Although Singapore is one of the world’s tiniest countries, its economy is among the most innovative. It was ranked first in the 2019 World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report and second in the 2021 Bloomberg Innovation Index.
Inventors from Singapore have created electronics and household products ubiquitous in our daily lives as well as emerging technologies to tackle healthcare needs. Let’s take a look at innovation from this city state.
1. Compact data storage
The invention: If you were born after the year 2000, it is likely that you have not seen or used a floppy disk. The thumb drive is a Universal Serial Bus (USB)-based data storage device that phased out the floppy disk and significantly modernised the portable media storage industry. Compared to the floppy disk, a thumb drive is able to store a much larger amount of data in a more compact device.
The team behind it: The question of who invented USB technology is contentious but it was Singaporean company Trek 2000 International that created the first commercially available USB storage device – the ThumbDrive. This trademark was registered by the company in international markets.
Commercialisation: Company founder Henn Tan and his team first presented the ThumbDrive in the year 2000 at the CeBIT international technology fair in Germany, where it garnered tremendous business attention. The product was so successful that the company went public in the same year, hence the name Trek 2000. The company currently has offices all around the world including Australia, USA and Japan. Bolstered by rising demand in electronics, Trek 2000 International reported a 600% increase in revenue in 2021.
2. Sustainable synthetic seafood
The invention: Seafood like shrimps are a popular food item, but they are being fished at an unsustainable rate. The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the importance of food security for small countries like Singapore, which is heavily reliant on imports of seafood. Shiok Meats is a cell-based meat and seafood company that aims to bring sustainable and healthy seafood to our dining tables. The company produces shrimp, crab and lobster meat by extracting a sample of cells and feeding them with liquid nutrients for four to six weeks before harvesting the meat.
The team behind it: Shiok Meats is led by Dr Sandhya Sriram and Dr Ka Yi Ling, both stem cell biologists who worked and met at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research.
Commercialisation: In 2019, the company produced its first Shiok shrimp dumpling with a whopping US$5000 per kilogram price tag! In 2020 and 2021, the company showcased its cell-based lobster and crab in various dishes as well. To make this product more affordable, the company has plans to reduce the bulk of the cost by innovating the cell feed. The company targets to commercialise in 2023, first in Singapore and then expanding globally.
3. Infrared fever screening system
The invention: Fever is one of the most common symptoms of infections like SARS-CoV-2. To effectively manage pandemic outbreaks, it is necessary to quickly identify infected individuals in a crowd who might have a fever and are potentially disease carriers. The infrared fever screening system is able to detect heat emissions from the body and make use of a colour-coded thermograph to identify those with a fever. The system was named one of the best inventions of 2003 by Time magazine.
The team behind it: Defence Science and Technology Agency, Singapore Technologies Electronics and Chartered Electro-Optics.
Commercialisation: The first prototype of the infrared fever screening system was created in less than a week in response to the 2003 SARS outbreak and technology based on it is now being deployed worldwide, especially to manage the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
4. Cardiovascular stents with a difference
The invention: According to the World Health Organization, coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. As fatty plaque builds up, the arteries that supply blood to the heart become narrow or even blocked. Cardiovascular stents are tiny expandable mesh coils that can be inserted into weakened and narrowed arteries to keep them open and improve blood flow. However, in up to 50% of patients, scar tissue forms inside the stent, leading to restenosis, or renarrowing of the blood vessel. Biosensors International Group was the first cardiology company to introduce stents with a coating that releases a drug which slows the overgrowth of tissue in the stent.
The team behind it: Engineers at Biosensors International Group.
Commercialisation: In the year 2000, Biosensors International Group patented their proprietary agent called Biolimus. This is an anti-restenotic drug for cardiovascular stents that is absorbed rapidly into tissues. The company was also the first to launch a biodegradable polymer stent with a single drug-coated side to reduce systemic exposure and enhance drug delivery specificity.
5. Mini-DNA sequencing machine
The invention: DNA sequencing can provide clues on the association of genes with diseases like cancer, making it a powerful technique for precision medicine. However, most DNA sequencers can be bulky and unsuitable for installation in places like clinics and hospitals where there are space constraints. In 2016, Illumina introduced a mini version of the DNA sequencing machine known as MiniSeq that is just as accurate and high in throughput.
The team behind it: The life science engineering team of Illumina in Singapore.
