The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) shone again at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, winning a total of 23 awards, including one special award, three gold medals, seven silver medals and twelve bronze medals. Our gold-medal winning projects are the Smart Antifouling Seawater Screen, the Integrated Self-sustained renewable-Energy Explorer (iSEE), and the Tramway Derailment and Collision Prevention System which also won the special award.
The Tramway Derailment and Collision Prevention System is the world’s first real-time detection system applied to double-decker trams. Through the satellite positioning system and two sets of lidar installed on the top and bumper area of the tram, it can detect whether there is any object on the tramway track in real time and trigger alert to the driver so as to prevent derailment accidents from occurring due to the collision of tram wheels with other objects, and to enhance tram safety. With this achievement, we hope to encourage the industry to continue to embrace innovation and technology and improve the safety of railway-related facilities for the benefit of the public.
The Smart Antifouling Seawater Screen can serve as an important auxiliary facility for electrical and mechanical (E&M) systems and would bring numerous benefits. Seawater is the major cooling media for various E&M systems, such as central air-conditioning systems. These systems are equipped with filter screens for seawater filtration and such screens have to be regularly cleaned to avoid the accumulation of biofouling that would impede water flow. While cleaning seawater screens requires physical labour involving lifting operation and repetitive manual cleaning work, the Smart Antifouling Seawater Screen developed by the EMSD can reduce cleaning labour and lower related costs. The Smart Antifouling Seawater Screen adopts the ultrasound technology to avert the formation of biofilm on the seawater screen, thereby preventing marine organisms from inhabiting the screen. Its smart fouling index analysis function also enables auto adjustment of the magnitude and operation time of ultrasonic wave emission. Apart from reducing the frequency of lifting and cleaning tasks, saving nearly 80% of labour costs as a result, this invention also lowers safety and health risks of workers and helps formulate predictive maintenance strategies. Moreover, the smart screen works and provides antifouling effect during operation of the E&M system it serves, without affecting the proper functioning and performance of the system. This technology can be incorporated into different custom-made solutions and widely applied to other seawater-related systems.
The iSEE, another gold medal-winning project, is used for gathering weather and renewable energy system data. This multi-functional, new invention accurately assesses the renewable energy potential for power generation of a site and can be configured to be used with existing systems to provide real-time monitoring, fault diagnosis, predictive maintenance and system optimisation recommendations. Easy and handy to use, the iSEE adopts an all-in-one and portable design, with solar panels and batteries installed for electricity self-sufficiency, and a plug-and-play feature that allows quick deployment anywhere. Regarding the maintenance, instead of arranging regular maintenance by users, the iSEE automatically schedules maintenance based on actual needs to minimise operational costs and maximise returns. Besides, the data collected by the iSEE will be shared on a platform, which will help users enhance efficiency and facilitate global asset management and technical collaboration. Users can compare their power generation efficiency with nearby users through the platform and seek to improve production capacity. Academia can use regional data for research and development, and the Government can apply them for formulating responsive policies in a timely manner to help address the climate crisis. Offering stakeholders one-stop recommendations for decision-making, the iSEE is conducive to stimulating renewable energy investment and development, promoting a green economy and achieving carbon neutrality in the long run.
Apart from the abovementioned projects, other award-winning projects also make great contribution in various aspects. Take transportation as an example, we have developed the Free-flow Tolling System, the Rail Track Collision Object Detection System, the Passenger Misbehaviour Detection System, etc. For environmental hygiene, the award-winning solutions include the Smart Toilet Management System and the Robotics-enabled Fogger on Mosquito Control. As for communication system, the Integrated Intelligent Communication System and the Speech-to-text Hub have been developed.
Being the Innovation Facilitator of the Government, the EMSD continues to introduce new technologies to improve its services, enhance work efficiency, reduce costs and control risks, in an effort to drive the smart city development with client departments.
Committed to leveraging the use of innovation and technology (I&T), the EMSD has been customising suitable I&T solutions for client venues. Recently, in furnishing the E&M facilities of the new Immigration Headquarters (HQ), we introduce the smart integrated Building Management System (iBMS) to the buildings, with a view to effectively boosting asset management efficiency, and thereby reducing labour and time costs required in daily operation.
