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CE policy address: promoting HK as an international I&T hub
Two tech firms operating under the Hong Kong Smart Government Innovation Lab recently announced that they have launched a new solution which is now ready to be acquired by companies and institutions.
Solution one – Roborn Platform as Superior Service (RPass)
Well-connected and with better coordination, that Platform as superior service (RPass) is a special class of distributed Robotic administrations that gives a stage of freedom enabling clients to create, run, and oversee robotic applications without the multifaceted nature of the control system but keeping all robots automatically connected.
Application Areas
The solution was designed to be applied across the various environment.
Technologies Used
The solution employs the latest in the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.
Use case
The company can integrate any robots or vehicles into the system and have deployed these robotic products in a variety of government projects.
About distributed Robotic administrations
Robotics and Automation Systems are now ubiquitous: intelligent robots help human beings in everyday life; the Internet connects factory automation systems to customers and providers to build the so-called “Virtual Factory”; “Web Robotics” is a new fascinating frontier for research and entertainment, one academic paper notes.
It continues to detail how new trends have been made possible by the evolution of the PC (in terms of cost, power, and robustness) and the Internet (in terms of security, speed, and reliability). This evolution has dramatically influenced the way robotics and automation systems are conceived and developed today.
The PC and Internet revolution promises easy peripheral integration, and universal access to shared data and resources, inexpensive reconfiguration of distributed systems. In reality, much research and development effort remain a need. Thus, Distributed Computing is the research field where new techniques, models, and methodologies are studied and experimented with to reach such goals.
Solution two – Deep Learning for Advanced Computer Vision SDK (DLACV)
The firm’s product, DLACV, is a mature and reliable technology that saves time, costs and improves quality. Over the last few years, deep learning methods have been proven to be superior to the latest machine learning techniques in many fields, and computer vision is one of the most prominent cases.
The solution employs the latest deep learning schemes used in computer vision problems, such as object detection, facial recognition, motion and activity recognition, and human pose estimation, including convolutional neural networks, deep Boltzmann machines and deep belief networks, and stacked noise reduction autoencoders.
Application Areas
The solution was developed to be applied across a variety of environments and in Transport.
Technologies Used
The solution employs Artificial Intelligence (AI), Deep Learning, Machine Learning as well as Video Analytics.
Use case
- Computer vision + robot navigation
- Computer Vision in Metrology
- Computer vision for screen readers
- Computer vision for intruder detection
- Computer vision for assembly verification
- Computer Vision for Code and Character Reader (OCR)
- Computer vision defect detection
About the Smart Government Innovation Lab
In 2018, the Government established the Smart Government Innovation Lab to explore hi-tech products such as AI and relevant technologies, including machine learning, big data analytics, cognitive systems and intelligent agent, as well as blockchain and robotics from firms, especially local start-ups.
The Lab is always on the lookout for innovation and technology (I&T) solutions that are conducive to enhancing public services or their operational effectiveness. I&T suppliers are encouraged to regularly visit the Lab’s website to check on the current business and operational needs in public service delivery and propose innovative solutions or product suggestions to address them.
With an aim to improve the oral hygiene for elderly people and people with disabilities or dysphagia, so as to boost their confidence to enjoy speaking and smiling, as well as a pleasure to enjoy eating, the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Hong Kong has initiated a project called “Plaque cleaning apparatus using dental acrylic 3-D printing technique by micro-mist injection for elderly and disabled” to help the groups clean their oral cavity safely and effectively.
The Project is supported with a grant from the Innovation and Technology Fund for Better Living (“FBL”) under the Innovation and Technology Bureau. Under the project, a novel apparatus adopting micro-scale mist to remove plaque in the oral cavity has been designed and developed.
A personalised 3D-printed mouth guard device that contains an air and water channel for cleaning the tooth plaque with a minimal amount of water is connected to the micro-scale mist apparatus. With this technology, the oral hygiene of the user can be improved with minimal risk of bacterial infection and aspiration caused by rinsing.
In view of the ageing population in Hong Kong, oral hygiene maintenance of elderly people is becoming an essential issue. Improvement of oral hygiene encourages social participation of elderly people and leads to better physical and psychological health, and thus enhances their quality of life.
The project will be rolled out in the fourth quarter of 2020. A prototype of the mouthpiece device with micro-scale mist injection function has been developed. The clinical trial will be conducted soon. Data and feedback collected will serve to identify future directions for improving this new device. The Faculty of Dentistry hopes this new initiative will benefit elderly and disabled people in the community.
