DEVB Teams Win 36 Awards at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva

DEVB teams and its departments achieve outstanding results at International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva

The Development Bureau (DEVB) and its departments presented 36 projects at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva and achieved remarkable results by winning 36 awards, comprising the Saudi Innovation Excellence Prize - Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 7 gold medals with the congratulations of jury, 13 gold medals, 11 silver medals, and 4 bronze medals (see Annex), setting a new record for the number of winning awards.

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.

The Development Bureau and its departments, including the Buildings Department, the Civil Engineering and Development Department, the Drainage Services Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Water Supplies Department and the Highways Department, participated in the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva and won numerous prizes. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Development Bureau and its departments, including the Buildings Department, the Civil Engineering and Development Department, the Drainage Services Department (DSD), the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Water Supplies Department and the Highways Department, participated in the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva and won numerous prizes. Photo shows the Director of Drainage Services, Mr Ringo Mok (third left), Deputy Secretary for Development Mr Tony Ho (fourth left) and the DSD team receiving the Saudi Innovation Excellence Prize - Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the award presentation ceremony. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Online pre-registration for public observation for fourth round of evidential hearings of Independent Committee in relation to fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po

The following is issued on behalf of the Independent Committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po:

The Independent Committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po announced today (April 21) that the fourth round of evidential hearings, comprising three hearings, would be held during May 6 to May 8. Members of the public may pre-register for selected hearings under this round that they wish to observe via the online system from 10am on April 23 to 10am on April 26.

The Committee will hear evidence in the evidential hearings on matters in accordance with its terms of reference. The Committee aims to clarify the relevant facts through oral evidence, written submissions, and other forms of evidence presented by witnesses. This will provide an important basis for the preparation of its report and recommendations.

The schedule for the fourth round of three evidential hearings is as follows:

Date

1.

May 6 (Wednesday)

2.

May 7 (Thursday)

3.

May 8 (Friday)

The evidential hearings will be conducted in Cantonese from 10am to 1pm and from 2.15pm to 4.30pm at the Multi-purpose Hall, 3/F, City Gallery, 3 Edinburgh Place, Central. Simultaneous interpretation in Putonghua and English will be provided in the City Gallery.

City Gallery, 3 Edinburgh Place, Central, Photo source: reference image

In the fourth round of evidential hearings, the Committee will continue to receive oral evidence from witnesses. The Committee will release the list of exact witnesses who will be giving evidence at each date of hearing on its website (www.ic-wangfukcourtfire.gov.hk/eng/timetable.html) nearer the time.

Some seats for the hearings will be reserved for the involved parties, and some seats will be open to the public to observe the proceedings. To allow more members of the public to attend the hearings, the proceedings will be broadcast simultaneously in transmission areas set up on the ground floor of the City Gallery and in the Lecture Theatre of the Hong Kong Central Library. Arrangements will be made for some members of the public to observe the hearings in these two areas. A total of about 360 seats will be available for public observation in the main venue and the two transmission areas. About half of the seats will be set aside for residents of Wang Fuk Court on a priority basis. Separate arrangements will be made for the media.

To avoid members of the public queuing outside the venue for a long time, and to allow those who wish to observe the hearings to have certainty of whether seats have been secured before the day of the hearings, for the fourth round of hearings, individuals (including Wang Fuk Court residents) are required to pre-register online (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ic-hearing/en/) from 10am on April 23 to 10am on April 26. Registrants should select on the online registration form the dates they wish to observe (one or more sessions can be selected) and submit the duly completed form. The Secretariat of the Committee will allocate seats on a first-come, first-served basis according to the system's record of the time that the pre-registration forms are received.

Successful registrants will receive a "Confirmation of Successful Registration" for the fourth round of hearings issued by the Secretariat of the Committee by April 30. An SMS notification will be sent from the sender name "#IC-hearing". If an email address is also provided during pre-registration, an email notification will be sent from hearing@ic-wangfukcourtfire.gov.hk. Pre-registration will be considered unsuccessful for those who have not received a notification by that date. Each person can only pre-register for each day of hearing once. Duplicate registrations will not be processed.

According to the current plan, more hearings will be held. Relevant details (including the specific dates of the hearings and the pre-registration arrangements for public observation) will be announced separately.

The Chief Executive established the Committee to review the causes of the fire at Wang Fuk Court and related issues, and to make recommendations to prevent similar incidents from occurring again. The Committee formally commenced its work on December 19, 2025, and the evidential hearings on March 19 to receive oral evidence from witnesses.

Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Photo by Bastille Post