HONG KONG, July 2, 2015
/PRNewswire/ -- Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
("HKSTP") concluded the Robotics portion of its APAC Innovation
Summit 2015 Series last week, an event that brought together over
600 robotics experts from 14 economies to map out the global future
of robotics, and Hong Kong's role
in helping to take the industry to the next level.
"The APAC Innovation Summit 2015 Series is part of HKSTP's
Connect, Collaborate and Catalyse approach to continually drive
innovation in Hong Kong," said Mr
Allen Ma, CEO of HKSTP. "The
Robotics session not only gave overseas and local talent and
companies an exciting opportunity to showcase their creativity and
prototypes; it also solidified Hong
Kong's position as being an ideal location for developing
the next generation of robotics."
"Hong Kong is set to become one
of the key centres for robotics development in the Asia-Pacific
Region. The city has well-developed infrastructure, from
state-of-the-art research facilities that can be found at Hong Kong
Science Park to having an abundance of investors or funds looking
to support robotic start-ups, as well as having the right talents
and strong research support from academia. The proximity to the
Chinese Mainland market also makes Hong
Kong an ideal launch pad for product commercialisation." Ma
continued.
"To accelerate robotics development in Hong Kong hence the city's contribution to the
global development in robotics, HKSTP is now working with local
experts from different disciplines to form a robotics alliance to
further drive the applications and development of robotics
technology. We expect to see expedited progress in robotics
technology in Hong Kong as the
city endeavours to transform its industrial base into advanced
manufacturing." Ma added.
Robotics Technology Highlights
According to the South Korean Ministry of Knowledge Economy, the
global robotics market will soar to US$100
billion by 2018. During the Summit, participants congregated
to explore the technology development and market potentials of
robotics in the Homecare, Edutainment, Industrial Automation and
Medical fields.
Renowned academic experts taking centre stage sharing their
vision during the Summit were Prof. Robert
Riener from ETH Zurich, Prof. Dario
Floreano from Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne,
Prof. Gordon Cheng from Technishe
Universitat Munchen, Prof. Ning Xi from Michigan State University and Prof. Norman Tien from the University of Hong Kong. Industrial specialists
unveiling their latest robotics applications included Mr
Kay Matzner from Fraunhofer
Gesellschaft (IFF), Mr Marc
Papageorge from Spec Sensors and Mr Cristian Fanucci from Comau Robotics.
Phoenix, a modular robotic
exoskeleton system designed for in-home use and created by Prof.
Homayoon Kazerooni of University of California, Berkeley, was one of the
most anticipated topics during the event. Complementing this
assistive robotic system was a prosthesis created for the upcoming
Cybathlon, a competition in which amputees will use cutting-edge
powered devices to compete.
Hanson Robotics, a Hong Kong Science Park's partner company
showcased its latest generation of AI technology during the two-day
event. The company's humanoids, which feature state-of-the-art AI,
from hardware to software, can interact with their environment and
the people in it. The company's goal is to create AI that develops
understanding and compassion towards mankind while the human race
will in return gain deepened self-understanding through the data
collected and analysed by humanoids.
Prototypes of drones were also featured at the Summit, including
autonomous, pocket-size, bio-inspired drones with self-deploying
arms and insect-inspired drones with compound eyes. The next
generation solution for monitoring air pollutants using
electro-chemical sensors attached to drones was also introduced at
the Summit.
Explore the future of cities at 2015 AIS Series: Smart
Cities
The 2015 AIS series has successfully promoted the exchange of
knowledge among professionals. From the Summit survey more than 98%
of the respondents said that they had established solid business
contacts during the event. To enable overseas delegates and
potential collaboration partners to cement their partnership,
business networking meetings and company visits were arranged by
HKSTP after the Summit. HKSTP will continue to steer such
cross-border and cross-discipline collaborations. The next
symposium under AIS 2015 Series will be on Smart Cities in late
September. Stay tuned!
www.hkstp.org
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150702/227720
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150702/227721
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150702/227722
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150702/227723
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hong-kongs-robotics-industry-set-for-accelerated-development-after-hkstps-apac-innovation-summit-2015-series---robotics-300108224.html
SOURCE Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation