DEVB teams and its departments achieve outstanding results at International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (with photos)
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The Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, today (March 15) extended her heartfelt congratulations to the teams from the Works Branch of the DEVB and its departments, including the Drainage Services Department (DSD), the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), the Buildings Department (BD), the Water Supplies Department (WSD), the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, and the Highways Department, for receiving multiple awards with their innovative projects at the Exhibition this year. She said, "The DEVB and the works departments have been actively engaging in research and development and applying innovative technologies. Many of the award-winning projects this year have introduced novel solutions in the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics, and drones, gaining international recognition. These projects not only enhance the quality and efficiency of public services and improve cost-effectiveness, but also set a good example for the industry, driving the wider adoption of innovative technologies across the sector and jointly developing Hong Kong into an international infrastructure centre."
The Crawler-type all-terrain survey robot "T300", which was jointly developed by the DSD and a professional team from the Chinese Mainland, won the Saudi Innovation Excellence Prize - Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This marks the first time a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government department has received this prestigious award. Equipped with a zoomable high-resolution camera, LiDAR, and an adaptive lighting system, this robot can capture comprehensive visual and spatial data. Its novel transformable tracked structure allows it to navigate complex and challenging terrain. The robot can simultaneously collect photogrammetric information and point cloud data, enabling the automatic construction of detailed three-dimensional (3D) models of the drainage facilities. Its modular design can also accommodate other sensors, such as the gas detector for monitoring air quality in confined spaces. Inspection data can be automatically uploaded to an AI-powered online condition assessment platform for real-time analysis and rapid generation of inspection reports.
The winning projects of the gold medals with the congratulations of jury are as follows:
1. "FireCheck 4D – A BIM Fire Safety Checker" developed by the BD: This project integrates Building Information Modelling (BIM) automated checking to reform building design and regulatory processes for fire safety compliance, and enables precise spatial analysis and fire protection material tracking.
2. "AI Landslip Warning System" developed by the CEDD: The system applies AI for big data analytics to enhance the accuracy of the predicted number of reported landslides during heavy rainstorms, thereby enhancing its capability for landslide risk assessment and optimising the issuance of Landslip Warning.
3. "CANOPUS - Smart Safety Harness" developed by the CEDD: By integrating Internet of Things (IoT) and worker identification, this system monitors in real-time the behaviour of those who work at height and the environmental conditions, to ensure the workers using the harness properly.
4. "Intelligent occupational health and safety management and monitoring system for confined spaces" developed by the CEDD: This system designed for confined spaces integrates AI vision, gas sensing, ultra-wideband positioning, vital sign monitoring and cloud analytics to deliver continuous detection and instant alerts for abnormal situations.
5. "Personnel real-name system and equipment tracking intelligent software" developed by the CEDD: This software features deep integration of identity verification, high-precision ultra-wideband personnel and equipment tracking, multi-sensor data fusion, electronic permits-to-work (e-PTW), and blockchain-based audit trails. Powered by modular AI technology, the platform enables predictive safety alerts and collaborative emergency response.
6. "i-STAR: Intelligent smart trap analysing robot" developed by the DSD: This robot mainly helps check and verify the structural safety of cover plates. i-STAR integrates artificial intelligence and multiple sensing technologies to monitor in real-time the conditions of cover plates.
7. "AquaMend Rover" developed by the WSD: The robotic crawler designed for urgent water pipeline repairs can navigate inside the pipes to perform welding and maintenance, drastically reducing the working hours of the welders working in the confined spaces.
In addition, the "SmartAERO", a smart drone management platform, which was jointly developed by the DEVB and the CEDD, won a gold medal. The "SmartAERO" enables AI-driven operations to control a fully autonomous drone dock, ensuring smooth, precise and swift drone deployment across diverse environments and in emergency situations.
The International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva is one of the most significant global annual events on inventions. This year, the Exhibition was held from March 11 to 15 in Geneva, Switzerland. About 1 000 inventions from 35 countries and regions were evaluated by the international jury of specialists.
Ends/Sunday, March 15, 2026
Issued at HKT 16:30
Issued at HKT 16:30
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