Press Release

(Hong Kong, 20 January 2015)  Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) and Sunming Technologies (HK) Limited jointly hold a special ceremony today (20 January) to officially mark the transfer of ASTRI’s batch process auto-focus camera technologies to Sunming, a company specializing in R&D and manufacturing of auto-focus, optical imaging stabilization (OIS) voice coil motor (VCM) and related products.

The agreement was signed by Dr Frank Tong, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI, and Dr Lam Sio-Kuan, Chief Executive Officer of Sunming. The signing was witnessed by ASTRI Chairman Mr Wong Ming-yam, Sunming Board Director Mr Zhu Jia, Assistant Commissioner (Infrastructure and Quality Services) of Innovation and Technology Commission Mr Vincent Tang, and Secretary General of Zhongshan Science and Technology Bureau Mr Yin Ming, among other guests.

The transfer involves the licensing of 12 patents of ASTRI’s batch-processed chip scale auto-focus camera technologies to Sunming on a non-exclusive basis for 10 years. These disruptive technologies constitute a low-cost and highly efficient solution for Sunming to produce miniaturized auto-focus camera modules tailored for smart phones, tablets and other portable consumer electronic products.

It revolutionizes the manufacturing process by allowing a batch of VCM to be assembled at the same time in contrast to the traditional way of unit-by-unit assembly by hand. As a result, production throughput can be greatly multiplied while high quality is maintained. This will empower manufacturers with new capacities to meet surging demands in this highly competitive yet promising imaging market. It is estimated that global shipment of smart phones could reach 1.7 billion by 2018, suggesting huge market potentials for sophisticated compact camera modules.

Established in 2013, Sunming Technologies is a Hong Kong based company with manufacturing facilities in Torch High-tech Industrial Development Zone in Zhongshan. Its founding member and CEO Dr S.K. Lam obtained his PhD degree from Chinese University of Hong Kong, and was formerly an R&D leader at ASTRI. He worked with his ASTRI teammates to invent a series of compact camera technologies, some of which were subsequently commercialized in a spin-off business led by Dr Lam in 2010. The licensing of batch process auto-focus technologies is the second time that Dr Lam is involved in commercializing ASTRI’s technologies of which he is an inventor.

Mr Wong Ming-yam said in his address at the ceremony, “I am much delighted in seeing that ASTRI has entered into collaboration with Sunming Technologies whose founder was once a key member of our research team and has been our long-term business partner. I am sure with ASTRI’s groundbreaking technologies, Sunming will be able to lead the trend in the industry and mark new milestones in the manufacturing of camera modules.”

Dr Lam said, “The batch process technologies will enable Sunming to achieve both high quality and high volume of production unmatched by any predominant method. I am fully confident that this disruptive innovation will significantly influence the global market. This proves once again Hong Kong has the capabilities to produce world-class technologies that could change the world.”

ASTRI started its R&D endeavour in compact camera technologies in 2007 with anti-shaking, auto focus and optical zoom modules consequently developed. These advanced and market leading technologies were successfully commercialized by manufacturers in both Hong Kong and the Mainland and have been embedded in many leading brands of mobile phones in the world.

To enhance system performance and energy efficiency in high power density applications
Solutions tailored to the requirements of the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong markets

[Hong Kong, 4 December 2014] Infineon Technologies today announced that it has reached a memorandum of understanding (“an agreement”) with Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (“ASTRI”) and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (“HKSTP”) to establish long term collaboration to advance thermal management solutions for high power density applications tailored to the local requirements of the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong markets.

The strategic collaboration will initially leverage on research, testing and package development capabilities in ASTRI and HKSTP and the product to system know how of Infineon to develop effectivethermal management solutionssupporting applications across different industries such as telecommunications, energy storage system and solar conversion. Infineon customers in the telecom and motor drive industries can expect to benefit from one-stop solution and shorter time-to-market.

The agreement was signed by Andrew Chong, Regional President and Managing Director of Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd., Frank Tong, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI, and Allen Ma, Chief Executive Officer of HKSTP.

“We strongly believe in the value added to our business through this partnership between Infineon, ASTRI and HKSTP. Our establishment in the research and development community of the Science Park will enhance our ability to further develop technological innovations that will raise the bar forserving customer and market needs. This will establish our R&D activities in Hong Kong as an essential element of our power management capability in the region,” said Andrew Chong, Regional President and Managing Director of Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd.

“ASTRI is pleased and privileged to enter into a long-term collaborative relationship with Infineon, a world leader in the semi-conductor manufacturing field. We are well prepared to render technical support for Infineon on its development of innovative products and applications to capture new business opportunities in the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong. The partnership is indeed a validation of ASTRI’s technological competence, and will without doubt reinforce ASTRI’s position as one of the premier R&D centres in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Frank Tong, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI.