About the Innovation and Technology Fund for Better Living
The Innovation and Technology Fund for Better Living (“FBL”) is a scheme for funding innovation and technology (I&T) projects which will make people’s daily living more convenient, comfortable and safer, or address the needs of specific community groups. The FBL with a funding size of HK$500 million is expected to operate for 5 years with effect from 2017.
FBL Overview
Main features
- Projects should be able to benefit the public at large or specific groups and should be in line with government policies
- Projects should involve the innovative application of technologies
- Project themes include daily living, education, environment, health, safety, transport, etc. which can benefit the community
- Project deliverables can be in the form of mobile apps, products, devices, equipment, tools, services, software, or any other forms with valid justifications
- Project deliverables should be developed and rolled out within 12 months, and run for at least two consecutive years after roll-out (except for projects that are one-off in nature)
- An approved project will receive a grant up to 90% of the total eligible costs of the project or HK$5 million, whichever is the less
- Projects should not be profit-making during the funding period
- Projects should primarily be developed within Hong Kong
Researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have developed and manufactured the “Surface Sampling and Packing System”, specifically designed for Chang’e 5, the Nation’s first lunar sample return mission. Following the successful launch of Chang’e 5 by the Long March 5 rocket on 24 November 2020, the Surface Sampling and Packing System is scheduled to commence lunar sampling in early December.
Chang’e 5, the third phase of the Nation’s lunar exploration project, is China’s first space mission to collect and return two-kilogram samples of lunar regolith. The Chang’e 5 spacecraft comprises four modules: an orbiter, an ascender, a lander and a return vehicle.
Transported on the Chang’e 5 lander, the PolyU-developed Surface Sampling and Packing System includes two samplers that can withstand 200 °C for collecting samples of lunar regolith in loose and sticky form, two heat-resistant nearfield cameras for vision guidance during sample acquisition, and a packaging and sealing system for sealing the samples in a container.
Upon completion of sample acquisition on the lunar surface by the PolyU samplers, the robot arm will, through vision guidance, lift the PolyU designed and made container and place it into the ascender. The ascender will then lift off into lunar orbit, dock with the orbiter and transfer the sample container to the return vehicle for the journey back to Earth.
Building on their previous study of the lunar environment and a wealth of experience from several lunar missions, the team started researching and developing the Surface Sampling and Packing System in 2011 and completed the project in 2017.
The lead professor stated that the return of samples from the moon is technically complex. It takes more than six prototype productions through various stages of space qualification procedures to complete the project, not to mention the pre-production research, system design, discussions and meetings in collaboration with the China Academy of Space Technology. The Surface Sampling and Packing System is one of the most critical components of the Chang’e 5 mission.
In addition to the System itself, the innovative techniques for high-precision high-resolution 3D mapping and geomorphologic analysis of the landing region developed by Professor Bo WU from PolyU’s Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics are important for the characterisation of the landing region, to support decision-making for selecting the final landing site for Chang’e 5.
Joining this historic mission is the team led by Professor YUNG Kai-leung, Sir Sze-yuen Chung Professor in Precision Engineering, Chair Professor of Precision Engineering and Associate Head of Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, PolyU. Dr Robert W.M. TAM, Interim Director of PolyU’s Industrial Centre, is one of the team’s key members.
The PolyU President stated that in the Chang’e 5 lunar exploration project, PolyU’s research team has developed one of the key sets of sampling instruments and made a breakthrough in lunar surface sampling by leveraging its valuable experience in international space projects, its innovative thinking and its cutting-edge technology. It is hoped that, through rigorous scientific study and research excellence, PolyU will continue to make important contributions to Chang’e 6 and other national space missions.
Being the only tertiary institution in Hong Kong that possesses international space qualification experience, PolyU has been contributing to the Nation’s space projects since 2010. As part of the Nation’s lunar exploration programme, Professor YUNG collaborated with the China Academy of Space Technology to develop a “Camera Pointing System” for Chang’e 3 in 2013 and Chang’e 4’s historic landing on the lunar far side in 2019, and a Mars Camera for Tianwen 1 in 2020. The “Surface Sampling and Packing System” will be used for the Chang’e 6 mission as well.
PolyU has actively participated in other space exploration projects, designing and manufacturing several sophisticated space tools in the past decade. These include the “Mars Rock Corer” for the European Space Agency’s 2003 Mars Express Mission and the “Soil Preparation System” for the Sino-Russian Space Mission in 2011.
