by: Eric Cheung
·
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Victor Lee has
developed robots that can automatically disinfect shopping malls and deliver
meals in quarantine hotels
· Mattis Tsang says dedication was crucial as
he built a flight simulator to train pilots and students with an emphasis on
aviation safety
· Inside Hong Kong’s busy K11 Musea shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui on the southern tip of Kowloon, a fleet of robots with expressive eyes can be seen moving along different floors and spraying disinfectant into the air.
Named Jasmine, each of these disinfection robots is
equipped with two vents, four wheels and a tank that can store up to 10 liters
of sterilising solution. They also have sensors that are able to detect
obstacles, giving them the ability to move around and sanitise different areas
without the need for human guidance.
The robots are the brainchild of Victor Lee, a Hong Kong
engineer who founded autonomous robotics start-up Rice Robotics two years ago,
and now serves as the company’s CEO. His company is based at Hong Kong Science
Park.
His product is a timely creation amid the ongoing
Covid-19 pandemic, as companies seek new ways to strengthen hygiene standards
and boost customer confidence.
The Jasmine disinfection robots, developed
by Rice Robotics, can be seen disinfecting different floors inside Hong Kong’s
busy K11 Musea shopping mall. Photo: K11 / HKSTP
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, we have found a lot of
demand for new products and new technology,” Lee says. “Our clients want a
robot that can carry out disinfection in an area without human intervention,
and that’s why we came up with the robot.”
Building robots for a safer
tomorrow
However, Lee’s ambition goes well beyond finding
solutions for the pandemic era. He first started Rice Robotics after realizing
that automation has huge potential to make work more efficient for humans.
His inspiration came from a trip to Silicon Valley five
years ago, where Lee noticed robots travelling on sidewalks to pick up and
deliver meals. “I really wanted to bring that type of autonomous robot into
Asia – not just Hong Kong, but all of Asia,” he says.
At the beginning of Rice Robotics’ business journey, Lee’s
team focused its attention on creating a relatively simple solution: a robot
that hotels could use to automatically deliver food and daily necessities to
guest rooms.
Rice, as this compact delivery robot is called, is less
than 80cm tall and is capable of navigating around a multi-storey hotel by
itself. After a staff member enters a room number, the robot gets on the
elevator and makes its way to the doorstep of the designated room, before
sending a message to notify the guests inside.
Rice has proven to be very popular during the pandemic as
Hong Kong’s designated quarantine hotels, such as Nina Hotel Island South
(formerly known as L’hotel Island South) in Wong Chuk Hang, sought ways to
protect their employees from coronavirus risks while providing necessary
services.
“Our clients needed a robot to deliver meals to
quarantine rooms to reduce human-to-human contact,” Lee says.
The Rice delivery robots can travel on
elevators to deliver meals in quarantine hotels, allowing the establishments to
protect their employees while providing necessary services.
Besides quarantine hotels, Rice robots have also been
deployed at the Tokyo headquarters of Japanese tech company SoftBank, where
they are used to deliver snacks and drinks from a convenience store. Japan’s
postal service has also used the robots to deliver mail in a residential
neighbourhood in Chiba prefecture.
There are some concerns across society that automation
may take over jobs and replace humans, but Lee says he has focused on designing
robots that fit into existing workflows to assist workers.
We want to make robots as common as smartphones and laptops in the future
The delivery robots, for example, have enhanced both
safety and efficiency for hotel staff serving travellers in quarantine, as they
no longer have to go to multiple rooms in person to fulfil requests for meals
and other items.
“[Robots] can help humans accomplish a lot of repetitive
work, and it allows us to focus on something more valuable,” Lee says.
Lee says that being based at Hong Kong Science Park, a
key hub for research and development (R&D) providing various forms of
support for tech ventures to develop their businesses, has provided him with
valuable opportunities to connect with clients in the city and around the
world.
“Hong Kong always has the best resources for forming any
type of companies, including robotics companies,” he says. “If you look at
local universities, there are a lot of students with great talents in robotics
… we believe there is huge potential in this market.”