Allen Ma, Chief Executive Officer of HKSTP said, “Our focus is to provide a vibrant ecosystem at Hong Kong Science Park where our partner companies may connect and collaborate with relevant technology partners to catalyse technological innovations. We are glad to facilitate the partnership between Infineon and ASTRI, both residing at the Science Park; and to offer support to them with our stateoftheart equipment and laboratory facilities for product testing that will lead to exciting new solutions that will benefit the community.”

According to IHS Technology – Power Semiconductor Discretes and Modules Report 2014, the global power semiconductor market will reach a total market value of just under€15.6 billion in 2018.Major growth is expected inpower discretes for cellular Infrastructure and cellular headset with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.9 percentexpected.

While initial focus is on the thermal management solution, the partnership will be further expanded to other power management and multi-market products and solutions. The partnership will enable Infineon to engage the technology talents and facilities at the Park through commercial and technical engagement, and the joint development of other applications in the long run.

[29 October 2014, Hong Kong] Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) and Hong Kong CPV Green Energy Co. Ltd. (HKCPV) have recently held an agreement signing ceremony to officially announce their long-term strategic collaboration on research and development in and applications of concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) technology. Dr Frank Tong, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI, and Mr Li Han, Director of HKCPV, signed the agreement on behalf of the respective companies. Close to 100 participants from the governments and the industry of Hong Kong, Qinghai, Shenzhen and Huizhou witnessed the signing.

According to the agreement, ASTRI will render long-term technical support to HKCPV in the areas related to CPV technology. CPV is a type of solar energy technologies using optics such as lenses or curved mirrors to concentrate a large amount of sunlight onto a small area of solar photovoltaic cells to generate electricity. By this the conversion efficiency of light to electricity can significantly be increased. HKCPV has already set up a wholly-owned subsidiary in the Qinghai province, preparing for power generation by CPV starting August 2015.

With the support of the Hong Kong SAR Government, ASTRI began its research in new solar photovoltaic as early as in 2009 with R&D focusing on photovoltaic battery packaging, optical receivers and reflective mirror glasses, which are regarded as indispensable by photovoltaic power plants. Granted a number of US and China patents, ASTRI’s research outputs in CPV were successfully field-tested in Hong Kong Science Park and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department of Hong Kong SAR Government.

In addressing the ceremony, Mr Wong Ming-yam, Chairman of the ASTRI Board, said, “ASTRI’s world-class solar photovoltaic technology is backed by a number of unique, patent-protected designs, which not only will greatly enhance the overall efficiency of photovoltaic systems but also will reduce cost to facilitate their commercialization. I am pleased this outstanding technology of ASTRI is recognized and supported by HKCPV and will be applied to assist the development of Qinghai’s CPV industry, leveraging the province’s geographic and other advantages to build a world-class photovoltaic power plant.”

HKCPV is a high-tech company focusing on the research and development, production and marketing of new energy. Headquartered in Hong Kong, HKCPV targets its market globally to become the world’s largest manufacturer of high-power CPV battery modules and operator of power stations. Honghu Capital Co. Limited is the major shareholder of HKCPV.

(Hong Kong, 20 October 2014) Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) has recently won the Gold Award (Winning Internet-of-Things Technology Category) in the Hong Kong Internet-of-Things (IoT) Awards and the Best IoT Product Award in the Guangdong-Hong Kong IoT Awards with its self-developed Mobile Heart Health Monitoring System.

The winning technology is a low-power wireless electrocardiography (ECG) device in a miniature module which allows anyone with a smartphone, tablet or PC to monitor their heart health anytime anywhere with ease. The user’s ECG data can be viewed in real-time or uploaded to a centralized data server where physicians and nurses can gain access for diagnosis purposes. The system supports multi-platform ECG software, providing a total solution for easy, convenient and effective heart health monitoring.

Mr David Kwong, Vice President and R&D Director, IC Design Group of ASTRI said, “It is very encouraging to see that the value of this healthcare technology developed by ASTRI is well recognized not only in Hong Kong but also in the region. With this mobile low-power wireless ECG device, we target to reduce patients’ healthcare costs, help prevent death related to heart diseases and enable healthy living by facilitating the deployment of Virtual Hospital.”

ASTRI’s Mobile Heart Health Monitoring System allows patients under stable condition and yet requiring constant heart monitoring to be discharged from the hospital and be monitored remotely through the System.

Readily available for commercialization, the System is planned to go through a clinical trial for exploring various user scenarios for telemedicine and e-health monitoring through active feedback from doctors and patients.