Until late-2019, the world witnessed and suffered numerous emergencies and disasters like wildfires, tornados, floods, etc. as individual nations and larger geographical regions. But it was only at the end of the year that the world was hit by a global pandemic that caught everyone totally off guard.
The scale and magnitude of the pandemic have heightened the need to be more resilient and prepared to manage multiple critical threats. In order to inform and educate organisations on this crucial area, OpenGov Asia organised an OpenGovLive! Virtual Insight on 25 November 2020 to discuss Organisational Resilience 2.0.
The virtual event witnessed a full house with delegates attending from a wide range of organisations from Singapore, India, Australia and Hong Kong.
Have well-orchestrated business continuity plans backed by technology
The session was opened by Mohit Sagar, Group Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief at OpenGov Asia. Mohit started by acknowledging the fact that the pandemic has made the world realise how unprepared we were to deal with something of that magnitude.
Business continuity plans and risk mitigation strategies were never designed for a situation like this. He emphasised that it is important for organisations to learn from all this and become more resilient for the next big critical event.
Not only do organisations need to keep their people and assets safe, but must also learn to keep their businesses running. Managing critical events should become a part of the business’s DNA and should not disrupt the daily functions frequently.
The need of the hour is to have a well-orchestrated business continuity plan that involves and takes into consideration every small aspect of an organisation’s structure and one that is backed by the latest technology.
In conclusion, Mohit advised the delegates to partner with experts who are seasoned critical management experts rather than trying to do everything on their own from scratch.
Everbridge’s critical event management suite will structure response and mitigate risk
Once Mohit set the stage for the topic at hand, Graeme Orsborn, Vice President – International CEM Business Unit, shared his views with the delegates.
Graeme started by providing a comprehensive overview of how Everbridge can assist in managing critical events. He shared ways in which critical events can impact an organisations’ people, assets and operations.
Interestingly, even today most organisations have manual, disjointed and siloed approaches to managing critical events. This makes it challenging to have them work in a synchronised manner.
The main goal of an integrated platform like the Everbridge CEM suite is to remove these silos and disjointed workflows and drive a more collaborated and effective effort. This coordinated and cohesive environment is conducive to implementing a common platform-based strategy.
He then proposed what organisations should ideally do to effectively manage a critical event. The four necessary steps include:
- Assess the context and severity of the event
- Locate stakeholders and assets
- Act by informing, notifying, rallying, mitigating and fixing the impact
- Analyse the organisation’s performance by reporting, complying and learning
These are four components form the ethos of the Everbridge critical event management suite and everything is built on these pillars.
Graeme concluded his address by explaining how automation of the management process can help enhance organisational resilience in the new normal.
The Scottish Local Government’s phased approach of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic
After Graeme, Martyn Wallace, Chief Digital Officer, Scottish Local Government Digital Office gave a summary of how they managed the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Scottish government followed a phased approach comprising of 3 major phases in dealing with the global pandemic:
– Response
– Recovery and
– Renewal
In the Response Phase, they focused on establishing incident response mechanisms, cross-sectional workforces and supporting the staff to work from home.
In the Recovery Phase, they focused on digital transformation, remote learning and strengthening cybersecurity.
In the final phase of Renewal, they focused on digital maturity, review of services and accessing key data and driving insights from it.
Martyn concluded his address by sharing certain principles that governed this process. They are:
- instantaneous decision making
- empowering the workforce and organisation as a whole to work together effectively
- deploying tools that enable active communication
- working as a team without silos or egos
- working to achieve a common set of goals
Organisations need to be agnostic and agile in managing critical events
After Martyn’s insightful sharing, Mark Shortman, Principal and Head of Crisis and Resilience Consulting, Asia Pacific, Control Risks offered his take with the audience.
After briefly introducing his company, Mark explained the following three ways in which they assist organisations to solve complex issues and crisis:
- Building secure, reliant, and resilient organisations
- Resolving complex issues
- Delivering growth and opportunity
He emphasised the need to be agnostic and agile in managing crisis so that business as usual is maintained with no fatigue in dealing with crises.
Mark concluded his presentation by advising the delegates to opt for the technology-enabled Control Risks and Everbridge platform with numerous response and continuity that can help organisations improve resilience.
He encouraged the delegates to share their challenges and be involved in conversations with experts so that they can choose the most suitable solution for them.
