HKPC’s "Autonomous Air-ground Cooperative Tunnel Inspector" Claims 2025 Edison Awards Gold for the First Time

World's Pioneering Drone Solution Achieving Millimetre-level Precision
Setting a New Benchmark for Smart Sites in Hong Kong

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 7 April 2025 - ​The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), the Civil Engineering and Development Department, and the Hyder-Meinhardt Joint Venture have co-developed the "Autonomous Air-ground Cooperative Tunnel Inspector" in the Trunk Road T2 and Cha Kwo Ling Tunnel project.

This system integrates artificial intelligence (AI), multi-robot systems and precise positioning technique in GPS-denied environments, further advancing the intelligence, automation, and digitalisation of tunnel inspection in Hong Kong. HKPC is pleased to announce that this system has been awarded the Gold Award at the prestigious global Edison Awards, marking the third consecutive year that HKPC's research projects have received this international recognition, and it is the first time receiving the honour of a Gold Award, highlighting the ongoing excellence of Hong Kong's research achievements.

Hon Sunny TAN, Chairman of HKPC mentioned: "Winning the Edison Award again is a significant recognition of collaboration between Hong Kong's Government, industry, academia and research sectors. This locally-developed groundbreaking system integrates air-ground collaboration, edge AI computing, and millimetre-level positioning technology that well overcomes the difficulty of positioning in GPS-denied environments. The system has been successfully applied to major infrastructure projects in Hong Kong, replacing the traditional manual inspection at heights. It not only brings safer tunnel inspection, but also enhances efficiency, and sets a good precedent for global infrastructure digitalisation. As an enabler of new industrialisation in Hong Kong, HKPC will continue to focus on the transformation and realisation of research and development outcomes, aligning with Government policies to transform Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology centre." Previous HKPC technology application projects, such as the 'InspecSpider' system, have won international R&D awards. This time, the Tunnel Inspector's recognition with the Edison Award further demonstrates Hong Kong's strong innovative technology capabilities and its ability to implement these achievements in real-world applications.

AI-enhanced Measurement Efficiency: Reducing Working at Heights

Autonomous Air-ground Cooperative Tunnel Inspector incorporates three cutting-edge technologies: multi-robot cooperation between Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), edge-computing AI module installed in the UGV, and the use of fiducial marker and LiDAR to obtain precise positioning in GPS-denied environments. This combination allows traditionally time-consuming tunnel inspection tasks to be completed quickly. When the system is in operation, it adopts air-ground cooperation between the UGV and UAV to achieve 360° full coverage in the tunnel. The 5K camera automatically captures colour and thermal images, which are then transmitted to the AI module of the UGV for defect detection and analysis. The system can execute defect detection with millimetre-level precision. Compared to conventional inspection methods, it speeds up the inspection by 23 times and saves 50% of inspection cost.

Even in GPS-denied tunnel environments, the system can still calculate the precise coordinates of the UAV and UGV by using SLAM technique with fiducial markers, or deploying survey total stations in the tunnel to swiftly carry out automated tunnel inspections with up to millimetre-level accuracy. The system also delivers fully digitalised inspection reports, thus reducing the manual works. Engineers can monitor the system's operation in a safe environment, which greatly eliminates the need for working at height and makes the tunnel inspection process safer and more efficient.

Practical Applications of AI and Robotics Leading Hong Kong's Low-altitude Economy

HKPC was appointed by the HKSAR Government as the technical partner for the Working Group on Developing Low-altitude Economy and established the Hong Kong Industrial Drone Technology Centre in 2021. The Centre provides various low-altitude economy-related services and has trained nearly 700 drone pilots ready to advance the low-altitude economy. A key feature of the award-winning inspection system is air-ground collaboration, where UAV- perform specific tasks while supported by UGV-, which can carry batteries and some payloads on the ground, significantly enhancing UAVs' flexibility, endurance, and safety. This provides a strong practical example for the future application of low-altitude UAV technology across various industries, potentially accelerating the development of Hong Kong's low-altitude economy.

About the Edison Awards
First held in 1987, The Edison Awards are among the world's most prestigious honour in science and technology, recognizing groundbreaking research achievements and innovative products distinguished by originality, creativity, and technological excellence. The awards are judged by Edison Universe, a non-profit organization, dedicated to promoting innovative thinking. Past award winners include Genentech, General Electric, General Motors, GoPro, IBM, NVIDIA and others. For more information about the 2025 Edison Awards, please visit: https://edisonawards.com/


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About Hong Kong Productivity Council

The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) is a multi-disciplinary organisation established by statute in 1967, to promote productivity excellence through relentless drive of world-class advanced technologies and innovative service offerings to support Hong Kong enterprises. As a nationwide leader in innovative, market-driven research and development (R&D) internationally, specialising in leading technologies and all-rounded manufacturing services, HKPC promotes new industrialisation in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area and facilitates the development of new productive forces, leveraging innovation and technology (I&T), as well as bolstering Hong Kong to be an international innovation and technology centre and a smart city. The Council offers comprehensive innovative solutions for Hong Kong industries and enterprises, enabling them to achieve resources and productivity utilisation, effectiveness and cost reduction, and enhance competitiveness in both local and overseas marketplace. The Council partners and collaborates with local industries and enterprises and world-class R&D institutes to develop applied technology solutions for value creation. It also benefits a variety of sectors through product innovation, technology transfer, and commercialisation, bringing enormous business opportunities ahead. HKPC's world-class R&D achievements have been widely recognised over the years, winning an array of local and overseas accolades.

In addition, HKPC offers SMEs and startups immediate and timely assistance in coping with the ever-changing business environment, and strengthens talent nurturing and Hong Kong's competitiveness with FutureSkills training for enterprises and academia to enhance digital capabilities and STEM competencies.

For more information, please visit HKPC's website: www.hkpc.org/en.