Critical Reflection

When I first entered this module, I was quite worried as I lacked confidence in speaking due to my poor communication skills, so I have set a goal to become a better version of myself than I was yesterday. Some key learning from this module, such as boosting my confidence, which is currently one of my main goals as I feel having confident it enables me to be able to face the issue more effective. Also, I feel that by reading the lesson slides out loud in class, this has created an opportunity for me to make mistakes and learn along the way which enables me to improve and be better prepared for any presentations in the future. Moreover, I have learned a more professional way of writing reports and preparing slides, such as ensuring parallel structure in the slides. One of the things that I have learned is to use the 7 edition APA citation style as it is a widely accepted and standardized way to cite sources in academic writing. It is also one of the requirements, and it is important in academic writing or reports as it helps to ensure that the report is credible, accessible, and avoids plagiarism. Regarding communication in class, I still need time to improve my communication skills by avoiding using Singlish when speaking or presenting and being more confident when speaking to larger groups.

This module has taught me about critical thinking and critical reflection. Critical thinking refers to making assumptions based on evidence and logical reasoning. Meanwhile critical reflection means looking at different points of view and having an open mind take can take in new ideas. Hence, with these skills that I learned, it will enable me to make better decisions and be more aware of my assumptions.

Here are some thoughts on having a group project in this module. As it has been a challenging 13 weeks with quizzes, assessments, projects, and lab reports to be submitted in between this tight schedule, this has taught me the importance of planning and time management. As this module has a group project that required us to present as a team, it allowed me to work with people from different backgrounds and learn to handle or resolve problems in a group. Furthermore, as a group leader, understanding each member's strengths and weaknesses helped me assign tasks according to their abilities which allow them to perform to their best ability. With this understanding this will create a stronger group bonding thought better communication.

This presentation have given me a opportunity to improve my presentation skills by presenting my research study to my peers. I would classify this as the most difficult skill to enhance as this type of opportunity does not come often in our current courses, and it is a very important and essential skill to have in order to better adapt to the outside world. Also, This have had gave me the opportunity to learn, unlearn, and relearn. Some key learnings from the presentation included using hand gestures, proper posture, and keeping the audience engaged by asking relevant questions to hook their attention. I also need to unlearn things like using Singlish, as it sounds unprofessional in a formal meeting, and relearn proper body language and maintaining eye contact when presenting. There is room for improvement, such as using space effectively when presenting and engaging the audience with more confidence.

Through this module, this has taught me the importance of using a professional tone and format. It has also increased my confidence in presenting to others and key stakeholders in the future. I also learn the ability to convey complex ideas and information to be short and clear. These skills will benefit me in both my future workplace and personal life which enables me to improve my personality and the ability to work as a team. In addition, this module has taught me the importance of being an active listener and constantly getting feedback as life is a non-stop journey. In short, With the valuable skills and knowledge I have gained from this module, I believe this will help me in my future projects and career advancement.

Summary Reader Response Final Draft 4

According to the article “How tech can ease the cleaning industry’s manpower crunch”, written by GERMii (2021), cleaning robots that are equipped with Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) technology are a revolution in the cleaning industry. The pandemic has significantly impacted the world, changing their attention to cleaning and sterilizing. As the requirement for cleanliness is increasing, robots complement the cleaners by accomplishing monotonous roles, while the cleaners can prioritize sterilizing “high-touch, high-risk or difficult-to-clean areas” (GERMii, 2021, para. 4). At the same time, organizations need to teach their staff to operate the robots and use data from the robots to optimize cleaning operations. With Covid-19 causing the demand for cleaners to fluctuate, organizations can send their cleaners for training and upskilling when the demand is low. This article's emphasis on cleanliness also leads to over-cleaning and excessive usage of chemicals, potentially causing an impact on health, cost, and the environment. Organizations need to inform and instruct their cleaners on mitigating these risks. The article also wrote about SoftBank Robotics’ floorcare cleaning robot, Whiz, which uses UV-C to disinfect surfaces, reducing the use of hazardous chemicals. Cleaning robots are now equipped with the newest technology and are a revolution in the cleaning industry. As technology advances, cleaning robots will benefit the sanitation industry by providing lower cost, cleaning efficiency, and cleaning capabilities, especially with the prominence of sanitation being in the spotlight.