After the informative presentations, it was now time for the interactive polling session.
On the first question about organisations’ preparedness to respond quickly and decisively to critical events, a majority of the delegates voted that they are well prepared but there is room for improvement (80%).
A delegate from a major bank in Australia shared that preparedness depends on geographical location and experience of dealing with crisis and pandemic. He also believes that increasing dependence on technology and the workforce’s inability to quickly adapt is a major challenge.
On the next question about having a companywide alert mechanism through various tech channels, the delegates seemed divided between yes, they have it all sorted out (41%) and they have some communication but not sure of its effectiveness (58%).
A participant from Singapore reflected that they have a mix of the traditional and modern ways of communicating like calling, email, SMS etc. They are also promoting using internal social media for this purpose.
On the final question about the instant access to critical information needed to evaluate risks and take proper action during emergency events, the delegates were yet again divided between they have established systems (53%) and they are looking for comprehensive, interactive visualisation platform (46%).
A delegate from an Indian agency shared that because their primary job is to keep track of this information and alert masses and engage local agencies about the impending crisis, they have well set up systems to access information quickly. But he also agreed that there is always room for improvement.
After the polling session, Graeme addressed the audience to close the session. He expressed his deep gratitude to the participants for taking the time to join the session and for their insightful contributions to the topic at hand.
He left the delegates with a simple but powerful message highlighting the importance of Prepare, Pursue, Protect and Prevent; ad these 4 Ps need to be executed with Speed, Scale and Simplicity (3Ss). These are the key components of the Everbridge Critical Event Management Suite.
Graeme urged the delegates to not let the experience from the pandemic go to waste but to learn to be better prepared and more resilient.
A tech incubatee under the Hong Kong Smart Government Innovation Lab recently announced that it has launched a new solution which is now ready to be acquired by companies and institutions.
Solution description
The robot was designed with a self-navigation ability in a 100,000 sqft indoor area and has an open SDK for building any additional functions. Third-party hardware – including sensors, sanitizers, UV lamp, RFID readers and various IoT products – can be added to the robot to provide mobile functions to devices/apparatus that would not be able to move usually.
Application Areas
The solution was designed to be applied across several areas including City Management, Commerce and Industry, Development, Finance, Health, Housing, Recreation and Culture, Social Welfare as well as Transport.
Technologies Used
The solution employs the latest in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Mobile Technologies, Natural Language Processing and Robotic Process Automation.
Use case
The robot can connect to BMS of various buildings to get the alert, warnings, and other notification and directly send alarming signals physically to a residence. It can guide users to their destination, with which functionality can help buildings to offload their concierge services.
The solution can also locate its position and correlated the position information to the corresponding BIM system inside the building. Infra-red, thermal or other sensors can be added for water leakage detection.
AI image diagnosis can be done through the 13-megapixel camera for various detections, such as intrusion, falling of elderly or prohibited objects (suitcase/baby stroller on an escalator). Indoor air quality (IAQ) sensors can be added to build a heat map of readings throughout the building.
Moreover, sanitizing devices can be added to the robot, and when it moves around, enabling the device to be effective in multiple locations on the entire floor.
Robots in high demand
According to a recent report, the automated guided vehicles market is expected to reach US$4.6 billion by 2027 witnessing market growth at a rate of 13.47% in the forecast period of 2020 to 2027.
Market research by another firm showed that the global smart cleaning and hygiene market was valued at US$2.63 billion in 2019, and it is expected to reach USD 5.91 billion by 2025, registering a CAGR of 15.7% from 2019 through 2025.
The increasing demand for domestic consumer robots and growing investment in R&D of personal service robots for assistance in various household applications are some of the major factors driving the growth of the smart home cleaning and hygiene market over the forecast period, the report noted.
About the Smart Government Innovation Lab
In 2018, the Government established the Smart Government Innovation Lab to explore hi-tech products such as AI and relevant technologies, including machine learning, big data analytics, cognitive systems and intelligent agent, as well as blockchain and robotics from firms, especially local start-ups.
The Lab is always on the lookout for innovation and technology (I&T) solutions that are conducive to enhancing public services or their operational effectiveness. I&T suppliers are encouraged to regularly visit the Lab’s website to check on the current business and operational needs in public service delivery and propose innovative solutions or product suggestions to address them.
The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) and the Construction Industry Council (CIC) co-hosted SciTech Challenge 2020 on 19 November 2020 to allow promising innovators to develop market-ready solutions to cater to industry demands, and propel the construction sector into the digital era.
