Press Release

[Hong Kong, 23 March 2021] The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) has hosted a Smart City Forum in which government, business and thought leaders shared their views on the essential collaboration for a smart city and what a “tech-backed” sustainable future looks like for Hong Kong as the territory is moving full steam ahead on its journey to become a world famed Smart City.

The event was opened by the Honourable Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Alfred Sit Wing-hang, following the welcome remarks from ASTRI Chairman Ir Sunny Lee Wai-kwong.

“Developing Hong Kong into a smart city is undoubtedly an important commitment of the Government. However, the full participation of the private sector, academia and research institutes is also of paramount importance to help us move towards this goal. I am glad to learn that many of the technologies developed by ASTRI could play a part in our smart city development in various aspects.”, said Mr Alfred Sit.

Ir Sunny Lee said, “ASTRI is fully aligned to our Government’s clear commitment to Hong Kong’s technological development. Smart City stands alongside FinTech, Intelligent Manufacturing, Health Tech and Application Specific Integrated Circuits, as one of ASTRI’s core areas of expertise and focus. We understand a Smart City needs Smart People and therefore our numerous talent development initiatives are focused on ensuring the next generation is able to keep up with the pace of innovation.”

On the first panel titled ‘The Essential Collaboration for a Smart City,’ panelists discussed how we could achieve our best results by not only working together, but also finding the balance between healthy and stimulating competition and cross-sector collaboration. On the second panel titled ‘What Does a Tech-backed Sustainable Future Look Like?’, speakers discussed various aspects of a smart city from talent development, gerontech and healthtech to fintech, blockchain, artificial intelligence and how these technological applications will impact Hong Kong as a smart economy in particular on small and medium sized businesses.

ASTRI’s Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer Dr Martin Szeto, who featured on the second panel and delivered the event’s closing remarks, said, “The HKSAR Government has made innovation and technology a key pillar of its framework to ensure Hong Kong develops into a world famed Smart City characterised by a strong economy and high quality of living. We believe ASTRI, with our award-winning innovations and talented researchers, is uniquely positioned to support the government and deliver against this vision.”

Dr Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer at ASTRI, provided an overview of ASTRI during the event, said, “ASTRI is committed to contributing to Hong Kong’s future as a Smart City, whether that is through our technological innovations in the various initiatives under the six smart areas, or leveraging on our thought leadership position in promoting and exploring how innovation and technology can bring a positive impact to our society and build a sustainable and efficient future for Hong Kong.”

The event was held in the Asia Society Hong Kong and live-streamed to an audience online.

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Captions：

Photo_01: Mr Alfred Sit Wing-hang, Honourable Secretary for Innovation and Technology, delivers a speech at ASTRI’s Smart City Forum, saying he is glad to hear how ASTRI technologies can play a part in Hong Kong’s smart city development.

Photo_02: (From left) Dr Lucas Hui, ASTRI Acting Co-CEO cum CTO; Ir Sunny Lee, ASTRI Chairman; Honourable Secretary for Innovation and Technology Mr Alfred Sit; Ms Rebecca Pun, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology; and Dr Martin Szeto, ASTRI Acting Co-CEO cum COO kick off ASTRI’s Smart City Forum.

Photo_03: (From left) Mr Duncan Chiu, President of Hong Kong Information Technology Joint Council; Dr Lam Ching-choi, Member of the Executive Council; and Dr Martin Szeto, Acting Co-CEO cum COO of ASTRI, take part in the second panel discussion, ‘What Does A Tech-Backed Sustainable Future Look Like?’ at ASTRI’s Smart City Forum.

The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Faculty of Engineering of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) today (2 March) on implementing a Smart City Technology Oriented Practitioner (TOP) programme for up to 30 master students in the Faculty of Engineering of CUHK. ASTRI will provide paid full-time employment opportunities to enrolled students for a period of four to eight months and engage them in one of the ASTRI’s ongoing smart city-related projects, with a view to developing future leaders for smart city transformation.

Witnessed by Ms. Rebecca Pun Ting-ting, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government, Dr. Lucas Hui Chi-kwong, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI and Professor Martin D.F. Wong, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of CUHK signed the MoU on behalf of the two parties.

The TOP programme supports the recently released initiative by the HKSAR Government, Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong 2.0 which strives to build Hong Kong into a world-class smart city.

Dr. Lucas Hui Chi-kwong said, “Developing scientific talent in Hong Kong is one of ASTRI’s goals. We are pleased to cooperate with CUHK to equip the new generation with scientific research talents to excel in all areas of smart cities.”

Dr. Martin Szeto Sin-ho, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI, said, “This practitioner programme for technology professionals is supporting the initiatives to develop ‘smart people’ as indicated in the Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong, with the purpose of cultivating more human capital to promote technological development.”

Professor Martin D.F. Wong remarked, “This is a strategic partnership which connects our CUHK Engineering Faculty and students with ASTRI, a leading applied research institute in Hong Kong, through a work-study programme which enables our participation in state-of-the-art research and development that drives Hong Kong’s smart city initiative. I am confident and excited that the CUHK-ASTRI partnership will be pivotal in realising the vision for a smart city as laid out in the blueprint.”

The programme welcomes applications from students enrolled in master’s degree programmes under the Faculty of Engineering of CUHK in the academic year of 2021/22. After interview, a maximum of 30 students will serve as paid full-time research assistants in ASTRI, starting from the first quarter of 2022. They will be involved in smart city related projects and solving “pain points” for various organisations through research and development of applied technology, facilitating operations in a more intelligent and efficient way and benefiting people and business in our society.

ASTRI has formulated technological solutions for various government departments, public institutions and enterprises over the years with the adoption of international and industry standards throughout the process, while fully considering public policies, legal requirements, and stakeholders’ needs and concerns. The abilities and achievements of the professionals are affirmed by ASTRI partners and employers in the Research and Development sector. Students participating in the TOP programme will gain valuable work experience and lay a solid foundation for future employment in innovation and technology as well as the smart city industry.

The CUHK Engineering Faculty has now evolved into an integrated engineering school. Its strength lies in its world-class position with high quality research facilities and a strong commitment to the latest application of modern technology. The Faculty prides itself as one of the pioneers in the research on artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning. It has received top awards in international challenges for face recognition and visual recognition. The CUHK Multimedia Laboratory, named as one of the pioneers in AI research, is the only institution in Asia receiving this recognition. Different research and teaching teams at the Faculty of Engineering are dedicated to the applications of AI and deep learning in various areas and the education of talented engineers for smart city development.

[Hong Kong, 23 February 2021] The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) will showcase a portfolio of its cutting-edge 5G technologies at the MWC Shanghai 2021 which opens today.

Adopting the theme of “Connected 5G for Impact”, ASTRI will demonstrate its technologies and innovations that enhance the competitive strength of enterprises in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and around the world. These technologies include:

• 5G O-RAN x86 Solution
• 5G O-RAN ARM Solution
• 5G Industrial IoT
• 5G OpenUPF
• 5G SA Core Network
• 5G Smart City Infrastructure
• 5G Smart Mobility – Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) Pilot in Hong Kong

MWC Shanghai 2021 is a three-day event hosted by the GSMA. It is one of Asia’s largest and most influential Information and Communications Technology events, showcasing and exploring the impact of next-generation technologies across a variety of industries, as well as trends in the market. This year’s event will focus on how technology and connectivity can lead the global recovery.

Dr Justin Chuang, Vice-President, Communications Technologies at ASTRI, said: “We have been working with various industry partners to ensure our technology and innovation always meet the industry needs. Our latest 5G technology and network solutions realise new application scenarios including private networks, Internet of Vehicles, industrial internet and mobile platform cloudification. We are delighted to showcase our technology and our innovation together with our partners at MWC Shanghai 2021.”

ASTRI’s 5G O-RAN Solution is an end-to-end 5G network solution which complies with 3GPP standards and, through its flexibility, is low cost and easy to deploy, removing a traditional cost barrier to the industry looking to make the most of the 5G network. ASTRI’s O-RAN DU (Distributed Unit) Software supports (1) x86 platform for high performance macro/micro cells and (2) ARM platform for indoor/outdoor low power base stations.

ASTRI’s 5G Industrial IoT applications include the development of simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM) and robot navigation software running over a 5G network with industrial Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs).

China Mobile’s 5G OpenUPF (User Plane Function) will enable open and flexible 5G deployment in network edge and drive vertical applications. ASTRI is one of the first members who joined the OpenUPF initiative.

Intel and ASTRI have been working closely in 5G technology development, including 5G core network, O-RAN development, 5G OpenUPF, and V2X infrastructure technology. The two parties have worked together to optimise software and hardware to enable scalable 5G UPF, and successfully delivered a ground-breaking performance of more than 1Tbps 5G UPF data throughput in 2020.

