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.