HK youths drive Bay Area's endeavor to be inno-tech hub

Three years after the Greater Bay Area mapped out its blueprint for becoming a global inno-tech hub, more and more Hong Kong young people are aspiring to pursue greater development in their careers and for the wider society.

In the city's arduous battle against COVID-19, they have risen to the challenge and leveraged the power of technology to increase the odds of winning the fight.

Roscoe Wong Pak-long is one such youngster. To boost the city's vaccination rate, a bottleneck in its anti-pandemic effort, the 26-year-old researcher and his colleagues at Hong Kong Productivity Council co-developed two electronic mobile vaccination vehicles with local motor company Shui Cheong.

Since starting operation in early March, the vehicles have been shuttling through Hong Kong's narrow streets, going to schools and estates to give residents more health safeguards.

Wong said that many older adults and children are still quite nervous and fearful about being vaccinated. Instead of going to other vaccination centers, conducting the process in a familiar environment like schools and estates will help them relax and feel secure.

Each car has three vaccination rooms, and is equipped with a negative air pressure system and a refrigerator to store vaccines. The cars also have low platforms convenient for elders and wheelchair users. There are also small video players inside for children to listen to music and watch cartoons.

Wong said the vaccination vehicles were converted from an electronic minibus and a truck. They were originally designed to promote the greater electronic use of public transportation.

To help those for whom it is an inconvenience to gets jabs in vaccination centers, the team decided to refit the cars for vaccination use and finished the task in less than three months.

He noted that although the pandemic has changed the research plan, the products can still serve the society, just in another way.

Wong developed an affection for cars in childhood, as they transported him to many places. He initially hesitated about whether to take on the job of conducting vehicle-related research, given the city's small auto manufacturing industry.

Propelled by the strong interest, he accepted the offer and has enjoyed the work a lot. After the pandemic, the EV bus will be mass produced to accelerate the pace of greener public transportation in the city, Wong said. He also aspires to develop more homegrown EVs suitable for Hong Kong conditions.

Christy Tang Ka-ying is another young member of the HKPC who is busy with research into anti-pandemic tech products. The 29-year-old consultant has helped design various anti-pandemic robots, and the smart production line that enhances manufacturers' efficiency in the pandemic.

Tang said the robots have served at understaffed locations with large visitor volumes, such as hospitals and metro stations, to undertake simple, repetitive tasks such as answering inquiries and reminding people to wear masks.

During the work, Tang has encountered challenges that are beyond her major in mechanical engineering. She took the initiative to learn various emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and the internet of things, to enhance her ability.

Besides attending lectures and courses offered by the HKPC, Tang took additional lessons and examinations to keep pace with the latest tech trends.

The city's manufacturers and small and medium-sized companies have also motivated themselves to adapt to the changes brought by the pandemic, such as increasing digitalization.

In the future, Tang said she and her colleagues will help businesses with smarter products applying more advanced technologies like virtual reality and 5G, and more detailed operation standards to ensure the products can be safely used.

Both Wong and Tang have noted the positive changes in the scientific and innovation environment in Hong Kong and nearby cities, after the promulgation of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development outline in 2019.

Wong said Shenzhen and other mainland Bay Area cities have seen a rapid development of EVs, especially in the battery safety and drive system. An increasing number of Hong Kong companies have also conducted closer collaboration with mainland cities in this area.

A scientific research organization which aims to boost Hong Kong enterprises' productivity, the HKPC has strengthened collaboration with various Bay Area cities in talent cultivation, supply chain upgrade, robot research, and power supply facilities inspection.

Tang said Hong Kong's innovation and technology atmosphere is getting much better, with greater financial and policy support. Many of her friends have joined related programs and competitions in colleges.

In the past three years, the Hong Kong government has invested tens of billions of dollars to boost the city's inno-tech sector. The fund was mainly used to build international inno-tech platforms, support research centers and laboratories, and foster the cross-border flow of technology talent, funds and equipment.

"Our previous generation dreamed to be professionals like financiers, doctors and lawyers. Young people nowadays are more enthusiastic about taking challenges and more aware of the power of technology. We are aspiring to use technologies to empower more industries and promote social development," Wong said.