Samuel Seah, Lead Engineer, Land Systems Centre of Expertise
(Video: SPF)
A significant collaboration between the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and HTX, the next-generation FRC is skilfully designed with game-changing capabilities such as an automated number plate recognition system, to help patrol officers effectively screen
licence plates of vehicles of interest. The next-generation FRC also has a unique Person-in-Custody (PIC) Compartment that provides a safe and more secure method of transportation for both the PIC and the police officer. Taken together, its various
capabilities make the next-generation FRC a powerful vehicle in enabling the police to respond to incidents rapidly and effectively.
In the design and development of the next-generation FRC, the team from HTX’s Land Systems Centre of Expertise (CoE) have been working with tech honchos in the police force on this project since 2018. A key member of the team was 34-year-old Lead
Engineer, Samuel Seah.
Left photo: Samuel with his co-workers, Chan Li Wei and Pawandeep Singh, testing out the next-generation FRC (Photo: HTX)
Right photo: Samuel showing a Home Team officer how to use the car’s back-up controller and the touchscreen dashboard in the background (Photo: HTX)
Sharing his developmental insights at a recent media interview, Samuel said that the various HTX units (including Human Factors and Simulation CoE, Sense-making and Surveillance CoE, and Joint Capabilities Programme Management Centre) involved in this
project had “considered SPF’s operational requirements and the technology needed for the vehicle to meet performance standards, its power management, and seamless integration of technologies in this vehicle.”
We considered SPF’s operational requirements and the technology needed for the vehicle to meet performance standards, its power management, and seamless integration of technologies in this vehicle.
Seeing how meaningful it has been to contribute in this way to Singapore’s safety and security, Samuel is heartened that efforts have paid off at Land Systems CoE. His interest in the design of high-tech vehicles had been fueled by overseas learning experiences of vehicular requirements. He said, “I learnt the strengths and weaknesses of protected vehicles, not just in theory but through practical training. These rare insights made me aware of the areas to look out for when designing and reviewing our own protected vehicles. Such learning opportunities will hopefully help propel HTX to become one of the leading think-tanks in innovation and technology.”
Samuel test driving the police’s next-generation FRC (Photo: Samuel Seah)
Learning from the Best
Samuel Seah had the opportunity to attend the pilot five-day Protected Vehicle Extrication training in the Netherlands in November 2019. This training was organised in collaboration with the SPF and SCDF, to co-develop capabilities for the protected vehicles he had been working on.
While there, he was treated to a buffet spread of the finest and latest technology capabilities adopted by the Dutch Secret Service, SWAT Team, Fire Department, and protected vehicle builders. He also got to try out a Tesla electric police car, and even had the opportunity to rip heavy-duty protected cars apart, to glean insights on how the vehicles were furbished.
Samuel at the Netherlands, learning how a vehicle is put together and pulled apart (Photo: Samuel Seah)
“It was truly an invaluable learning experience that opened my eyes to the wonders of high tech capabilities in vehicles, driving me to rethink the design of some of our own protected vehicles,” he recounted.
“As criminals get faster and smarter, the need for high tech vehicles increases. It is truly gratifying to see our tech concepts at Land Systems come to fruition, with a prime example being the next-generation FRC. We certainly look forward to developing more high tech vehicles to augment the safety and security of Singapore.”