- Robots kill virus and spot signs of fever
- City, known as innovation hub, home to robotics firm Roborn Technology
Hong Kong has a thriving entrepreneurial scene supported by significant government funding and infrastructure, to boost the innovation and technology (I&T) sector and create an innovation ecosystem, including enhancing start-up support at Cyberport and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), InnoHK research clusters and Advanced Manufacturing Centre in Tseung Kwan O.
‘Killer’ robot can help keep us safe
Roborn Technology has created a temperature-detection robot, which can show whether people have signs of a fever.
Mark Mak, the company’s chief technology officer and co-founder, says his childhood fascination with robots led him to consider whether they could help combat a virus during the city’s 2003 outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome, or Sars – an atypical pneumonia caused by a type of coronavirus that killed 299 people.
At the start of this year, Roborn developed a proof of concept for its robot, PEP3000, in only 15 days.
The robot – further developed with EMSD’s support – is now being used to check for signs of fever among staff and visitors in a number of government departments.
It uses a thermal camera to measure the temperature on people’s foreheads and saves the footage it records with a 4K ultra-high-definition camera so that anyone who has come into contact with someone with a fever can be traced.
Roborn has also developed a robot called Unicorn, which uses ultraviolet light to kill 99.9 per cent of Covid-19 particles on surfaces inside buildings. Unicorn is also equipped with a 360-degree camera so that it can detect and avoid people while it is cleaning.
Mak says the company, which joined the Cyberport Incubation Programme in 2018, has received a lot of support from Cyberport’s ecosystem, including working alongside other start-ups and being put in contact with investors and potential customers.
Source: SCMP