HONG KONG, April 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) showcase a diverse range of emerging solutions for smart city innovation at the third edition of InnoEX, running from 13-16 April at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. ASTRI’s technologies on display include advancements in the low-altitude economy (LAE), smart manufacturing, smart mobility, and smart pharmacy, underscoring Hong Kong’s growing influence in the global innovation and technology (I&T) arena.
Driving I&T Collaboration
As Hong Kong’s leading R&D centre, ASTRI remains steadfast in its mission to accelerate I&T commercialisation, supporting industry transformation and enhancing operational efficiency, said Ir Sunny Lee, Board Chairman of ASTRI. "At InnoEx, we engage with high-quality potential partners from home and abroad, exploring future partnerships through our cutting-edge, market-ready solutions," he said. "ASTRI celebrates its silver jubilee in 2025. To mark this milestone, we have set up a ‘time-tunnel’ at our booth to reflect on ASTRI’s achievements over the past 25 years. As we enter a golden era for I&T development, we remain committed to leveraging technology for societal advancement, enabling smarter living and driving the development of new quality productive forces in Hong Kong."
Ir Chris Chong, Acting CEO and Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI said ASTRI’s award-wining technologies have been well-received by the industry. To date, ASTRI has been granted 1,100 patents and has completed 1,500 technology transfers. "We are excited to exhibit at InnoEX once again to showcase our R&D outcomes. We look forward to fostering deeper collaborations among the government, industry, academia, researchers and investors. By working together, we can expedite the journey of I&T breakthroughs from laboratory to the market, further solidifying Hong Kong’s position as a global I&T hub."
Showcasing Cutting-Edge Technologies
InnoEX is jointly organised by the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau of the HKSAR Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). As Asia’s flagship I&T event, it has attracted distinguished visitors, including government officials and industry leaders keen to explore Hong Kong’s thriving I&T ecosystem.
Visitors to ASTRI’s booth (3C-E03) in Hall 3C are introduced to an impressive array of pioneering technologies that promise to transform industries and enhance quality of life. These include:
- Smart LAE Delivery: This UAV-based solution delivers lightweight packages across urban areas with exceptional precision. Utilising ASTRI’s RSU-Assisted GNSS-RTK Visual/INS Tightly-Coupled Positioning Algorithm, the system maintains accurate positioning even amid NLOS disturbances. This enables the UAV to deliver critical medicine efficiently and reliably to patients during emergencies. By circumventing urban traffic congestion, ASTRI’s aerial delivery system significantly outpaces traditional vehicle-based delivery methods.
- Smart Pharmacy: The Smart Pharmacy initiative was first outlined in the Hospital Authority’s Strategic Plan 2022-2027. In line with this visionary development, ASTRI has developed an innovative and effective Sensing Fusion Platform for Accurate and Smart Dispensing. The platform is designed to improve both the accuracy and efficiency of pharmacy operation in public hospitals, while alleviating the workload of frontline staff. To minimise the risk of human error, it introduces a range of unique features, including instant access to drug information, real-time monitoring of medication types and quantities, analysis of staff workloads and activities, and early warning alerts.
- Smart Mobility with C-V2X: ASTRI’s Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) technology facilitates seamless communications between vehicles, pedestrians, roadside infrastructure, and networks. This ensures that road users receive timely reports and warnings, enhancing road safety effectively.C-V2X technology can be applied to real-time traffic monitoring, incident management, and route planning, significantly improving traffic efficiency. In the long run, C-V2X technology will play a crucial role in advancing autonomous driving by helping vehicles detect hidden dangers, further enhancing road safety and supporting the development of autonomous transportation systems.
- Smart Mobility with Risk Map: The Risk Map System, co-developed by ASTRI and MTRC, provides an automated and efficient way for managing, monitoring and alerting the condition and position of trackside equipment, and ultimately to enhance maintenance efficiency and railway safety. The innovation won the bronze medal at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.
- Smart Manufacturing with IndustriNET 5G: ASTRI’s invention, IndustriNet, facilitates time-sensitive communications over 5G network through novel time synchronisation methods. It enhances the capabilities of 5G networks, making them suitable for applications in smart manufacturing and smart transportation. The solution fulfils smart factories’ demanding requirements for high mobility and dependable wireless networking, expediting the advancement of new industrialisation. It garnered the gold medal at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.
- Smart Manufacturing with TrainLite: As manufacturers increasingly seek to upgrade and transform their operations with technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), many face the challenge of lacking access to mature big data systems. To address this general industry pain point, the TrainLite platform empowers manufacturers to develop AI learning prototypes using limited datasets. This enables automated quality inspection on production lines at a lower cost while simultaneously enhancing production efficiency and quality. TrainLite’s technology is versatile and applicable across a wide range of products, including fabrics, printed circuit boards, chips, automobiles, and displays. It received the Special Award for Innovation – King Abdulaziz University at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.
Championing Innovation at the Forum
As a panellist at the "Tech-Driven Industry and Economy Conference Powered by HKSARG OASES" this morning, Ir Chris Chong shared insights into ASTRI’s successful R&D projects and demonstrate how technology transfer and commercialisation are turning innovative ideas into market-ready solutions. Tomorrow (14 April), he will take the stage as the moderator for the Innovation Forum: France-Hong Kong Shaping Green Efficiency, Smart Mobility & Digital Transformation, organised by Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau and Business France, to explore the role of technology in shaping future smart city.
Promoting Cross-Sectors I&T Partnership
InnoEX is running concurrently with the HKTDC Electronics Fair (Spring Edition). The two fairs bring together 2,800 exhibitors from 29 countries and regions, attracting global visitors to facilitate collaboration and knowledge exchange across industries.
ASTRI Corporate Website – https://www.astri.org
InnoEX – https://www.hktdc.com/event/innoex/en
Photos Download: https://bit.ly/3FT2kGA
ASTRI’s innovative technologies shine at InnoEX which opens today (13 April) at the HKCEC
Picture shows ASTRI Board Chairman Ir Sunny Lee (fourth from left), ASTRI Acting CEO and Chief Operating Officer Chris Chong (fifth from right) and the team welcome Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Professor Sun Dong (fifth from left), Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Ms Lillian Cheong (third from left), and HKTDC Assistant Executive Director Ms Jenny Koo (fourth from right) at ASTRI’s booth (3C-E03)
The special “time-tunnel” design of ASTRI’s booth highlighted the institute’s 25 years of I&T achievements
Ir Chris Chong, Acting Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI shares insights on how technology transfer and commercialisation are turning innovative ideas into market-ready solutions at the “Tech-Driven Industry and Economy Conference Powered by HKSARG OASES” seminar
About ASTRI
Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) was founded by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2000 with the mission of enhancing Hong Kong’s competitiveness through applied research. ASTRI’s core R&D competence in various areas is grouped under five Technology Divisions: Advanced Electronic Components and Systems; Artificial Intelligence and Trust Technologies; Communications Technologies; Intelligent Perception and Control Technologies, and IoT Sensing and AI Technologies. It is applied across six core areas which are Smart City, Financial Technologies, New Industrialisation and Intelligent Manufacturing, Digital Health, Application Specific Integrated Circuits and Metaverse.
Over the years, ASTRI has nurtured a pool of research, I&T talents and received numerous international awards for its pioneering innovations as well as outstanding business and community contributions. ASTRI has transferred more than 1,500 technologies to the industry and has been granted over 1,100 patents in the Mainland, the United States, and other countries. For further information, please visit www.astri.org.