HTX - Key Persons
Behind Adelina's shy and quiet personality is an adventurous spirit with a love for mountains and hiking. Having completed several hikes in the past, the Year 3 Computer Engineering student has set her sights on Ansan Mountain in Seoul, which she plans to scale next during her Summer Exchange.
The trail up Ansan mountain is pretty steep, and so was the learning curve that Adelina faced when trying to understand C++, a programming language which she had not used before. Why did she have to learn a new programming language? Because she had to integrate a sensor with a robot car called MiniX.
Job Titles:
- AI Developer Intern at CBRNE, Makes It His Mission to Get to Know How AI Works
Alphaeus Ng, AI Developer intern at CBRNE, makes it his mission to get to know how AI works.
To the eloquent Aqmar Haziq, who has a soft spot for the written word, his Cybersecurity internship at HTX can be described as a "saving grace". Currently a Year 3 Singapore Polytechnic Infocomm Security Management student, Aqmar is completing a credit-bearing internship that is mandatory for graduation.
Job Titles:
- Director, RAUS CoE, Elaborates
Cheng Wee Kiang, Director, RAUS CoE, elaborates: "With APICS, we have integrated and tested several automation, detection and biometric technologies to enable a seamless and contactless immigration clearance process in the near future for car travellers. The injections of new science and technology solutions would create a force multiplying effect that enable the Home Team to operate more efficiently."
Job Titles:
- Engineer
- Wendy, and HTX Deputy Chief Executive ( Operations ) Chen Yeang Tat
Wen Kai, Wendy, and HTX Deputy Chief Executive (Operations) Chen Yeang Tat
Wen Kai have spent 70 hours a week studying coding. No, they are not university students. They are HTX engineers who were challenging themselves to qualify for 42SG and succeeded!
Wen Kai is now completing the core programme full-time while Wendy is working at HTX full-time and completing the core programme part-time. The core programme has a strict deadline of 600 days for completion (regardless of whether students study full or part-time). By the end of the core programme, Wen Kai and Wendy will be equipped with the skills required to create a web-based multiplayer game for their final project.
"Wendy and Wen Kai are progressing well and are on track to completing the core programme in 12 months, which most students would take 15-18 months to complete! Wendy and Wen Kai's growing technical and soft skills highlight their commitment to acquiring skills with full support from HTX," adds Professor Chong.
Elfeiz Fadhil, Head of Governance & Audit (Platform Systems), understands that he does not just need to master technical knowhow, but also tackle challenges on a larger scale.
Job Titles:
- Senior Assistant Director, Robotics, Automation & Unmanned Systems ( RAUS ) ( Photo
- Senior Assistant Director, Robotics, Automation and Unmanned Systems ( RAUS )
- Trained Mechanical Engineer
Trained mechanical engineer Lee Guoming loves his job, which involves getting familiar with cutting-edge technology and deploying it to strengthen Singapore's security.
Recalling scenes from Star Wars, Iron Man, and Real Steel, how many of us have wondered if the likes of the robots from these movies will become a reality, working alongside you and I? Can humans and robots interoperate closely alongside each other?
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director, Ground Systems RAUS CoE
Rui Huan is grateful for the numerous opportunities offered by HTX to learn and demonstrate her new skills. For example, to broaden her expertise, she recently transitioned from the Ground Systems unit in RAUS CoE to the Intelligence, Interactions, and Inter-Ops (3i) unit, and with the support and guidance of her supervisor, Dr Daniel Teo, Deputy Director (3i), she has started her own greenfield project.
Rui Huan is grateful for the numerous opportunities offered by HTX to learn and demonstrate her new skills.
Starting her own greenfield project allows her to take ownership of the entire innovation process - from analysing problems in the Home Team's day-to-day operations to brainstorming, developing, testing, and implementing potential solutions. Apart from taking ownership of the innovation process, she has learned and applied new technical skills.
