HKPC garners two R&D 100 Awards being the World Top 10 and HK Top 1 in terms of shortlisted projects

Two home-grown innovations by the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) have been recognised by the 2022 R&D 100 Awards, namely the “Oscars of Innovation”, in the Process/ Prototyping and Software/ Services categories.

HKPC is crowned the World Top 10 and Hong Kong Top 1 in terms of the number of finalists being named among other world-renowned R&D powerhouses, being one of the most awarded organisations in Hong Kong, with its “i4.0 Digital Lean in Metaverse for Virtualised Process Optimisation” being the sole Metaverse-related finalist this year.

R&D 100 Awards is a world-renowned science and innovation competition presented by R&D World Magazine, aiming to honour the most revolutionary and innovative R&D ideas and technologies every year.

This year, in its 60^th edition, a bigger pool of independent expert judges including nearly 50 esteemed global industry elites were invited to review and select the outstanding R&D entries. Despite fierce competition and high threshold, HKPC still won alongside other world-class R&D institutions and powerhouses, including top-notch US laboratories such as the MIT Lincoln Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the authority of aeronautics and space research – NASA Glenn Research Center.

The two award-winning and three shortlisted innovations are diverse in their applications and significance. One of the awarded projects aims to leverage drones with onboard AI technology for real-time tunnel defect inspection, while another seeks to revolutionise the food disinfection process.

The other three shortlisted projects aim to optimise production line performance through Metaverse, achieve a breakthrough in the garment manufacturing industry with side seam topstitching technology, and empower the industries to visualise real-time production machine data. HKPC is committed to continuing to collaborate with different industry partners and clients to unleash the R&D potential and foster the transformation of R&D results.

Mr Mohamed Butt, Executive Director of HKPC, said, “We are extremely honoured that HKPC remains on the forefront of technological advancement on the international stage, once again testifying to our world-class R&D and technology commercialisation capabilities to make Hong Kong an international I&T hub and a smart city. Such achievement would have been impossible without our industry partners’ staunch support and unceasing trust in HKPC or our R&D teams’ unremitting effort in promoting local R&D development.

“HKPC will never cease to develop more value-added technological solutions with collaboration partners to strengthen the competitiveness and productivity of the industries, thereby promoting wider adoption of innovative technologies and creating a smarter and sustainable future.”

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Details of 2022 R&D 100 Awards Winning and Shortlisted Innovations

1. Edge-AI Powered Multi-Sensor Aerial Inspector for Tunnel Surface Co-developingThis is the first tunnel inspection system based on drone and onboard AI processing technologies. It brings a digital upgrade to 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.

   Furthermore, the system automatically generates digital defect reports for 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 managed by the Civil Engineering and Development Department of the Hong Kong SAR.

   

   Co-developing Organisation/ Sponsor/ Client: Hyder-Meinhardt Joint Venture (HMJV), Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), HKSAR 
   Recognition: R&D 100 Winner (Software/Services)

2. CAPfresh — A Game Changing Cold Atmospheric Plasma Disinfection System for Fresh FoodThis novel food disinfection system demonstrates a non-destructive physical treatment process to kill bacteria and spores on food by using reactive species.

   It can effectively extend the shelf life of fresh food such as fruits and salad vegetables by up to 300% in three minutes without adding any preservatives, with an average microbe load reduction of up to 3.5 log for dry spices, and an average microbe load reduction of up to 2.8 log for dry nuts.

   This is the sole proven dry disinfection technology suitable for extending the shelf life of fresh food without chemical processing.
   

   

   Co-developing Organisation/ Sponsor/ Client: Tai Pan Bread & Cakes Company Limited, HealthWorks (Herbal Tea) Co Ltd, Wing Hing Spices Grinding Factory Limited, Good View Development Group Limited, Fresh-cut Produces Limited, Pick n Pack Limited, Onward Engineering Equipment Company Limited, Safety, Accident & Failure Experts, and Maxim’s Caterers Limited
   Recognition: R&D 100 Winner (Process/Prototyping)

3. i4.0 Digital Lean in Metaverse for Virtualised Process Optimisation
   This is a novel application for production line optimisation performed in the Metaverse, implementing HKPC-patented i4.0 digital lean methodology and based on actual production line settings by virtualisation technology.

   A wide range of parameters, including labour and manufacturing conditions can be adjusted and analysed for optimising a production line virtually, remotely and efficiently.

   With this application, time-saving and cost reduction can be achieved by system intelligence and data analysis in the Metaverse.

   

   Co-Developing Organisation/ Sponsor/ Client: AVATech Innovation Limited
   Recognition: R&D 100 Finalist (Process/Prototyping)

4. Side Seam Topstitching  Machine — Breakthrough  in the Garment Manufacturing Industry

   

   In traditional topstitching, an operator is required to align and move the side seam of a garment through the sewing machine, which is hard, time-consuming and inconsistent.

   This Side Seam Topstitching Machine allows the seam topstitching of sleeve and body to take place simultaneously, simplifying the traditional process and enhancing productivity.

   With the help of gravity and fluid mechanics, the sewing head is canting 90° which enables the needle to move parallel to the horizontal direction.

   Overall production output is increased by 80 per cent and the yield rate is raised from 90 per cent to 99 per cent.

   Co-developing Organisation/ Sponsor/ Client: Ngai Shing Development Limited
   Recognition: R&D 100 Finalist (Process/Prototyping

5. The Second Brain — The Next Generation Plug-and-play IIoT Device for i4.0 Application (Smart Patch)Smart Patch, a “virtual worker” which can actively acquire jobs and report status, is a universal Industrial Internet of Things device compatible with 5G communication, used for collecting and visualising real-time production machine data.

   It aims at providing intelligence to machines with minimal effort to achieve machine-to-machine capabilities and arrange and execute production orders autonomously, which can reduce the risk of production stoppage due to system malfunctioning.

   

   Co-developing Organisation/ Sponsor/ Client: CK One, Luen Tai Hong Kong Fresh Liquid Eggs Limited, Tung Hing Automation Investment Limited, So Li Ah Company Limited, Transformation Company Limited, Winnington Metal & Plastic Manufacturing Company Limited
   Recognition: R&D 100 Finalist (IT/Electrical)

For more information about the 2022 R&D 100 Awards, please visit: https://www.rdworldonline.com/.

Source: HKPC