TECHNOLOGY NOT THERE YET: EXPERTS
Experts said current robotics technology cannot yet replicate how humans clean at food centres because of the dynamic nature of these environments, where flexibility and judgment are essential.
Associate Professor Harold Soh from the National University of Singapore’s computer science department described food centre environments as a “super challenge” for robots, which must contend with different patrons, objects and unexpected incidents.
“Effective cleaning in such a space requires both physical intelligence (dexterous hands, balance) and social intelligence (knowing when to move, when to stop, and how not to annoy or injure customers),” he said. “Robots today struggle with both.”
While robots can run, jump or do backflips in controlled settings, they frequently fail at everyday tasks like picking up irregular objects, handling soft or slippery food waste, or stacking items reliably, he added.
“Dexterous manipulation remains one of the most challenging problems in robotics.”
Robots must also plan their actions while predicting how they affect their surroundings – a combination of perception, prediction and communication that remains “an unsolved problem outside of controlled environments”, Assoc Prof Soh added.
Associate Professor Lyu Chen from NTU’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering agreed that robots still struggle with “complex, fast-changing public settings” where fine manipulation and judgment are needed.
Most commercial robotic systems still rely heavily on pre-programmed routines, he said. While navigation and perception have improved, table cleaning remains difficult because seemingly simple actions involve complex reasoning, such as determining whether a table is vacant, identifying leftovers versus valuables and recognising different types of spills.
“In public spaces, human-robot interaction is not optional. The system has to behave safely, smoothly and efficiently around people, otherwise it will not be usable at scale,” he said.
He noted that automation can handle routine tasks like crockery collection or back-end transport, freeing cleaners to focus on areas requiring judgment like spills and toilets. But human supervision remains necessary even for partially automated systems.