Rui Huan has also taken on the responsibility of mentoring younger talents. In 2022, she joined Ong Ka Hing, Deputy Director, Ground Systems RAUS CoE, in mentoring a capstone team from Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). Together, they guided the students to develop a soft robot that, like the cyborg cockroaches, can crawl through the tight spaces of a building collapse to find survivors.
Job Titles:
- Engineer, Joint Capabilities Programme Management Centre ( Photo
Figuring how that is done is Pawandeep's job and it is one he loves. Under him and a large team of experts from HTX, these SUVs have been turned into Next-Generation Fast Response Cars for the police.
Since joining HTX she has expanded her breadth and depth of expertise in robotics. Besides working on the cyborg cockroaches, Rui Huan has worked on other RAUS projects that leverage robots, drones, and autonomous technology to boost Singapore's security landscape.
Job Titles:
- Lead Engineer, Land Systems Centre of Expertise
Samuel Seah had the opportunity to attend the pilot five-day Protected Vehicle Extrication training in the Netherlands in November 2019. This training was organised in collaboration with the SPF and SCDF, to co-develop capabilities for the protected vehicles he had been working on.
While there, he was treated to a buffet spread of the finest and latest technology capabilities adopted by the Dutch Secret Service, SWAT Team, Fire Department, and protected vehicle builders. He also got to try out a Tesla electric police car, and even had the opportunity to rip heavy-duty protected cars apart, to glean insights on how the vehicles were furbished.
Samuel at the Netherlands, learning how a vehicle is put together and pulled apart (Photo: Samuel Seah)
"It was truly an invaluable learning experience that opened my eyes to the wonders of high tech capabilities in vehicles, driving me to rethink the design of some of our own protected vehicles," he recounted.
Seah Chee Wei is a highly experienced Crime Scene Specialist from the HTX's Forensics Centre of Expertise who is currently deployed to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Singapore Police Force (SPF). As he explains,
"For 25 years, I was a uniformed officer with SPF. I spent most of my 25-year career with SPF working on forensic investigations at crime scenes. I continued my passion for forensics when I joined HTX in 2020. I am currently forward deployed as a Forensic Manager (FM) to the Forensics Division of the CID."
Chee Wei embodies the public service spirit and is not shy to go the extra mile when the duty calls for it. For example, after attending to a police incident, he and his team member spotted a man lying on the ground in the rain. Out of concern, he immediately came forward to render assistance to check on the man. It was later established that the man had injured his leg and was unable to move. Chee Wei immediately held on to his head to stabilise his body and minimise his movement so as not to aggravate the injury until the paramedics arrived. His selfless deed won the appreciation from the person's next of kin.
Chee Wei is also determined to help his team develop their skills as forensic investigators. Other than reviewing the forensic work delivered by his officers, he also assesses their thought processes and provides constructive feedback to help them become better scene investigators. In addition, he has also kept himself abreast with developments in the field and upskilled himself. He is adaptable to technological changes and has advocated to his peers on the need to stay relevant with the times.
Chee Wei has consistently given his best support to the Home Team, regardless of the roles he is performing. Hence, along with the Distinguished Star Service Award, he had also been awarded the Efficiency Medal for the Ministry of Home Affairs National Day Investiture Awards 2023.
Job Titles:
- Forensic Officer, Forensics Centre of Expertise, Forward Deployed Team ( Photo
On the ground, forensic officers like Shawn Foo were collecting evidence and mapping crime scenes in new ways which are faster and more accurate.
In the case of major crimes where even more precise information is needed, Shawn might have deployed a 3D laser scanner.
For Sherwin, the flexibility, trust and level of ownership he is given is an incentive for his daily work. He hopes to further deepen his technical expertise before considering if he may prefer to move to a managerial track in the future.
For Timothy, most of his learning came from hands-on experiences from working with RAUS' 3i team (the technology development arm of RAUS). Here, he works on tele-operated mobile manipulators, which are robots that can be controlled remotely by Home Team officers. More specifically, he is working on improving the link (connectivity) between the officer's controls and the robot itself.