or service.
  3. An IoT-based system should be un-intrusive in engaging or recording individuals.  
  4. The system should be scalable. When proposing its deployment in the station, please consider such factors as power source (ideally not drawing power from the station infrastructure) and maintenance. 
  5. The solution may or may not use the SMRTConnect mobile app or WINK+ app.
Challenge Owner(s)Land Transport Authority (LTA)
Industry Types(s)
Digital/ICT, Land Transport
Land Transport Authority (LTA)

As Singapore embraces a car-lite model, bicycles are key to providing first-mile, last-mile, and intermodal travel options. Singapore plans to further increase and improve parking facilities, especially around the MRT stations, to encourage cycling by providing a bicycle parking experience that is accessible, safe and convenient.

What We Are Looking For

How might we monitor the utilisation rate of bicycle parking facilities, in order to support planning and improvement of the cycling experience in Singapore?

LTA would like to leverage technology to monitor bicycle parking facilities and help cyclists easily find unoccupied bicycle parking spots on site. At the same time, LTA would like to gather data to support planning; such data include real-time bicycle parking lots availability, parking duration and timings. Further, LTA is looking to identify abandoned bicycles or bicycles that have been left idling for long periods so that they can be removed to free up lots at bicycle parking facilities.
 
The solution must be cost-effective in its approach to monitor the utilisation rate of bicycle parking facilities. The design of the solution should be based on the standard single-tier U-bar bicycle parking racks that can accommodate two bicycles at each parking spot (two bicycles on each side of the rack) with a clear spacing of 0.6m between racks.

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Challenge Owner(s)SMRT Corporation Ltd
Industry Types(s)
Digital/ICT, Land Transport
SMRT Corporation

The automotive maintenance industry is labour intensive and demands a skilled workforce. The industry’s challenge is increased with difficulty in attracting new workers while the current workforce is ageing with many workers retiring soon. In order to sustain operations, there is an increasing need to automate routine tasks and augment the workforce with digital technologies to overcome skill gaps. 
An example of a key activity done in automotive maintenance is spray painting. In order to restore the paint of damaged surfaces, the following are generally the steps taken:
  1. Fix the damage and prepare the surface for painting;
  2. Identify the colour to be painted based on the colour state of surrounding surfaces;
  3. Mix the paint for the different coatings needed; and
  4. Spray-paint several coatings until the colour is accurate and blended. 

Even seasoned workers are prone to human errors performing these steps. Thus, there are opportunities to reinvent the process, leveraging new technologies, such as AI, wearables, and robotics.  

What We Are Looking For

How might we augment the workforce or introduce automation solutions for automotive maintenance tasks such as spray painting, in order to reduce the manpower and skills requirements while improving the quality of work?

We are interested in solutions that can simplify or automate the automotive maintenance tasks for both cars and buses, while maintaining the quality of work. Spray painting is one of the priority tasks to innovate but we are open to other areas within automotive maintenance . We are keen to explore robotics solutions that can potentially reduce manpower and lower safety risks.  

Challenge Owner(s)SBS Transit Ltd
Industry Types(s)
Digital/ICT, Electronics, Land Transport
SBS Transit

The inspection of rail vehicles, also known as rolling stock, is conventionally done by sight. Visual inspection is carried out on different components of a rolling stock for the following purposes:
  1. For the car body (external) and saloon (interior), to check for graffiti, defects, and stains. 
  2. For the underframe and bogie, to perform sanity checks to detect potential risks, such as loose cabling, missing components, or misplaced tools. 

The inspections need to be completed rapidly prior to revenue service. For the underframe and bogie, 2 inspection experts are deployed to inspect multiple vehicles at over 100 locations per car within 1 - 2 hours. A broad range of knowledge and experiences is also demanded of these inspectors to effectively spot the risks and issues. Depending on the severity of the detected abnormalities or defects, a rapid response may be required to resolve them.

What We Are Looking For

How might we automate the inspection of rail vehicles, in order to detect abnormalities or defects that could result in operational disruptions? 