One benefit of using cleaning robots is their cost and efficiency ratio in long operating hours. A cleaning robot can help with covering the cleaning tasks that need to be performed most frequently, such as vacuuming and disinfecting surface (Flynn, 2022). Robotic floor cleaning has emerged as a valuable use case to help healthcare and other organizations to achieve consistent cleanliness and operational efficiency. Robotic floor scrubbers directly address the demand-supply imbalance created by increasing cleaning demand and a limited workforce. Working collaboratively with employees, and cleaning robots like the unit operated by Brain Corp make supervisory teams more efficient and effective (Baylin, 2020).

Today's advanced models often incorporate autonomous mapping technology that can accurately reconstruct the floor plan which will benefit in cleaning efficiency. Most cleaning robots come with an app that allows the user to choose a specific route for the robot to follow. It can be programmed to run at a specific time of the day to clean a specific area that need cleaning most often (Flynn, 2022). With robots being more flexible and cost-effective compared to the norm of using manpower, cleaning work can be programmed to run at any time of the day.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the industries that required the most cleaning and sanitizing is the healthcare industry, as it plays an important role in keeping the virus off the street. The flow of people in and out of buildings poses risks to staff, caregivers, and the public. With the technology of the cleaning robots, the robots can be programmed and made to be automated which will be more flexible (NCSS, 2020). Automation of the cleaning robots will allow an increase in efficiency and will be more convenient for users to be able to operate it at odd hours. Hence, cleaning robots can do most of the redundant cleaning without the need for manual human intervention. This would greatly increase cleaning efficiency and reduce the cost in the long run.

Despite the advantages that cleaning robots can provide, robots have limited mobility (GERMii, 2021) as some places are unreachable for the cleaning robots. Having cleaning robots may replace people, which could potentially increase the unemployment rate (Holzer, H., 2022). However, the Singaporean government has been attempting to provide upgrading training through SkillFuture, which allows people to have more job opportunities (SkillFuture Singapore, n.d.). Research does show that by introducing cleaning robots not only benefits the public but will also provide support to the healthcare industry. This is because robots provide the industry, with support for high-quality patient care, effective clinical procedures, and safe environments for patients and healthcare professionals in the medical field (Intel, n.d.).

In conclusion, as technology advances, humans will be more likely to exposed to advanced methods of cleaning that might provide more efficient ways of ensuring cleanliness in all industries. Robots with sanitization capabilities will be highly demanded by many industries in the long run, cleaning robots are cost-efficient. With technology being in the limelight, cleaning robots will greatly boost the industries’ needs for cleanliness and efficiency in terms of manpower issues and cost-efficiency.

 

Final Report - Methodology

1. Methodology

From this section, more information like statistics or images can be gathered from primary research, such as first-hand experience or real feedback from users. For secondary research, we made use of research reports, industry surveys or online information like websites.

1. Primary Research

Since OTSAW is our target stakeholder, we wrote an email to OTSAW for feedback on our proposed enhancements as part of our primary research. (Refer to Appendix A for references). Also, observations were made by our team members on delivery robots used locally, which provided us insights into how delivery robots operate currently. 

2. Secondary Research

For our Secondary research, we made use of existing data through online sources like OneSearch, Google and Google scholar to gather the information we need. The majority of the background information gathered was from google. If a source was cited from another source, the team will look into the source that it was cited from to ensure its validity and accuracy.

After analysing the content of several sources, we found that existing delivery robots in Singapore can only deliver to the lift lobbies of high-rise buildings, resulting in customers having to leave their houses to collect their items below their building. This may be inconvenient to the end customers, especially for customers that have physical disabilities. We were able to identify the problem and performed an analysis to improve the existing Camello delivery robot. We came up with an idea to install a robotic arm that uses artificial intelligence, which allows the robot to deliver to the doorsteps of high-rise buildings. The enhancement of the robot improves user experience, productivity, and efficiency, cuts expenses and boosts customer satisfaction.