Commercialisation: MiniSeq is one of the more popular products of llumina. While small in size, this benchtop machine can generate between 7 to 25 million reads per run. MiniSeq has also been used for various applications including the monitoring of mosquito-borne pathogens and identifying breast cancer targets.
6. Vertical farming platform
The invention: Singapore is a land-scarce country that is heavily dependent on food imports. To raise the productivity of farms and agricultural land use in Singapore, Sky Urban Solutions invented the Sky Greens nine-metre-high vertical farming platform. The product is an aluminium tower consisting of multiple planting troughs that generates at least 10 times more yield per unit area land than conventional farming while having low water, energy and maintenance needs. This innovative system also won a prestigious international Index Award for ‘design to improve life’ in 2015.
The team behind it: The inventor, engineer Jack Ng, created several prototypes of the vertical farms back in 2009 before launching the first product in 2010 with support from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA).
Commercialisation: The vertical farm design was first used to grow tropical leafy vegetables and its success gave the company the confidence for larger scale commercial operations in 2012. The farm of Sky Urban Solutions now houses at least a thousand vertical farming towers to produce Chinese cabbage and spinach for consumers in Singapore. The company also aims to become the world’s leading solution provider in this space by exporting its integrated environmentally sustainable urban agriculture technology.
7. Smart diabetic insoles
The invention: Foot ulcers are one of the common side effects of diabetes and that is because diabetic patients experience neuropathy, which desensitises their nerves to sensation and pain. The FlexoSense shoe insole uses customisable, flexible pressure sensor technology with health analytics to reduce the re-ulceration rate. This invention has won multiple awards including from IDTechEx Launchpad Berlin in 2017.
The team behind it: Researchers led by Professor Lim Chwee Teck from the National University of Singapore.
Commercialisation: Spin-out company FlexoSense was established in 2016 through funding support from various research agencies including the Modern Aging Competition accelerator.
8. Lenses for Asian faces
The invention: Seventy per cent of young Singaporeans have myopia and require glasses with prescription lenses to gain proper vision. According to differences in facial anatomy, reading behaviours and biology, the visual needs of different ethnic groups can vary. Prescription lenses company Essilor Singapore introduced the Azio lenses for Asian wearers, who tend to have longer axial eye length (a measure taken from the front to the back of the eyeball) and a less pronounced nose bridge than other ethnicities.
The team behind it: Essilor Singapore with the Singapore Eye Research Institute.
Commercialisation: Azio lenses were launched in 2017 after multiple years of research involving more than 200,000 individuals with optical needs. More than 90% of participants were satisfied with their improved vision due to the ethnically-personalised lenses.
9. Fertility helper
The invention: The World Health Organisation estimates that 48-186 million couples worldwide suffer from infertility. The Twoplus Sperm Guide is a soft, biocompatible silicone device that can potentially enhance the chances of conceiving. It’s designed to be worn during sex, acting as a canal for sperm and capturing them high in the vaginal canal near the cervix. Usually, most of the sperm would be lost in ‘backflow’. The guide protects sperm from the acidic environment of the lower vaginal canal and creates a high concentration of sperm at the cervical opening.
The team behind it: Singaporeans Benjamin Tee and Prusothman Raja, Biodesign Innovation Fellows at Stanford University, developed the concept and started Hannah Life Technologies to commercialise it.
Commercialisation: The product was commercialised in 2020 and is currently available in Singapore, the United States and the United Kingdom.
10. Multipurpose polymer material
The invention: Even if you love ironing, pushing a slab of heated metal around can get tiring, especially trying to glide it across rough fabric with many creases. However, when that slab is coated with multiple layers of a polymer known as sol-gel, it glides much more smoothly. The polymer is also resistant to high heat and cracks and won Singapore’s National Technology Award in 2002.
The team behind it: The invention was born out of a collaboration between Dr Linda Wu from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research and the electronics company, Philips, to make steam irons more user-friendly. Wu took on the challenge and creatively developed different methods to fabricate a polymer that better adheres to the aluminium base of steam irons while being able to withstand extreme heat, and wear and tear.
Commercialisation: The technology has already been used on steam irons from Philips. In addition, sol-gel has found applications such as coatings for spectacle lenses and anti-fogging car mirrors. Furthermore, variants of sol-gel have been developed for smart window coatings for green buildings.
Article by Andy Tay
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