Singapore’s First Design AI Maze Comes to VivoCity

The shopping experience at VivoCity enters a whole new dimension with the launch of Singapore’s first Design AI Maze – featuring interactive artificial intelligence (AI) like weather-predicting drones, realistic audio sounds made by an AI text-to-sound generator as well as smart reconfigurable robots.

Located at VivoCity’s Central Court on Level 1 from today till Sunday (5 to 9 February, from 10am to 10pm), the latest offering by the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) is a showcase of the award-winning, state-of-the-art innovations that operate on the principle of Design AI – where AI is a partner, beyond just a tool.

A total of seven exhibits will be on display as pit stops in the Maze:

• airXeed Radiosonde: The airXeed Radiosonde was a global James Dyson Award 2024 Sustainability Winner. Visitors will be able to see how the maple seed-inspired airXeed radiosonde glides with the help of augmented reality (AR) and capture a shot of themselves with multiple airXeeds descending around them.
• Project Mimir: Decipher a secret code in braille. Project Mimir, an affordable and accessible Braille printer that empowers visually-impaired individuals to produce Braille materials independently was also a James Dyson Award 2023 National Runner-Up.
• Drone: Fly a drone through a hoop in the fastest time.
• Smorphi: Navigate an SUTD-designed Smorphi robot in the fastest time.
• Nanoscale 3D Printed Hologram: Decipher hidden messages using a laser that beams through a nanoscale 3D printed hologram.
• Tango: Produce realistic audio, from roaring fan cheers at a concert to wolves howling in the wild using this AI text-to-audio generator.
• Robotic Arm: Command a robotic arm to complete tasks.

Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the projects on display through a combination of animated and static visuals as they make their way through the 11m x 21m installation. They will learn about the evolution of each project, from the initial concept to the current form, providing insights into the creative and developmental journey behind each innovation. Key milestones, challenges, and breakthroughs will also be highlighted to offer them a deeper understanding of the ingenuity and effort invested. At the end of the exhibition, they can commemorate their visit at an anamorphic photo booth at the exit. They will also receive some digital takeaways such as the AR airXeed GIF and the Smorphi’s mini maze race timing.

The innovative maze installation is a preview of what can be expected at SUTD’s Open House which will take place at its campus from 22 to 23 February 2025.

SUTD Chief Strategy and Design AI Officer, Mr Poon King Wang said: “At SUTD, we have always emphasised the importance of teamwork amongst humans. Now, we are extending that age-old concept to AI, ensuring that it works hand in hand with humans, bouncing ideas off each other for exponentially superior solutions. The seven Design AI innovations that are on display at the Maze have been carefully curated to showcase how AI has become very much a part of the team in all these human-centric projects that our faculty and students have embarked on. There will be many more such innovations that will be on display at the Design AI Master Showcase during the SUTD Open House. We hope that visitors, especially students, who are keen to learn more about design thinking and AI, will come.”

Ms Sarah Loo, 25, shared that her team had come up with Project Mimir after learning how expensive braille production was due to the high costs of purchasing and maintaining such machines. As such, she is glad for the opportunity to share Project Mimir with the general public at the Design AI maze. The Master of Engineering graduate, who is now a research officer with SUTD’s Engineering Product Development pillar, said: “I hope this project can raise some awareness regarding the economic inaccessibility of medical devices and perhaps inspire others to create open source, well-documented projects that can benefit their communities like Project Mimir did for the visually-handicapped.”

Creator of text-to-audio AI model Tango, Assistant Professor Soujanya Poria from SUTD’s Information Systems Technology and Design pillar, said: “AI is not something to be shunned. It is a partner we can work with. Tango is a very good example of how we partnered AI to produce high-quality realistic sounds in one minute or less by using text. Without AI, it would not have been possible. At SUTD, we aim to teach our students how to team up with AI as a partner, so that they know when, where and how to use or not use AI.”