The Housing Bureau (HB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Hong Kong Center for Construction Robotics (HKCRC) today (January 16) for the establishment of a strategic partnership. The MoU signing aims to enhance cooperation in public housing construction and property management. and jointly develop and apply innovative construction technologies, with a  view of providing solutions to address challenges including large-scale housing production, the shortage of the construction labour force, continuous enhancement of site safety, etc. 

The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho (front row, fourth right); the Acting Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Ms Lillian Cheong (front row, fourth left); the Permanent Secretary for Housing/Director of Housing, Miss Rosanna Law (front row, third right); the Chairman of the Board of the HKCRC, Dr Kim Shin-cheul (front row, third left); the Associate Director of the HKCRC, Dr Liang Haobo (back row, fourth left), and other guests at the signing ceremony

Witnessed by Ms Ho; the Acting Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Ms Lillian Cheong; and the Chairman of the Board of the HKCRC, Dr Kim Shin-cheul, the Permanent Secretary for Housing/Director of Housing, Miss Rosanna Law, signed the MOU with the Associate Director of the HKCRC, Dr Liang Haobo.

The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho (back row, centre); the Acting Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Ms Lillian Cheong (back row, left); the Chairman of the Board of the HKCRC, Dr Kim Shin-cheul (back row, right), the Permanent Secretary for Housing/Director of Housing, Miss Rosanna Law (front row, left); the Associate Director of the HKCRC, Dr Liang Haobo (front row, right)

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the associate Vice-President of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Board Chairman of HKCRC, Dr Shin Cheul Kim, said that established by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology(HKUST) in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, HKCRC is one of the research and development centres under AIR@InnoHK. It is committed to bringing advanced technologies such as robotics, automation, and AI into the construction industry, developing highly applicable innovative products, and dedicated to promoting the transformation and upgrading of the traditional construction industry. Driving industry transformation through innovation has always been one of the missions of the HKUST. Over years, HKUST has achieved remarkable results, with over 1,700 active startup companies and 9 unicorn companies, such as DJI, GoogolTech, and CIDI. HKCRC is honoured to have the opportunity to collaborate with the Housing Bureau and confident to fully transfer and apply the technological research outcomes in the field of construction. HKCRC sincerely hopes to witness the emergence of groundbreaking companies like DJI in the realm of intelligent construction.

Ms Winnie Ho, the Secretary for Housing, said that she felt honoured to work with the HKCRC led by Professor Li Zexiang of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering. With the HKCRC's rich experience in research and development as well as application, the HB expects that by utilising public housing sites as a testing ground, the collaboration can inject more innovation and technology impetus into Hong Kong's construction industry and turn the immense market demand and challenges faced by the industry into development opportunities for construction technologies.

Ms Lillian Cheong, Acting Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, said that Hong Kong government is actively driving the advancement of innovation and technology, with the key project of InnoHK aimed at establishing Hong Kong as a world-leading center for research and development. HKCRC, as one of the research and development centres under AIR@InnoHK, focuses on AI and robotics technology. It eagerly anticipates integrating more research achievements into the Hong Kong construction industry. Hong Kong government also envisions fostering a close relationship between the InnoHK center and industries. This collaboration will accelerate the research and development of innovative products and their practical application, ultimately enhancing productivity.

Dr Liang Haobo, the Associate Director of the HKCRC, introduced the three main directions of this collaboration: smart tower cranes, smart construction sites, and smart estates.

Smart Tower Cranes——In order to enable workers to remotely control the tower crane at ground level or indoors and enhance the operational efficiency and safety, the two parties will  jointly develop a smart tower crane system. This system will incorporate IoT and AI technologies to enable three-dimensional information construction around the crane, automatic obstacle avoidance, remote control and automatic planning of lifting paths through, aiming at  realising "unmanned" cranes in the long run and making crane operations simpler and more efficient.

Smart Construction Sites——Different smart equipment and innovative technologies will be implemented in construction sites, prefabrication facilities, and MiC factories, ultimately transforming traditional construction sites into smart sites. HKCRC has already developed many construction robots, for example, rebar tying robot provides valuable assistance to workers to enhance working efficiency; transportation robot brings positive impacts to both construction sites and MiC factories, which can reduce the labour intensity and increase efficiency; colored 3D scanner and wheeled-legged robot prove instrumental in collecting 3D information of construction site and assist engineers in quality inspection.

Smart Estates——Both parties intend to incorporate robotic technology, such as cleaning robots and transportation robots. The utilisation of the IoT, AI and mobile devices, will facilitate daily estate management, enhance work efficiency of frontline staff.