ASTRI’s 5G Smart City Infrastructure solutions support Smart City applications through the integration of 5G networks, sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. They utilise 5G’s high bandwidth capability to support high-resolution sensors such as video and LiDAR, and Edge computing to process and aggregate time-spatial data to bridge between the physical and virtual world. At MWC Shanghai 2021, ASTRI showcases how the 5G Smart City Infrastructure deployed in the Hong Kong Science Park supports various application scenarios such as smart mobility.

ASTRI is committed to advancing the adoption of C-V2X technologies in Hong Kong. To study and understand the application scenarios of C-V2X technologies on Hong Kong’s roads, and also the methodology to plan for the network and infrastructure required, ASTRI has been in close discussion with the Hong Kong Transport Department since November 2019. With the support from the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) of the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC), ASTRI is conducting further research on C-V2X technologies. At MWC Shanghai, ASTRI will introduce the project to visitors.

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ASTRI expert Mr Su Dongzhe (right) introduces the institute’s cutting-edge 5G technologies to visitors at the MWC Shanghai 2021.

[Hong Kong, 8 January 2021] The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) has announced that its Chief Executive Officer Hugh Chow will step down upon completion of three years of service on 14 January 2021.

ASTRI Chairman Ir Sunny Lee Wai-kwong, JP, recognised the achievements made under Mr Chow’s stewardship. “I would like to most sincerely thank Hugh for his exceptional contribution to ASTRI over the past three years, and the results are plain to see,” said Mr Lee. “Under Hugh’s leadership, ASTRI had 153 patents granted, 144 technologies transferred to the industry and 279 projects undertaken.”

Mr Lee continued: “Hugh, supported by his team, has successfully focused ASTRI’s efforts to contributing to Hong Kong’s I&T ecosystem, strengthening our collaboration with the industry, and promoting its thought leadership position. I wish Hugh all the best in his future endeavours.”

While the global search for a new CEO has begun, ASTRI’s Chief Operating Officer Dr Martin Szeto and Chief Technology Officer Dr Lucas Hui will jointly assume the responsibilities of leading Hong Kong’s largest applied technology research institute during the interim.

[Hong Kong, 30 December 2020] The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) has scooped a “Top Talent Team” Award from professional recruitment platform, LinkedIn. ASTRI recruits local as well as global professionals as it conducts innovative applied technology research projects, solve problems for the industry and improve the quality of life in Hong Kong.

Mr Hugh Chow, ASTRI’s Chief Executive Officer, said “Every research institute in the world is vying to hire outstanding innovative and technology professionals. ASTRI’s Talent Acquisition Team has been working tirelessly to identify and hire talents across the globe. People are the most important asset of ASTRI and, with these world class professionals, we are able to carry out cutting-edge research projects in a sustainable manner.”

Ms San Lee, Head of ASTRI’s Talent Acquisition, was delighted with the award which she believed was also a recognition to ASTRI’s talent recruitment strategies. “Over the years, ASTRI has achieved outstanding results in applied technology research, with more than 850 patents and numerous local and international awards. These achievements are only possible with the outstanding researchers that we have so we attach great importance to recruiting, retaining and cultivating talents,” Ms Lee said, adding that her team will continue to keep abreast of the latest recruitment trends and formulate effective strategies to bring in technology experts.

ASTRI recruits through multiple channels, including various online platforms, introducing ASTRI’s mission and job opportunities to professionals around the world, and inviting them to follow ASTRI’s social platforms with a view to getting them familiarised with the company.

ASTRI was founded by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2000 with the mission of enhancing Hong Kong’s competitiveness in technology-based industries through applied research. It focuses on five areas of application: Smart City; Financial Technologies; Intelligent Manufacturing; Health Technologies; and Application Specific Integrated Circuits.

ASTRI brings together the finest minds from all over the world: about half of ASTRI’s researchers have master’s degree qualifications or above and about a quarter have a doctoral degree. Besides, ASTRI has successfully attracted people with lofty ideals to join, cooperate and exchange with talents coming from a diverse background, in hopes of developing new technologies and formulating technological solutions.

ASTRI is committed to developing talent in the I&T sector. In September, ASTRI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the University of Hong Kong (HKU) to develop the Technology Oriented Practitioner (TOP) programme, a Work-Study Scheme for first-year students enrolled on the MSc programme in FinTech and Data Analytics at HKU, with ASTRI providing paid full-time employment for up to 30 students for a nine-month period and assigning them to one of ASTRI’s many ongoing FinTech projects. Working with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, ASTRI launched the FinTech Career Accelerator Scheme in 2016, aiming to cultivate the future talent necessary to sustain Hong Kong’s banking, finance and business services, as well as preserving our city’s competitiveness as an international finance hub. Students receive an internship at financial institutions or technology companies and in the past four years, more than 500 have taken part. This year, the HKMA received more than 1,400 applications, nearly twice as many as last year.

