Visitors dance, interact with robots at Science Centre’s RoboFest 2026
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Guests interacting with a social robot during RoboFest 2026 at the Science Centre Singapore on April 9.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Letitia Chen
SINGAPORE – Three-year-old Vivaan Kumar curiously inspects a white robot on wheels he encounters in a hallway at Science Centre Singapore, its spherical head and body, coupled with two robotic arms, resembling a snowman.
He and his brother Shivaansh Kumar, nine, tinker with the brightly lit screen on the robot’s head. The robot stands as tall as the older boy, its screen displaying a big smile. When the brothers press a button labelled “dance”, they watch with fascination as the robot waves its arms up and down to an upbeat melody, before they join in the dance.
The Kumar brothers were among hundreds of children who visited the Science Centre on April 9, the opening day of its first robotics and artificial intelligence festival, RoboFest 2026: Meet Tomorrow, Today. The ticketed festival runs until April 12, with prices ranging from $4 to $16.
Six so-called “social robots” were unveiled on the same day, and visitors who catch them cruising around the centre can approach them for directions and information about the exhibits, and even ask them to tell jokes.
They will also act as performers, facilitators and guides during RoboFest, and visitors can take part in a naming contest for the robotic squad on the centre’s Instagram page until April 12.
The robots are deployed across the centre’s galleries and exhibitions in a pilot programme that runs until November 2026.
“This pilot gives us an opportunity to test how intelligent technologies may be meaningfully integrated into future exhibitions and programmes at the new Science Centre,” said Ms Tham Mun See, chief executive of the Science Centre Board, at the RoboFest opening ceremony.
Children react as a humanoid robot responds to their vocal commands at RoboFest2026 at the Science Centre Singapore.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Minister of State for Education Jasmin Lau said the festival will allow pupils to look, feel and interact with real robots in Singapore, rather than just seeing them online.
“Sometimes, the best way to understand something complex, like AI and robots, is not through a textbook, but through real-life experiences,” added Ms Lau, who is also Minister of State for Digital Development and Information.
“The Science Centre has always been a place where learning feels alive... Many of us probably remember coming here as children, and experiencing what science and technology look like.”
At RoboFest, visitors can watch robotic dogs extinguish fires and take part in programming workshops, among other activities.
On April 11 and 12, the 18th edition of robotics competition RoboCup Singapore will be held, with 525 student participants and 171 teams competing to represent Singapore at regional and international competitions.
Those two days will also see the Science Centre piloting a pet-friendly outdoor event, where families can take their dogs to meet the resident robot dog, G2Pro.
Mr Daniel Tan, senior director of projects and exhibitions at the Science Centre, hopes visitors to RoboFest will not only be inspired by the capabilities of technology, but also find it more approachable and accessible.
“We hope that our visitors will go away thinking that robots are not something that are out of reach or only for experts,” he said. “If primary school pupils can program a robot to do something, it could encourage them to be creators and go into technology.”
He added that although some may be wary of the capabilities of technology and AI, it is important for people to understand how to use them as tools, while also being aware of their flaws.
“It is all the more important for us to have this opportunity for people to interact with the robots, because there are still many things they cannot replace,” said Mr Tan, pointing to human qualities such as creativity and empathy.
Through the pilot, the centre will study how people and robots interact, and continue to refine the machines over time, he added.
Visitors watching a robot boxing match during RoboFest2026 at the Science Centre Singapore.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Visitors to RoboFest can learn how robotics and AI are applied in real-world contexts by institutes of higher learning and various industries. Student projects from secondary schools will also be featured, such as smart recycling bins and a robotic arm that can help people with limited mobility.
On the opening day, students from Clementi Town Secondary School demonstrated how a robot arm could use AI and image recognition to help sort different types of waste, based on code they wrote.
“Through a scaled version of a real-life waste management system, we hope to show others that AI can be used as a superpower to make real-life industries more sustainable and long-lasting, while requiring less manpower,” said student Navin Shankar Ganesh, 16.
Minister of State for Education and Digital Development Jasmin Lau receives a bouquet of flowers from a humanoid robot at RoboFest2026 at the Science Centre Singapore.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Mr Abhay Kumar, who visited RoboFest with his wife and two sons, said he feels that it is important for his children to develop a basic awareness of robotics and AI and be familiarised with them, given the prevalence of technology today.
His wife, Mrs Utkarsh Kumar, said that while she has reservations about robots and AI, she also believes they can be useful assistants. She added that the festival helped their three-year-old son become more comfortable around robots, as he was previously scared of them.
“We were a bit worried that he would not enjoy it, but you can see he’s having fun, because he can interact with the robot and spend time with it,” said Mrs Kumar, watching her son play with a robot.