The new Immigration HQ will adopt various smart systems, including the Smart Access Control System and Smart Directory System, to strengthen management of and provide convenience to persons entering and leaving the buildings. With facial recognition devices installed at the staff entrance, the Smart Access Control System will only allow authorised personnel with valid access cards or verified biometric identities to access the buildings, enhancing the security level and operational efficiency of the new Immigration HQ. Besides, the Smart Directory System can guide visitors to their destinations through an interactive digital display.
Apart from that, the Fever Screening System and Headcount Sensor Control System will also be installed in the new HQ to reduce the risk of disease transmission and manage the flow of people. The Fever Screening System will check the body temperature of persons entering the buildings through thermal imaging technology, facilitating early detection of and timely assistance to persons with abnormal temperature. The Headcount Sensor Control System will make use of sensors installed in the common area of the buildings and dynamic technologies to count and record the number of visitors in real time more accurately, thus helping the Immigration Department to better manage the crowd and deploy its staff.
Before commencement of the project, the EMSD actively communicates with the Immigration Department to understand their needs and recommends the most appropriate innovative technology accordingly. Throughout the entire project implementation, from design, planning, contractor management, installation and testing to delivery, we work closely with our client, with a view to providing the most suitable and effective smart E&M solutions to enhance the daily operational efficiency of the venue.
The first generation of the Internet of Things(IoT)-enabled Smart Toilet Bowl Cleaning System developed by the EMSD was awarded the Gold Medal at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva 2021. The team has continued to make advancement by utilising innovative technologies, and eventually upgraded the system to its second generation, which was given a trial run at the EMSD Headquarters. We will invite client departments to come and experience the system’s performance, as well as exploring its wider application in toilets in different venues upon completion of its commissioning in June.
Both the performance and functionality of the second generation of the IoT-enabled Smart Toilet Bowl Cleaning System have been improved, making it more convenient for application and management in different venues. Compared to the first generation of the system, the new design adds in a full auto mode, providing autonomous cleaning function. The new generation of the system consists of a toilet bowl cleaning robot, an automated guided vehicle, and an IoT-based sanitation monitoring platform. The system can collect data on the usage and odour level of individual toilet cubicles in real time and provide real-time data analysis to monitor the cleanliness of toilets. The second generation of the toilet bowl cleaning robot also features a brand new design that includes an auto-navigation chassis and an enhanced cleaning function, which improves cleaning results. In addition to scheduled cleaning, the robot can increase the frequency of cleaning by navigating itself to individual toilet cubicles according to the actual needs deduced from IoT data monitoring. The robot employs artificial intelligence to carry out real-time image analysis of the inner wall of toilet bowls, and assesses their cleanliness which are categorised into three levels, namely “clean”, “normal” and “dirty”. Upon the assessment, the robot uses specific cleaning modes with varying amount of water and scrubbing procedures to clean the inner walls and rims of the toilet bowls. Following the cleaning process, the robot will evaluate the cleaning results and initiate another cleaning cycle if stains are still found.
Smart toilets are an essential and indispensable facility of a smart city. The new IoT-enabled Smart Toilet Bowl Cleaning System not only enhances hygiene of toilets and lowers the risk of the spread of germs and viruses, but also improves the working environment of cleaning staff and reduces their workload, achieving a comprehensive enhancement of management effectiveness of toilets with innovative technologies.
Please visit the website to view the demonstration video of the second generation of the IoT-enabled Smart Toilet Bowl Cleaning System: http://bit.ly/3PGjeLH (Chinese version only)
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Trading Fund (EMSTF) has been committed to providing clients with comprehensive, high-quality and reliable E&M services. By conducting the Customer Opinion Survey (COS) biennially, we are able to better understand clients’ needs and improve service quality continually. The COS 2022 has been held and its results consolidated. We commissioned an independent market research company to conduct the COS 2022, for which a total of 1 822 questionnaires were distributed. The response rate reached 58.7%, an increase of more than 10% compared to that of the last survey (48.1%), indicating clients’ increased willingness to express their opinions.
The results showed growth in customer satisfaction for a number of key items. Based on an 8-point scale, the Customer Satisfaction Index rose from 6.83 in 2020 to 7.03 in 2022, and the overall Service Competitiveness Index rose from 6.85 to 7.06 for the same period. Both indexes hit historical highs. Significantly higher scores were given on all our service areas, including Operation and Maintenance of Equipment, Project Management and Consultancy and Vehicle Engineering Services. Besides, all items under Service Competitiveness, such as “flexibility and adaptability”, “commitment”, “application of innovation and technology”, “value for money”, etc. saw improvements in scores, reflecting our strong competitive advantage.