Hong Kong Internet of Things (IoT) Awards evolves from “Hong Kong RFID Awards”, an annual industry awards established by GS1 Hong Kong in 2008. The awards programme aims to showcase innovation in the field and recognize pioneering enterprises. All the winners will be honoured at GS1 Hong Kong’s 25th anniversary Gala Dinner to be held in December 2014.

Guangdong-Hong Kong IoT Awards is jointly organized by GS1 Hong Kong and Guangdong RFID Technology Service Centre. The Awards Presentation Ceremony was held in Guangzhou on 13 October 2014.

[30 September 2014, Hong Kong] Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) held the “Technologies And Healthy Ageing Symposium” today (30 September 2014) at Hong Kong Science Park, drawing about 400 participants from various sectors of the community to address the many issues connected with a rapidly ageing population and the needs for effective use of innovative technologies to support the elderly.

The full-day Symposium was opened by Mr Stephen Sui, Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare; Mr Wong Ming-yam, Chairman of the Board, ASTRI; Mr Leong Cheung, Executive Director, Charities and Community, The Hong Kong Jockey Club; and Prof. Fanny M.C. Cheung, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

In welcoming the guests, Mr Wong Ming-yam said, “It is essential for Hong Kong to establish a network that can connect the government, the elderly care service providers, industry, charitable organizations, technology experts as well as users to further promote the use of technologies for the benefit of the ageing population.”

He added that with this vision in mind, ASTRI joins force with Cadenza: A Jockey Club Initiative for Seniors and The CUHK Jockey Club Institute of Ageing in organizing this Symposium, with the hope of bringing together and combining the efforts of those concerned organizations and individuals in transforming Hong Kong into an age-friendly society.

The Symposium featured nine presentations given by local and overseas experts, with President of International Society for Gerontechnology Professor Alain Franco and CEO of Singapore’s Integrated Health Information Systems Pte Ltd Dr Chong Yoke-sin delivering the keynote speeches on the topics “Ethics and Paradigms at the Intersection of Health, Care, and Economy” and “Connected Health for an Ageing Population” respectively. Other presentations covered topics related to the government’s elderly policy, the existing ecosystem and the latest technologies developed to facilitate healthy ageing.

Comprising technologists, researchers, elderly care service providers, medical device manufacturers, university professors and students, amongst others, the participants were also absorbed by two panel discussions and a number of live demonstrations of ASTRI’s advanced and elderly-friendly healthcare technologies.

Among the demonstrations are Arterial Stiffness Index Measurement Device, Reflective Pulse Oximeter and Telehealth Tablet for Vital Sign Monitoring. Being the largest Government-funded R&D centre in Hong Kong, ASTRI has devoted considerable efforts on developing healthcare technologies and some of these solutions have been successfully adopted by manufacturers in their products.

The Symposium was co-organized by Cadenza: A Jockey Club Initiative for Seniors and The CUHK Jockey Club Institute of Ageing, and was supported by Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies, Lingnan University; Communications Association of Hong Kong; eHealth Consortium; Elderly Commission; The Hong Kong Council of Social Service; Hong Kong Medical and Healthcare Device Industries Association; Innovation and Technology Commission; Institute of Active Ageing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing; and Sau Po Centre on Ageing, The University of Hong Kong.

Some of the presentations of the Symposium is available for downloading. Please click here for further information.

(Hong Kong, 19 September 2014) Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) successfully performed a live demonstration of an End-to-End LTE Small Cell Network Solution at  “Mobile Broadband Development Summit Forum and LTE TDD/FDD Product Exhibition” held in Hsinchu, Taiwan from 16 to 18 September 2014. The event was organized by Global TD-LTE Initiative (GTI), together with Taiwan’s Industry and Technology Research Institute (ITRI).

ASTRI’s End-to-End Small Cell Network system demonstrated at the event consists of a TD-LTE small cell jointly developed with Sunnada and an x86 general server based Evolved Packet Core (EPC) solution. Both the TD-LTE small cell and EPC, which are commercially ready for deployment, have been extensively tested. One of the tests was Interoperability Test with equipment from multiple vendors. The overall system provides a high performance and cost effective solution, which is suitable for small and medium sized LTE network deployments.

GTI is a global TD-LTE international industry organization, which leads the development of global TD-LTE technical specifications for building competitive global TDD industry and joint promotion of TD-LTE maturation and global deployment. Members of GTI include major international carriers as well as manufactures in the LTE eco-system etc.

A member of GTI, ASTRI has been developing LTE technologies since 2008. ASTRI’s LTE technologies include LTE small cell baseband, EPC, small cell gateway Internet Protocol (IP) security gateway, and high-performance multi-core packet processing protocol stacks (FastGate).