Ling Ting Ming, Founder and CEO of OTSAW, a Singapore-based company that deals in advanced robotics technologies and next-generation artificial intelligence solutions for a multitude of sectors. Ling has taken what he’s learnt during his time in Silicon Valley to propel his company to success with a deep-rooted passion for technology. In a recent interview with Top 10 of Asia, Ling talks about OTSAW’s growth in the past year, being at the forefront of Singapore’s robotics and software industry, and how it’s not about people using technology but rather how technology is being used to help people.
It all started when Ling Ming Ting went to San Francisco in 2015 in search of new inspiration and to learn about what was new on the technology scene. Back then, the robotics industry in the United States of America was experiencing a boom and setting standards with technological advancements at a steady rate. Many companies in the service sector were in the stages of incorporating more robotic technology into their everyday practices, from surveillance, hospitality to customer and commercial service.
“At the time, I kept thinking about how many jobs were labour-intensive and how mundane a lot of work is in today’s context, that people avoid these jobs, adding to our issues with finding labour,” shares Ling. “Just being there inspired me a lot and that’s why we decided to give a shot at building AI-powered robotics.”
Fast forward, half a decade later, the robotics market has grown exponentially, far surpassing what was once thought possible. Nowadays, AI-technology is at the centre of all areas of life and Ling is leading OTSAW to becoming the foremost factor in Singapore’s continued journey towards becoming a smart city.
“It is now a top priority. I am inspired to build a leading robotics company that is focused on autonomous mobility. We are using robots to solve real and pressing problems and social issues from security, health and an ageing population to logistics and reducing our carbon footprint.”
Many sectors and industries have already integrated OTSAW’s robots into their labour force, but OTSAW’s technological feats became an especially sought-after commodity during the past year. With the massive shortage of foreign workforce due to the border closures arising from the pandemic, the security, cleaning and delivery sectors that were heavily dependent on manpower were affected badly, resulting in a great disparity between demand and supply.
OTSAW saw this as an opportunity to work its magic, specifically with the UV-C LED disinfection robot that took 60 days from conceptualisation to development to production during the peak of COVID last year. The intense situation banded them together to make a LED UV-C disinfection robot that was lab-tested with various bacteria and viruses, allowing them to use the technology to keep people and the environment safe.
“When we were able to use our technology to develop a UV-C disinfection robot, we didn’t want to contribute to a long-standing issue of using mercury light bulbs like most other disinfection robots, especially since the after-effects were severely detrimental,” says Ling.
The pandemic also pushed their other series of robots into the spotlight, from concierge robots like the O-R2 that helped with temperature-taking and contact tracing in many workspaces to security robots like the O-R3, ensuring safe distancing measures in parks and open areas.
“The adoption of contactless technology and digitalisation was accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis. Companies tried to address the concerns of the public with heightened germ awareness, investing in technology that will reduce touchpoints and equip them to take on longer-term shifts in consumer behaviour and removing the need for in-person interaction,” shares Ling.
Though the robotics landscape in Singapore has changed over the past few years to adapt to the recent conditions, Ling believes that it is still in its infancy stage, with much left unknown in terms of where we can go with this technology. “Singapore is a young, vibrant and modern city, leaving a lot of room for further development and making it easier for technology to be infused into our environment. We have benefited from some serious forward thinkers 50 years ago in terms of urban development.”
OTSAW has thus grown to become an integral part of Singapore’s growing technological culture, but not without challenges that Ling and his team had to overcome in order to get to be where they are today.
“Product readiness was the early-stage challenge followed by market readiness. Fundraising is also very challenging, especially in Asia. Not many investors understand this deep tech and robot as a service business,” shared Ling. “But what drives us as a company top-down is that we’ve also thought about how our technology can be responsible, socially and environmentally,” says Ling.
“I always remind my team to believe in ourselves as this is a brand-new product and market that we are building. We have gone through a lot over the years and it’s very tough as many will be sceptical about robots,” he continues.
Undoubtedly, a great team needs a reliable leader. One of the things Ling has picked up over the years, along with the ability to transform and adapt to the ever-changing AI and robotics market, is getting comfortable and learning to work with a myriad of people from different age groups like that ones that make up his team.
“I have always remained open and I keep a very flat management structure. We embrace a diversity of ideas and welcome productive debates. We encourage ourselves to be curious and continue to take risks as we innovate and pivot,” shares Ling.
It is something he hopes that future entrepreneurs who are looking to change the world can keep in mind when spearheading a business of their own. “You have to believe in yourself if you want to be an entrepreneur. Taking risks is part of the game and having conviction on the things you set out to do. Never give up, be honest and always communicate with your team and inspire them to do something different for themselves,” says Ling.