Four main reasons for clients to continue to choose EMSTF engineering services
Over the past two years, with reference to the COS 2020 results, we proactively made improvements on four major areas, including “ability for innovation and application of innovation and technology”, “worthy to continue using EMSTF engineering services and value for money”, “management of contractors” as well as “flexibility, adaptability and commitment”. With our scores in these areas higher in the COS 2022 than in the last survey, it is evident that our efforts have been paid off.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to client departments for their support for the EMSTF. In the future, the EMSTF will continue to work closely with clients, listen carefully to their needs and make constant efforts to enhance the service quality, serving as a reliable E&M engineering service partner, and strong and agile E&M support team.
The third Five-year Strategic Plan (the Plan) of the EMSTF was officially launched in April this year. The Plan sets out four major innovative strategies as well as twelve strategic tasks, providing clear guidelines for the EMSTF to enhance E&M engineering services in the next five years. To complement the Plan, we introduced the “E&M 3.0 - Intelligent E&M” logo, which symbolises the start of a new era.
The logo features the head of a robot, the four parts of which respectively represent the four innovative strategies of the Plan, while its components symbolise the twelve strategic tasks. The four shapes constituting the side profile of the robot’s face respectively represent the four strategic tasks of the strategy “Providing Customer-oriented Innovative Services”, signifying that the EMSTF makes good use of technologies to provide clients with well-suited innovative solutions. The tree image at the top of the logo, formed by the tree crown-like crimson network pattern and the trunk it linked with, represents the strategy “Innovating Business Processes”, while the three green dots in the crown represent the three relevant strategic tasks. The network pattern also forms the brain of the robot, indicating that the EMSTF improves business processes with innovative thinking. The trunk and the three human figures on the right represent the three strategic tasks of the strategy “Building an Innovative and Excellent Work Team”, denoting the concerted effort of our staff in facilitating the passing on of knowledge and experience, as well as nurturing the young generation. The two navy gears represent the two strategic tasks of the strategy “Strengthening Innovative Collaboration between Stakeholders”, implying that the EMSTF is committed to collaborating with various stakeholders to achieve a win-win situation.
More updates of the Plan and successful cases will be provided in future issues of VoiceLink. For details of the Plan, please visit the dedicated website (http://5yearplan.emsd.gov.hk) and subscribe to the relevant e-newsletter for the latest updates.
Hailed as the Oscars of the information and communications technology (ICT) industry, the Asia Pacific Information and Communications Technology Alliance (APICTA) Awards aims to promote ICT innovation and development of ICT solutions among countries in Asia-Pacific region. The 21st APICTA Awards was held in Islamabad, Pakistan in December last year. At the event, the “Smart City Management – The Regional Digital Control Centre (RDCC) & AI Platform” of the EMSD shone across the globe by clinching the Winner Award in the “Technology – Big Data Analytics” category. Leveraging artificial intelligence and big data analytics, the project carried out real-time monitoring and analysis of the operating status of E&M equipment, issued alerts for repair and maintenance timely and enhanced energy management. The award brought great encouragement to the EMSD team, prompting them to develop more predictive maintenance solutions in the future.
The EMSD has endeavoured to promote knowledge management with innovative solutions, with a view to constantly enhancing the efficiency and quality of work of staff, and thereby providing even better services to the public. The achievements of the EMSD in this regard gained both local and international recognition. The EMSD received the Hong Kong Most Innovative Knowledge Enterprise (MIKE) Award 2022 from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in October 2022. Furthermore, in December of the same year, the EMSD won the Global MIKE Award 2022, the International Judging Panel of which comprised experts in innovation practices and knowledge management around the world. They studied the best practices and successful experience of institutions in promoting knowledge management and were authoritative in the realm. We are delighted to receive the above awards. In the future, we will remain dedicated to promoting knowledge management and innovation development to bring greater benefits to our clients, partners and the general public for community betterment.
Mr. Yeung Sau-kuen, Sammy has been appointed as Acting Assistant Director/2 of the EMSD with effect from 17 April 2023. He leads the Engineering Services Branch 2, which comprises the General Engineering Services Division, Municipal Sector Division and Health Sector Divisions, and oversees the E&M engineering services that the EMSTF provides to clients and their venues, such as government premises, public cultural and recreational venues and public health organisations.