On August 19, at the Partner Awards Ceremony of Singapore's 60th National Day Celebrations, the National University of Singapore (NUS) was recognized as a Major Partner by the Organizing Committee for its contribution to the event. A Token of Appreciation Plaque was presented to NUS, and Associate Professor Yu Haoyong, Associate Director (Research Translation) of NUS GRTII, Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at NUS and director of the NUS Biorobotics Lab, attended the ceremony and received the award on behalf of the university.

This recognition stemmed from the successful application of the wearable back-support exoskeletons jointly developed under the leadership of Associate Professor Yu by NUS GRTII and the NUS Biorobotics Lab. These lightweight suits supported the Singapore Armed Forces in the preparation of more than 300,000 National Day Parade (NDP) packs, significantly reducing the physical load on soldiers during material handling, and enhancing efficiency and safety in the process.

The award-winning project is Occupational Exoskeletons, which were jointly developed by NUS GRTII and NUS Biorobotics Lab under the leadership of Mr. Yu. This technology can effectively reduce the loads of workers in labor-intensive operations such as loading, unloading, handling, and construction, thus significantly improving work efficiency and helping extend the occupational life of older workers.

This innovative technology has played an important role in actual scenarios. When the Singapore Armed Forces prepared and distributed the 2025 National Day gift packs, these exoskeleton robots provided practical support for them by reducing their loads in handling and sorting materials. On top of that, these Occupational Exoskeletons also improved their work safety and overall efficiency. This successful application fully reflects the deep integration and collaborative innovation of scientific research and practice.

Introduction to the project leader

Associate Professor Yu Haoyong

- Associate Director (Research Translation) of NUS GRTII

- Director of NUS Biorobotics Lab

- Deputy editor-in-chief of multiple top journals (T-ASE, TMECH)

- General Chair of Well-known Academic Conferences (IEEE ICARM 2018)

- More than 200 SCI papers published, including top robotics journals such as IJRR, TRO, etc. More than 10,000 cites recorded, with an H-index as high as 54.

- Main research areas: occupational exoskeletons, biomedical robots and equipment, rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology, intelligent and autonomous systems, system dynamics and control, etc.

NUS GRTII is a flagship project of NUS's engagement in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. It mainly conducts research in seven areas: smart cities, information and communications, electronic technology, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence applications, biological science, and financial technology. Leveraging NUS's world-class prowess in scientific research, NUS GRTII has gathered dozens of professors, associate professors, and assistant professors from NUS as principal investigators, who lead the local scientific research team in actively promoting scientific research and achievement translation and taking part in the development of postdoctoral researchers.

We look forward to working with scientific research experts, entrepreneurs, and policy makers worldwide to spark inspiration for innovation and explore the infinite possibilities of scientific research, to establish an interdisciplinary and cross-field scientific research and innovative application ecosystem.