Also in September this year, ASTRI launched its Graduate Programme 2020, providing full-time employment to graduates and an opportunity to work closely with its award-winning researchers. ASTRI also offers a three-month blockchain accelerator programme, in partnership with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park and Molecular Hub, as well as summer internships, which took in 42 students from 15 universities across the world in 2020.

LinkedIn presented the “Top Talent Team” award to ASTRI at its annual awards ceremony, commending ASTRI for introducing themselves professionally on the platform, and efficiently using its account to acquire talents and communicate with them.

Members of the ASTRI’s Talent Acquisition team include Ms San Lee, Ms Sarah Hun, Ms Jennifer Leung, Mr Patrick Wong, Ms Polly Pang, Mr Daniel Lam and Mr Matthew Chang.

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Photo_001: ASTRI’s Talent Acquisition Team was awarded the 2020 “Top Talent Team” Award by LinkedIn.

[Hong Kong, 29 December 2020] “The Invincible Bond of Technology and Client Collaboration” has been vividly demonstrated at the Business of IP Asia (BIP Asia) Forum , which, during a panel session, explored the invaluable relationship The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) creates with its clients and partners and the important role it holds in Hong Kong’s innovation and technology ecosystem.

The panel discussion, moderated by ASTRI Chief Operating Officer Dr Martin Szeto, featured Mr Victor Wong, Chief Executive Officer of Bridge AI; Mr Andy Ho, Managing Director of Nexplore Hong Kong; Mr Albert Lo, Chief Architect at Nova Credit Limited; and Mr Daniel Au, Chief Executive Officer of Tectonic Technology Innovation Company Limited. The panellists highlighted the essential role of collaboration to our technological advancement and the value ASTRI, as Hong Kong’s largest applied technology research and development (R&D) centre, brings to its partners.

Dr Szeto asked the panellists to share their insights on working with ASTRI, and how their collaboration with ASTRI had helped solve their pain points.

Together with ASTRI, Bridge AI launched Hong Kong’s first distance-learning app for special educational needs (SEN) students in 2020. Mr Victor Wong described the ASTRI team as “very helpful”.

“ASTRI’s team not only looked at what we needed but was also able to think ahead about the much bigger picture to provide a service for Bridge AI,” Mr Wong said. A Bridge AI SEN solution, supported by ASTRI technology, won the silver medal of Community Outreach Award in eLearning Forum Asia 2020, the only team from Hong Kong to win a medal in this category.

Mr Andy Ho from Nexplore Hong Kong emphasised the importance of reliable solutions to their work in the construction sector.

“We wanted robust solutions to improve productivity and safety on-site,” Mr Ho said. “We wanted to identify good partners because we are not just talking about money or data, we are talking about lives. Keeping everyone on our site safe is a priority. We really liked ASTRI’s coverage… from our earliest meetings they came up with solutions and quick demos. We loved that very much – the proactive team and collaborations.”

Mr Albert Lo from Nova Credit Limited was impressed with ASTRI’s expertise, reputation and high-quality work.

“The entire experience with ASTRI has been brilliant,” said Mr Lo. “ASTRI has been in the industry for a long time and it knows our pain points as well as we do – perhaps even better.”

Mr Lo also had some advice for anyone else looking to work with ASTRI in the future, especially those in the financial sector.

“ASTRI has a unique position; you can trust them with your secrets. There will be a time when ASTRI has heard of something you should look at. Get your idea right and be open with ASTRI from the beginning,” he advised.

Mr Daniel Au from Tectonic Technology Innovation Company explained how his company had the idea to create an online IP protection and trading system about seven years ago and realised that blockchain would provide an effective solution.

“Eventually, we found ASTRI,” said Mr Au. “Our experience was great, ASTRI’s researchers worked well with us to solve the pain points and implement innovative ideas to strive for improvement.”

In concluding this session, Dr Szeto reiterated ASTRI’s commitment to Hong Kong’s innovation and technology ecosystem. “There is always a way to collaborate,” he said. “When we start engaging [on a project], we do not only look at the commercial side. Our mission is to improve competitiveness (of our client’s business), so we will dive deep into our client’s business, understand its needs, and then work with our clients to find solutions.”