Elevating aviation safety and
know-how
Another company that has leveraged technology to improve
safety and efficiency is Mattis Tsang, a Hong Kong pilot who co-founded
aviation education start-up Aerosim with the goal of making air travel safer.
The company, which was founded in 2014, builds flight
simulators that provide a more accessible option for aviation training and also
help students better understand pilot procedures and safety practices.
According to Tsang, who is also Aerosim’s managing
director, the company’s mission is based on the realisation that the majority
of aviation accidents could have been prevented by better-trained pilots.
The US Federal Aviation Administration estimates that
human error is a contributing factor in up to 80 per cent of aircraft accidents
– for example, a pilot having a delayed response to an emergency situation.
Tsang’s work as a university lecturer several years ago
also provided inspiration for Aerosim. He noticed that many aviation
engineering students would get bored because the courses lacked practical,
hands-on experience. But at that time, flight simulators could cost hundreds of
thousands of US dollars each, making them too expensive to introduce into
classrooms.
“As aviators, we are trying to make flight simulators
more accessible,” Tsang says.
To lower costs, his team carefully planned the design of
the flight simulators so that they could be made with more affordable
materials. Hong Kong Science Park, where Aerosim is based, also suggested
expanding the scale of production by building more simulators to be used for
STEM education in primary and secondary schools.
In 2019, Aerosim unveiled its first simulator, which
resembles the flight deck of a single- or twin-engine aircraft. When seated at
the device, users can control the simulation through a flight control system
and can also practise monitoring engine performance and the altimeters through
a built-in digital display.
Tsang says the simulators are useful for training pilots
in how to respond to different emergencies so that they can build up safety
awareness. The devices also feature an artificial intelligence-powered gaze-tracking system that helps ensure pilots are looking at the right spot at certain
moments.
With the pandemic causing flight disruptions around the
world, Tsang sees new opportunities for Aerosim as pilots look for ways to
practice their skills while many aircraft remain grounded.
“We have an increasing number of inquiries from pilots of
all kinds – private and commercial – who are trying to gain their recency in
flying an aircraft,” he says.
Tsang believes that technology can go a long way towards
elevating safety standards in the aviation sector by assisting pilots, rather
then replacing them. “It will help pilots understand more about themselves, and
check whether they are doing well or if they need a bit of improvement,” he
says.
He also regards Hong Kong as having been a favorable the environment in which to start his business because of its close proximity to
other markets.
“Next to Hong Kong, we have the Greater Bay Area, which
is a market with 72 million people,” Tsang adds. “Hong Kong can also be our
springboard to places like Southeast Asia and Australia, where there is great
potential in aviation.”
Guiding the next generation of
pioneers
Offering advice to other young tech pioneers looking to
make a difference in the world, Lee of Rice Robotics emphasizes that
perseverance is key.
“You have to spend a lot of time talking to clients, and
making sure they understand your product and you understand their needs,” he
says.
Lee also points out that setting up his company in Hong
Kong Science Park allowed him to obtain support in R&D, as well as for
marketing his products to clients in the city and across the region.
For example, Lee was able to test his disinfection robot
at a hotel partnered with the R&D hub and tech incubator before it was sold
to the wider market.
Tsang says one advantage of starting a tech venture at a the well-established incubator is the ability to connect with other innovators who
share similar dreams.
Tsang, whose tech venture is based in Hong
Kong Science Park, says making connections with fellow innovators opens up
opportunities for developing new ideas.
“There are different entrepreneurs, and it is like having
a peer support network,” he says. “Ultimately, you have synergy, and probably
we could do some businesses together or get some great ideas together.”
To anyone who wishes to achieve success in innovation,
Tsang advises that they be fearless and fully dedicated to their goals.
“If you are going to create something or look for new
solutions, you are going to work very long hours and sacrifice a lot of your
personal life,” he adds. “You need to be really, really passionate about your
role or your job.”
Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) is
running HK10X, an initiative that celebrates the success of Hong Kong’s
pioneering innovators. Find out more
here https://www.scmp.com/native/tech/topics/pioneering-spirit/article/3134618/how-hong-kongs-young-innovators-are-using?module=lead_hero_story_6&pgtype=homepage
Courtesy: South China Morning Post
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