The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) was recognised for its efforts in promoting intelligent tunnel inspection and slowing down children’s myopia progression with the Edge-AI Powered Multi-Sensor Aerial Inspector for Tunnel Surface and the MY-O-Analyzer (My-Optical-Analyzer), jointly developed with partners from different sectors, winners of “Emerging Technology – Industrial Construction” and “IoT – Healthcare” categories respectively.
The recognition was made to honour technology companies pioneering ground-breaking IT products, and companies across different industries with the most innovative technology initiatives that made an impact on their business.
Co-developed with the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) of the HKSAR Government and Hyder-Meinhardt Joint Venture, “Edge-AI Powered Multi-Sensor Aerial Inspector for Tunnel Surface” is Hong Kong’s first tunnel inspection system based on drone and on-board AI processing technologies.
It digitally upgrades tunnel inspection, enabling professional engineers and inspectorate supervisors to conduct intelligent and safe tunnel lining inspections directly on-site. Without setting up substantive working platforms, the system helps save time significantly, reduces the space required for inspection and enhances construction flexibility, safety, and efficiency.
In addition, the system automatically generates digital defect reports for the digitalisation of the entire inspection process, facilitating future asset management. This system was successfully developed and has been applied in the Trunk Road T2 and Cha Kwo Ling Tunnel project (Trunk Road T2 project) managed by CEDD.
The Project Manager of the East Development Office of the CEDD stated that the development and application of the system enable the realisation of a commitment to improve the works process and ensure the safety of the industry. The successful use of this innovative solution in the Trunk Road T2 project has laid a solid foundation for using AI and robotic technology in other tunnel projects.
The dataset of tunnel defects collected by the system provides big data for the construction of the AI detection model and serves as a good reference for future infrastructure projects. The system is expected to have tremendous potential for extended use in other projects having similar requirements and may inspire more similar innovations, thus benefiting the sustainable development of the Hong Kong construction industry as a whole.
Another of HKPC’s winning projects, “MY-O-Analyzer (My-Optical-Analyzer)”, was developed in collaboration with the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
The solution collects data on the viewing habits of children and monitors their myopia risk factors. It was designed to provide a long-term, continuous, and personalised myopia monitoring solution for the ophthalmologists and market to help change children’s habits and slow down myopia progression.
With multiple sensors on the smart eyewear’s temple components, this innovation enables automated detection of children’s viewing habits such as reading distance, lightness and darkness of the environment, head angle status, etc.
Relevant data are collected and stored in an online cloud database by mobile device via Bluetooth Low Energy. It provides a highly efficient solution for parents and ophthalmologists to monitor children’s habits and myopia risk factors without spending a prolonged period of time of observation, allowing them to take immediate actions to address the problems. The first version of the product prototype has been completed and will be commercialised shortly.
Dr Jason Yam, Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, CUHK stated that Hong Kong has one of the highest prevalence of myopia in the world. Individuals with high myopia. Unfortunately, during the COVID-19 pandemic, myopia incidence has a 2.5-fold increase. This is attributed to a significant decrease in outdoor time and an increase in screen time.
MY-O-Analyzer, co-developed by CUHK and HKPC, monitors the outdoor time and near work, and reading posture. The data helps to predict myopia development and provide guidance and recommendation to the user on eye use. It helps to change students’ behaviour for healthy lifestyle modification.
