Two Singapore primary schoolers invent robot to help kids keep a safe distance from screens

SINGAPORE: Two primary school students have designed a robot that encourages healthier screen habits, and their creation will soon compete on the global stage.

Nine-year-old Elon Chan from New Town Primary School and 11-year-old Skylar Chua from Nanyang Primary School will be representing Singapore at the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) finals, held here from Nov 26 to 28.

Their project, entered under the Future Innovators (Elementary) category, is one of three Singapore teams among more than 500 competing globally.

MAINTAINING HEALTHY EYE DISTANCE

The idea for their invention, RoboBuddy, was inspired by the students’ own experience of feeling tired after spending too much time in front of screens.

“It is very hard to quit gaming. I also see my friends and cousins endlessly scrolling through YouTube and their devices for a very long time,” said Skylar in an interview on CNA’s Singapore Tonight.

RoboBuddy functions by monitoring how close a child is to their screen.

The compact device features two blue, eye-like sensors and wheels for mobility. It has a mount for users to attach a smartphone.

This is how it works: A smartphone is mounted onto the robot when a child wants to watch videos. If the child leans in too close to the screen, the robot senses the movement and automatically rolls backwards to maintain a healthy distance.

The two students are also developing an app that will let parents set screen-time limits and safe viewing distances.

“Building the robot was quite fun, as building things has always been my hobby,” Skylar said.

“Sometimes Elon and I will take parts of Lego sets to build our own things. We feel proud to enter this competition as we are representing Singapore.”

INSPIRING YOUNG INNOVATORS

WRO’s chairman Eugene Zhang said the competition aims to give young innovators like Skylar and Elon opportunities for hands-on learning and problem-solving, and to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education worldwide.

Its first edition was held in 2004 at the Singapore Science Centre, with about a dozen nations and territories taking part, Mr Zhang said. 

Today, the WRO has expanded into a global event involving more than 90 countries and over 70,000 young participants each year.

The number of participating countries from Africa, for instance, has grown from five in 2020 to 14 this year. 

The event’s Future Innovators category encourages students to design robots with a meaningful impact. 

Among the entries was one Zimbabwean team that developed an AI-powered voice assistant to support visually impaired users.

Mr Zhang pointed to RoboBuddy as another example, as it helps children build healthier screen habits.

The issue of screen addiction in Singapore became a talking point early this year, when the government revised its screen time guidelines for children.

Among the recommendations was a maximum of two hours of screen use a day for those aged seven to 12, outside of schoolwork.

Mr Zhang said robotics also aligns with the World Economic Forum’s Education 4.0 concept, which emphasises creativity and problem-solving as important future skills.

“Every time a student builds a robot, they’re problem-solving, they're using their hands and their creativity. It’s the way education should be.”