We are interested in robotic solutions that can automatically conduct the inspection for one or more components of the rolling stock. The solution should meet the following requirements: 
  1. The solution should operate with minimal human intervention, and must be able to automatically detect abnormalities or defects and trigger an alert. 
  2. The solution must be small in size, within the dimensions of 1m (L) by 0.8m (H) by 0.8m (W). 
  3. The solution must be able to travel on various terrains in the depot, including rails, slopes, and stairs, and automatically avoid obstacles.
  4. The solution should generate inspection reports with defect classifications and location pinpoints. 
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Challenge Owner(s)SBS Transit Ltd
Industry Types(s)
Digital/ICT, Electronics
SBS Transit

Some of the MRT stations have false ceilings as high as 30m. To clean these ceilings, scaffolding is required. Furthermore, there is a large surface area (up to 2000m2) to clean, and the work at height can only be done in a maintenance window of three hours. The false ceilings that need to be cleaned not only span across the platform but also the staircase and escalator areas, which increases the difficulty to access the false ceilings to carry out the cleaning.
 

The false ceilings in MRT Stations are most commonly assembled using perforated ceiling boards made of aluminium alloy. The cleaning is done in a two-step process: dusting and cleaning using portable water. If stains are present, the cleaner would need to use either degreaser or all purpose cleaning agent. Force applied onto the false ceiling boards during the cleaning process, sometimes causing them to dislodge from their positions. 

What We Are Looking For

How might we perform the cleaning of MRT station false ceilings safely and efficiently?

We are interested in innovative tools or robotics that can carry out cleaning at high levels while eliminating the need for scaffolding. Besides the false ceilings, it is also desirable that the solution can clean cladding wall panels, staircases and other hard to reach areas located at height. The solution should meet the following requirements:

  1. The solution must not cause false ceiling boards to dislodge or loosen during the cleaning process. 
  2. The solution must not cause damage to smoke detection, fire sprinkler and aircon systems. 
  3. The solution must be mobile within the MRT station. Access to the train platform can only be done via staircase or passenger lift. If a robotics solution is being proposed, the solution shall be able to access passenger lifts.
  4. The robotics solutions or heavy equipment shall have counter-weight to prevent it from toppling at platform or staircase landing.

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Challenge Owner(s)SBS Transit Ltd
Industry Types(s)
Digital/ICT, Electronics, Land Transport, Precision Engineering

SBS Transit

Singapore has over 5,000 public buses – a significant part of our public transport network. Detecting defects in the buses early prevents incidents such as unplanned bus service downtime and accidents that could endanger commuter safety. 

Currently, the inspection of the buses are done in workshops during non-operating hours. In order to inspect the bus undercarriage, which contains many key components, the bus needs to be hoisted using a skylift. The technician performs the inspection while referring to a checklist, and plans for further maintenance work based on the inspection. Critical defects that require longer servicing periods, assistance from other colleagues and/or availability of spare parts can cause delays to the bus returning to operation, especially if planning is not done in advance. 

What We Are Looking For

How might we automate the inspection of bus undercarriage during operating hours, to aid the early detection of potential component failures and planning for maintenance work?

We are interested in solutions that automatically conduct the inspection of bus undercarriages during bus operating hours and meet the following requirements: 
  1. The inspection solution is designed to be conducted at designated locations that buses commonly pass and must be completed within a short period of time (within minutes).
  2. The solution must take into consideration the bus undercarriage height from ground level of ~200mm and width between wheels of ~1,950mm.
  3. After detecting the defects, they must be documented and channelled to the workshop team for maintenance planning. The documentation should include images of the defect. Critical defects must trigger an alert via email.   
  4. At the minimum, the solution should detect these critical defects: cracks on air bellows; wearing or looseness of the universal joints; and oil leakage. More information on other defects that could be detected are found under Resources. 

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Challenge Owner(s)SMRT Corporation Ltd
Industry Types(s)Digital/ICT

SMRT Corporation

The Mobile Operations & Maintenance System (MOMS) is utilised by more than 2,000 users across 22 departments to perform routine maintenance work. The current system relies on touch-based manual inputs into tablets. This method is impractical in work situations that involve: tight spaces, the use of both hands, and personal protective equipment. As a result, users have the tendency of filling up the checklist or report after the maintenance has been completed, which might lead to accidental omission of some information.

What We Are Looking For

How might we improve the user interface and data capture process of the Mobile Operations & Maintenance System, in order to improve usability and reduce input errors?

We are interested in an innovative user interface or data capture methods, such as visual analytics and NLP techniques that could minimise the need to perform touch-based manual inputs. Commonly used maintenance tools, such as measuring callipers and ammeters, could have IoT capabilities to seamlessly capture data. The data captured would be integrated to MOMs to automatically update the checklist.

The key outcomes of the solution are the reduction in human-input errors and improved timeliness of updates during the maintenance process.

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Info Session 1: Commuter Experience
Wednesday, 13 July
Register Here! 

Info Session 2: Sustainable Operations
Wednesday, 20 July
Register Here!