To date, ASTRI has transferred nearly 750 technologies to the industries and been granted more than 850 patents in the Mainland, the US and other countries.

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Caption:

Photo_001: (From left) Mr Victor Wong, Mr Albert Lo, Dr Martin Szeto, Mr Andy Ho and Mr Daniel Au joined the panel discussion themed “The Invincible Bond of Technology and Client Collaboration”.

Hong Kong, 23 December 2020] The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) will showcase a wide range of research achievements in promoting the smart city development in Hong Kong through online seminars and exhibitions, at the virtual InnoCarnival 2020 hosted by the Innovation and Technology Commission.

The Cellular Vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology is an important component for 5G to enable smart mobility applications and enhance road safety, with a view to connecting vehicles, pedestrians and roadside facilities through wireless transmission. This technology is capable of detecting imminent dangers on the roads (such as vehicles tangling, and the driver’s line of sight is blocked by objects while there are vehicles in the adjacent lane) and issuing real-time alerts to drivers via C-V2X communication between vehicles and roadside infrastructure to avoid accidents. C-V2X is also a prerequisite for making autonomous driving safe and popular. ASTRI will showcase its autonomous driving technology at the InnoCarnival 2020 from 23 – 31 December, 2020.

In addition, ASTRI will introduce the Augmented Reality (AR) Near Eye Display Technology with smart optoelectronics as the core technology in addition to the AR system. It will adopt 5G network to superimpose a computer-generated image on a user’s perception of the real world. The technology can also be deployed for industrial applications. By using AR glasses and a visual and depth sensing platform, onsite technicians can access real-time data, a troubleshooting log, and graphics and encrypted data from backend systems anytime, anywhere. Remote support experts can view streamed real-time images transmitted from AR glasses being worn by onsite technicians through the AR operation console and offer advice.

ASTRI will also demonstrate the iGem Guard which won a silver award in Smart Living of the Hong Kong ICT Award 2020. The Ramen spectrometer can distinguish the category, authenticity and rank of more than 3,000 different kinds of gems in just three seconds, and its price is much lower than the conventional ones. ASTRI is striving to expand the application of the spectrometer for other purposes, such as installing it on mobile devices for public usage, testing the quality of surgical masks, hand sanitisers, herbal medicines and cosmetics, or detecting air quality and any substance change in water sources. ASTRI will exhibit a mobile spectrometer that can easily distinguish true and fake coloured lamps, tungsten lamps, fluorescent lamps, energy-saving lamps and LED lamps, which can be used in production processes to assist engineers in verifying the quality of light sources, and to help consumers choose healthy light sources that fulfil the blue and ultraviolet light standard.

Researchers from ASTRI will demonstrate these leading-edge technologies through online seminars at the InnoCarnival 2020. Interested parties can sign up for seminars on the event website: https://innocarnival.hk/. Other research projects being showcased by ASTRI include: automated form processing system-recognising handwritten Chinese characters, direct current building, artificial intelligence medical platform and blockchain technology.

The InnoCarnival 2020 is being held under the theme of “Collaborate．Innovate．Beyond Imagination.” Online registration can be done on the official website, at https://innocarnival.hk/.

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Captions:

Photo_001: At present, drivers’ view may be blocked by other vehicles and thus fail to notice pedestrians crossing the road. With the C-V2X system, the device (as indicated on the right) can recognise the blocked object and issue real-time alerts to drivers.

Photo_002: Wearing of the 4Kx2K AR head-mounted display enables a user to feel like as if she/he is physically on the scene.

Photo_003: The iGem Guard can distinguish the category, authenticity and rank of the gems in just three seconds.

[Hong Kong, 6 December 2020] The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) has won a Silver Award for Smart Living for its iGem Guard Raman spectrometer, and a Bronze Award for Smart Mobility with its gantry free Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) from the Hong Kong Information and Communications Technology Awards (ICT Awards) 2020.

Dr Lucas Hui, ASTRI’s Chief Technology Officer, was very pleased with the outstanding achievement of the winning teams. “Our technology can be applied extensively to improve quality and efficiency of enterprises while benefiting the lives of our citizens. One of the significant benefits is about enhancing the quality of products which helps strengthen consumer confidence and trust which is a key factor that sets Hong Kong apart and builds its reputation. We are deeply honoured to receive the awards and I would like to thank our R&D professionals for their endeavours and perseverance to make this significant breakthrough. They certainly are living up to ASTRI’s mission and values.”