Node THL, an incubatee of HKSTP, was crowned champion of the Open Group for the active noise cancelling sensory technology at a construction site while HeightSecure Technologies won at the Student Group for the sensor to detect micro-vibrations of bamboo scaffolding in the competition.
Under the theme of “Sensory Technology for Construction”, SciTech Challenge 2020 brought together start-ups and students with potential users in the construction sector the first time to pitch their products and solutions. In view of accelerating digital transformation in various industries, the construction sector recognises the need to modernise operations to raise efficiency, productivity, quality and safety.
The CEO of HKSTP stated that the Park is committed to unearthing the best innovation and technology talent to propel Hong Kong’s business and society forward with their innovations. SciTech Challenge 2020 has provided prominent young entrepreneurs with the ideal platform to learn and collaborate with construction leaders, develop their ideas into ready-to-deploy solutions and support the industry for wider technology adoption in the future.
The Chairman of CIC said that one of the most important missions of CIC is to drive Hong Kong’s construction industry to embrace innovative thinking and culture, after establishing Construction innovation and Technology Application Centre (CITAC), CIC continues to accelerate the adoption of innovative technologies by different approaches, SciTech Challenge provides a great opportunity to inspire the construction participants for Construction digitalization.
The Chairperson of CITAC Board pointed out in the ceremony that Sensory technology is often considered as the first step for digitalising the physical environment, which forms the foundation for other technology development such as robotics as well as smart cities. That is the very reason why sensory technology for construction was chosen to be the theme of SciTech Challenge 2020.
This year’s competition attracted over 60 group applications from educational institutions and corporates. The contestants gained unique access and collaboration opportunities with leading industry players through a series of training workshops and webinars.
After rounds of screening, the eight finalists were selected to present their innovative ideas at the final presentation on 19 November 2020. This final challenge tested the level of enthusiasm and commitment of the contestants, as they competed for cash prizes and the chance to enjoy fast track to HKSTP’s Science and Technology Entrepreneur Programme (STEP) and win membership of Robotics Catalysing Centre.
More recently, “The 1st Greater Bay Area 5G Application and Innovation Challenge 2020” (AIC 2020) was jointly organised by Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), The Greater Bay Area (GBA) 5G Industry Alliance (The Alliance), Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) and a leading Chinese telecom concluded with an award ceremony at Hong Kong Science Park on 20 November 2020.
Centred on the theme of “Unleash the power of 5G – Build a Better Life”, AIC 2020 attracted 55 participating teams from Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong. These teams including students, start-ups and innovators were encouraged to harness the power of 5G and offer innovative solutions in seven areas, to nurture talent and driving industry adoption for Smart City development in the GBA region.
The seven targeted areas are education, entertainment, finance, property management, logistics and transportation, healthcare, and industrial manufacturing.
A “magic” spray for turning objects into agile millirobots to deliver drugs precisely inside a living body has been developed in joint research led by a scientist from City University of Hong Kong (CityU).
This pioneering approach to creating millirobots hinges on the M-spray, a composited glue-like magnetic spray. A magnetic force can move an object around different surfaces after it has been sprayed with the M-spray. This technology has great potential for biomedical applications, including catheter navigation and precise drug delivery.
The research team is led by Dr Shen Yajing, Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at CityU, and is supported by the National Science Foundation of China and the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong.
The research findings have been published in Science Robotics titled “An agglutinate magnetic spray transforms inanimate objects into millirobots for biomedical applications”.
Composed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), gluten and iron particles, M-spray can adhere to the surfaces of one (1D), two (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) objects instantly, steadily and firmly. The film formed on the surface is about 0.1mm to 0.25mm thick, which is thin enough to preserve the original size, form and structure of the objects. The magnetic coating is biocompatible and can be disintegrated into powder when needed.
The team’s M-spray can stick on the targeted object and ‘activate’ the object when driven by a magnetic field, explained Dr Shen. Under the control of a magnetic field, the millirobots can change between different locomotion modes, such as crawling, flipping, walking, and rolling, on surfaces such as glass, skin, wood and sand.
What makes this approach special is the team can reprogramme the millirobot’s locomotion mode on demand.
A PhD student in BME and the co-first author on this paper explained that by fully wetting the solidified M-spray coating to make it stick like glue and then by applying a strong magnetic field, the distribution and alignment direction of the magnetic particles of the M-spray coating can be changed.
