ERI@N's Cluster Director Prof Chen Xiaodong among five researchers to receive the President’s Science and Technology Awards

Full article Online at The Straits Times

The award is part of the annual President's Science and Technology Awards (PSTA) given to scientists whose work has led to significant scientific, technological or economic benefits for the country.

The other awards under the PSTA are the President's Science and Technology Medal - the nation's top scientific honour - and the President's Technology Award.

Five researchers received this year's PSTA that were given out on Friday (Dec 10) at the Istana.

(From left) President’s Science Award recipient, Professor Wang Linfa; President’s Science and Technology Medal recipient and SingHealth group CEO Ivy Ng; President’s Science Award recipient, Professor Chen Xiaodong; and President’s Technology Award recipient, Associate Professor Too Heng-Phon. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

The other President's Science Award recipient is Professor Chen Xiaodong, 46, from Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) School of Materials Science and Engineering, for his foray into flexible electronics.

He recently created the world's first plant-based robot, a venus flytrap which is powered by electrical signals to pick up a thin wire. This could pave the way for the creation of robot grippers that use plants to pick up fragile and delicate objects.