Movement for change How to encourage innovation
I saw a post that KFC has introduced a self driving kiosk to provide food to customers in Shanghai.

My question is - why does KFC not introduce this kiosk in Singapore?

A friend said - because Singapore has regulations on self driving vehicles.

I am sure that Shanghai has similar regulations. 

The key difference is - the leaders in Shanghai is willing to approve the self driving kiosks, but the leaders in Singapore is not willing to give this approval.

Why is there a difference in the approach of the leaders in these two countries?

Somehow, Shanghai has a system where the leaders are willing to take the responsibility, unlike the leaders in Singapore who wish to play safe.

This is why Shanghai and other cities in China can be innovative, while Singapore cannot.

My friend then said - there are many places in Singapore that are not suitable for self driving kiosks.

I agree. I asked him to look for places where the self driving kiosks can operate safely and allow the operation within this safe environment. There is no need to give blanket approval for these kiosks to operate all over the place.

The approval can, for example, be restricted to the following:

a) Along pavements that are wide enough for the kiosks to move around
b) The speed of the kiosks should be less than 6 km per hour, similar to the speed of walking.

If we want to be innovative, we should look for what can be done, rather than what cannot be done.

Do you agree?

Tan Kin Lian

 

Add Comment

---