The fourth Meeting of the 4IR & ICT Working Committee laid importance of the potential of Assembling Industrial robots in Bangladesh to create new job opportunities.
Chaired by Mohammad Rezaul Karim, Managing Director of BHTPA, the meeting was held on Monday at Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority (BHTPA).
The Managing Director of BHTPA thanked BUILD for coming up with an essential issue of Assembling Industrial Robots, which has got potential in the country and said that with the progression of technology, the business has been increasing, however in some sectors, employment has been reducing, so we will have to create a situation so that we can create new jobs.
He added that the Ministry of Industries (MoI)should also develop technology policies suitable to the present need.
Hesaid that BHTPA can take the initiative to take specific projects in this respect.
Regarding discussions of the 3rd meeting of the committee on the Data Privacy Guidelines and demand of the telcos for the 5G network after ensuring all the necessary infrastructure, MD said, in this regard, we need to ensure smooth coverage of the 4G network first before going to 5G coverage.
Digital inclusion is the most critical component of this journey, and we need powerful access to reliable and affordable connectivity is essential to our aspiration towards Vision 2041. We need more research, he added.
We must ensure competitiveness and capacity forinnovative solutions for embracing hi-tech issues and modern technologies.
BUILD CEO Ferdaus Ara Begum presented a keynote titled “Potential of Assembling of Industrial Robots for Different Industrial Sectors of Bangladesh”, highlighting the potential of social and economic impacts of robot assembling, including job displacement, skills development and ethical considerations showing some comparative scenarios of other countries.
While delivering strategies and recommendations for policymakers and industry stakeholders to harness the opportunities of 4IR for industrialisation responsibly and inclusively, she went on to showthe benefits and challenges of using robots for different industries in Bangladesh.
China and Turkey already use robots in their industrial units, where employment was reduced initially but gradually recovered. Bangladeshi businesses are already stepping into robotics.
Dr Mehedi Anwar, Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Connecticut, US, joined virtually and said that if we want to use intelligent and advanced technology, we must go for 5G.
Dr Shamim Ahmed Dewan, Associate Professor, Department of Robotics, University of Dhaka, said that we could go for assembling robotics to align our demand. Still, wemust focus on a skilled workforce and programming with high-end technology.
BIDA Director Golam Mohammed Bhuiyan appreciating the presentation, said that robotics is a potential investment sector.
