HyD wins Gold Medal at Silicon Valley International Invention Festival 2019

     Following the winning of the Gold Award of the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2019 – Smart Mobility Award (Smart Transportation Stream), and the Honorable Mention Prize of the Chinese Delegation for Invention and Innovation as well as a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury at the 47th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, the intelligent robotic system, the development of which was initiated by the Highways Department (HyD) and which was co-invented and successfully built by the HyD and the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), was awarded a Gold Medal at the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival 2019 in the United States yesterday (June 26, Silicon Valley time).
      
     Held annually, the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival 2019 attracts exhibitors from around the globe, including business enterprises, research institutions and universities, to put their inventions and innovations on display. Held between June 24 and 26, this year's exhibition attracted exhibitors from 25 countries and regions, presenting about 600 inventions. The HyD and the HKPC jointly presented at the exhibition the co-invented intelligent robotic system, which is the first of its kind in the world to be fitted with cameras, sensors and robotic arms and able to understand its surroundings with full cognitive abilities for placing and collecting traffic cones and lanterns on public roads.
      
     The HyD always attaches great importance to safety in road works, accords first priority to the safety of engineering site staff and has been striving to enhance safety protection for the carrying out of road works on public roads. Given that the engineering site staff may face a higher risk when setting up and collecting traffic cones and lanterns on public roads late at night, the HyD has therefore been studying the use of advanced technology to adopt an automated approach to replace engineering site staff carrying out relevant works in dangerous situations in order to protect their safety. To this end, the HyD and the HKPC have successfully co-invented the automated intelligent robotic system suitable for use under road conditions in Hong Kong, and are currently carrying out detailed design for the formal application of the intelligent robotic system in road works. Upon completion of design and assembly, site trials will be carried out with a view to commencing its use on public roads in the near future.
 
Ends/Friday, June 28, 2019