Homegrown techs shine at China's 15th National Games

A spectacular array of homegrown technologies will be applied at the upcoming 15th National Games of China for a greener and smarter event, demonstrating the technological integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Held across south China's vibrant city cluster, the 15th National Games, along with the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games, will officially run from November 9 to 21.

With the country's largest national multi-sport event held every four years just around the corner, research institutes and tech companies have unveiled their latest developments that will help ensure smooth operations of the games.

The Fok Ying Tung Research Institute affiliated with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), based in Guangdong's provincial capital city Guangzhou, will apply its nano passive radiative cooling technology to workers' hats and jackets during the National Games. The same paint will also be sprayed on almost 100 volunteer service stations, expected to reduce carbon emissions by 200 tons. After the event, some of the booths will stay on as community service hubs.

"It's inspired by Saharan silver ants. The coating cools surfaces by over 15 degrees and indoor spaces by 3 to 5 degrees. Developed by several Hong Kong universities, it's the first time this technology has been turned into a paint and commercialized on the mainland," said Zhu Longqian, director of the Building Energy Research Center of HKUST Fok Ying Tung Research Institute.

SeekLane Technology, a local startup in Guangzhou incubated by the HKUST, will offer smart indoor-outdoor navigation, with accuracy within three meters.

"We use Bluetooth for indoor positioning, and BeiDou and GPS outdoors, delivering seamless navigation between both environments," said Luo Huawei, sales director of Culture and Sports Division at SeekLane Technology.

These innovations are part of a broader effort to transform Hong Kong's research achievements into real-world solutions. Researchers said that the National Games have provided them with an opportunity to gain more commercial traction.

"Thanks to the games' exposure, our startups are already being approached for partnerships," said Gao Min, director of HKUST Fok Ying Tung Research Institute.

Meanwhile, some mature industries and technologies are taking advantage of the National Games to innovate their products and services and try out new practices.

In Guangzhou, more than a hundred of unmanned robotaxies will be on call around the clock during the National Games, offering rides between major venues, the media center, hotels, and transportation hubs. The service provider, Pony.ai, has launched its seventh-generation vehicles, which are smarter and safer, while seeking to address deeper issues within the ride-hailing industry.

"Some drivers are working dangerously long hours just to earn more. Autonomous vehicles, tested extensively on complex public roads, offer a safer alternative. And at the same time, we're also creating new types of jobs," said Huang Kailin, deputy general manager of Pony.ai Guangzhou-Shenzhen Research and Development Center.

Homegrown techs shine at China's 15th National Games

China's 16th Arctic Ocean expedition achieved the country's first video call spanning the North and South Poles on September 25, coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival, using a domestically developed satellite system with a delay of no more than one second.

The expedition deployed four vessels -- Xuelong, Xuelong 2, Jidi, and Tansuo 3 -- to study extreme environmental changes in the Arctic amid accelerating global warming. On September 29, China's research icebreakers Xuelong and Xuelong 2 returned to Shanghai after completing their missions, while Jidi and Tansuo 3 continue their expedition tasks and are expected to return in mid-October following a three-month journey.

The expedition team held a satellite video conversation with China's Antarctic Qinling Station, extending festive greetings to their polar scientific research counterparts and testing a large-scale constellation designed to provide global broadband internet and support integrated space-Earth 6G networks.

"This is the first time that China has used a domestically developed communications satellite system to make a video call across the largest latitude span," said Liu Feng, a senior engineer at the National Marine Data and Information Service.

The around-13,000-satellite GW constellation, led by China Satellite Network Group (SatNet), is China's first mega low Earth orbit satellite internet project. During the polar test, the maximum uplink and downlink speed reached around 30 megabits per second, equivalent to taking about 10 minutes to download a 1GB file. The equipment can also be used for emergency rescue and maritime communications.

"During the test period, it also supported real-time communications among Xuelong, Jidi, Tansuo 3, the National Marine Data and Information Service and the Polar Research Center. After Jidi and Tansuo 3 entered ice zone operation areas, their communication could not be guaranteed. So file transfers and navigation logs had to be transmitted through the SatNet equipment," said Zhang Bin, an engineer at the National Marine Data and Information Service. The successful test of the domestically produced satellite communication equipment marks China's independent control over polar region communications. The equipment ensures that data remains within the country, effectively safeguarding data security.

China holds first video call between North, South Poles via homegrown satellite system