The cost-efficient and portable iGem Guard can distinguish the category, authenticity and rank of more than 3,000 different kinds of gems in just three seconds.

Dr Chun Zhang, ASTRI’s Director of Sensing Devices and Integration, IoT and Sensors, who led the research, said: “We will continue to strive for innovative ways to expand the application of the Raman spectrometer for other purposes, such as food and health product safety, installing it on mobile devices for public usage, testing the quality of surgical masks, hand sanitisers, herbal medicines and cosmetics, or detecting any substance change in water sources.”

Applying state-of-the-art mini three-band laser spectroscopy technology, the iGem Guard is equipped with adaptive and accurate sensors and intelligent algorithms. Through the process of one-touch optical inspection, the device can swiftly determine whether a diamond is natural or synthetic; whether a jadeite is classified as “Grade A” or chemically-processed (“Grade B” or “Grade C”); whether a pearl is formed in freshwater or saltwater.

ASTRI has taken advantage of its expertise to select suitable and fine optical components, developing a spectrometer that would fit in the palms of two hands, which is about 20 times smaller than conventional ones. The relevant patented mini-spectrometer technology was awarded a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury at last year’s International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva.

The team used a variety of jewellery samples from the industry to build a database consisting of a great variety of gems and minerals. Each device costs between HK$100,000 and HK$200,000. Provided that only a single type of jewellery is tested, the price can be further reduced to HK$50,000. Meanwhile, it can store spectral information, photos and descriptions of jewellery in a classified manner to facilitate inventory management.

The judging panel praised the iGem Guard for bringing promising influence to the local jewellery industry. The roadmap in tailoring the devices in mini and micro sizes could further benefit a larger group of users, assisting small-scaled jewellery shops and individual jewellery collectors for identification and management purposes.

The award-winning ultra-wide broadband (UWB) + vehicle-to-everything (V2X) ERP System did not require setting of the enormous gantries to detect vehicles passing by to initiate charges during rush hours, with an aim to tackling traffic congestion in central business area through diversion.

Dr Billy Chan, ASTRI’s Deputy Director of cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) and coordinator of this project, said “It is our honour to receive the support and affirmation of the panel, providing lots of professional and valuable opinions. Our system has also been recognised by the industry, which helps pave the way for ASTRI and its industry partners, Hong Kong Telecommunications and Genvict, to further develop smart mobility and the C-V2X technology.” ASTRI has successfully tested this system with its partners. Trial runs have been conducted in several cities in the Greater Bay Area. ASTRI will explore with stakeholders on the feasibility of implementing this system in Hong Kong.

ASTRI is a market pioneer in combining C-V2X and UWB technology to enable the precise estimation of position. ASTRI uses existing roadside infrastructure, thereby eliminating the need to build expensive gantries and laying of optical fibres as well as reducing the number of sensors required, with a view to effectively reducing the time and cost in adopting the ERP system. In addition to this, the system is easy to install and transfer, and can be adjusted when necessary.

The advantageous nature of V2X and UWB allow the system to perform real-time and reliable smart transport management to accurately locate the vehicles with low battery consumption, which can also ensure data security and protect user privacy.

The judging panel praised the UWB+V2X roadside system in achieving breakthrough in ERP, providing a cost-effective, brand new and flexible solution for areas with long-term traffic congestion problem. The system can facilitate in-city traffic management with a view to enhancing the mobility of Hong Kong.

Established in 2006, The Hong Kong ICT Awards aims at recognising and promoting outstanding Information and Communications Technology (ICT) inventions and applications.

ASTRI Sensing Devices and Integration team members involved in the development of the iGem Guard include: Ms Chow Yeung-ming; Ms Cheung Hoi-ching; Ms Wu Meng-ting; Ms Cheung Siu-lai; Dr Wong Ka-chun; and Mr Woo Ka-ki.

Team members involved in the devise of the ERP system include: Mr Mui Kai-ho, Mr Hou Xiao-jia ; Dr Cheung Yin-ping; Ms Xia Hua; Ms Lee Yik-tung; Mr Wong Long-hei; Mr Chai Yu-liang; Mr Su Dong-zhe; Mr Chen Hang; and Mr Zhou Zi-gan.

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Captions:

001: Dr Chun Zhang’s team develops a device to distinguish gems in three seconds.

002: ASTRI’s gantry-free Electronic Road Pricing System operates by sensors on roadside facilities such as the white device on the lamppost in the background and the device being held by Dr Billy Chan which is installed in vehicles.