This reprogrammable actuation feature is helpful for navigation towards targets. The team demonstrated that the M-spray coated catheter can perform sharp or smooth turns. The impact of blood/liquid flow on the motion ability and stability of the M-spray coated catheter was limited, too, the results showed.
Task-based reprogramming offers promising potential for catheter manipulation in complex areas such as the oesophagus, blood vessels and urethra where navigation is always required.
Another important feature of this technology is that the M-spray coating can be disintegrated into powder on-demand with the manipulation of a magnetic field. All the raw materials of M-spray, namely PVA, gluten and iron particles, are biocompatible. The disintegrated coating can be absorbed or excreted by the human body.
In an in vivo test with rabbits for drug delivery, the team has demonstrated that the M-spray- enabled millirobot can reach the targeted region in the stomach precisely. Researchers disintegrated the coating by applying an oscillating magnetic field.
The controllable disintegration property of M-spray enables the drug to be released in a targeted location rather than scattering in the organ. The hope is that this construction strategy can contribute to the development and application of millirobots in different fields such as active transportation, moveable sensors and devices, particularly for tasks in limited areas of space.
Dr Shen and Dr Wu Xinyu from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) in the Chinese Academy of Sciences are the corresponding authors of the paper. The other co-authors are Dr Shang Wanfeng from SIAT, and Dr Lu Haojian, Dr Liu Yanting, Yang Liu and Tan Rong, new graduates and PhD students from Dr Shen’s team.
A tech company under the Hong Kong Smart Government Innovation Lab recently announced that it has launched a new solution which is now ready to be acquired by companies and institutions.
Solution description
The incubatee’s Mobile Surveillance System is designed for the automation of security and minimisation of human resources. Rapid deployment can be scheduled to the user’s needs, and customisation is available for emergency monitoring and controlling.
With its high mobility and easy installation, operating 24 hours a day, it is available anytime and anywhere. Information from real-time monitoring appears on the tech firm’s AI Video Analytics software feed that is equipped in its Mobile Surveillance Systems.
This state-of-the-art software filters out important information via deep learning, aiding in the process of target investigation. The technical capability is designed for data collection, analysis by IoT, AI, and Big Data technology.
Application Areas
The solution was developed to be applied across various areas including City Management, Commerce and Industry, Environment as well as Housing.
Technologies Used
The solution employs Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Analytics, Deep Learning, Internet of Things (IoT) and Video Analytics.
Use case
- Illegal Dumping Prevention: illegal dumping of industrial and domestic waste at over 80 danger-prone areas all over HK; Illegal bird-feeding.
Application Purpose: Collect evidence for prosecution; Use Deep-learning AI to detect the illegal dumping acts and give alert; recording footage of the vehicle used, people involved, and dumping patterns, captured the relevant video into the database. - Rodent Monitoring
Application Purpose: prevention and control of rodents; rapidly deploy thermal imaging system to detect, count, and analyse rat population sizes and activities. After gathering the result, action can be taken.
Growing demand for automation
Digital process automation solutions and services offer crucial benefits to enterprises. These benefits include lowering inevitable losses, creating new opportunities, saving costs, and increasing the efficiency of business processes. The increasing demand for automation and the growing adoption of low code automation platform is expected to drive the growth of the digital process automation market.
The market also faces challenges such as compatibility issues with existing business process applications and services. The major factor that is said to be restraining the growth of the digital process automation market is data security and privacy issue as process automation deals with personal data of an individual. Various opportunities present in this market include increasing demand for streamlining business processes and integration of AI and ML.
The global digital process automation market is projected to grow from US$6.77 billion in 2018 to US$12.61 billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 13.3% from 2018 to 2023.
The market size in APAC is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The digital process automation market is expected to grow considerably in APAC, due to the shift in the thought process of enterprises, from reducing operational costs to providing an enhanced customer experience.
About the Smart Government Innovation Lab
In 2018, the Government established the Smart Government Innovation Lab to explore hi-tech products such as AI and relevant technologies, including machine learning, big data analytics, cognitive systems and intelligent agent, as well as blockchain and robotics from firms, especially local start-ups.
The Lab is always on the lookout for innovation and technology (I&T) solutions that are conducive to enhancing public services or their operational effectiveness. I&T suppliers are encouraged to regularly visit the Lab’s website to check on the current business and operational needs in public service delivery and propose innovative solutions or product suggestions to address them.
