Self-piloting system on radar as tech dreams take shape for 25

A Polytechnic University engineering student is hoping to introduce automatic piloting and repair systems to civil aviation services in Hong Kong to reduce the chances of air accidents resulting from human errors.

Li Kwok-chun was one of 25 university students awarded innovation and technology scholarships of up to HK$150,000 in a presentation ceremony yesterday.

The scholarship winners are also invited to participate in elite training programs that include exchange programs at overseas and mainland universities, local internship programs and local service programs.

Li said he plans to go on an exchange trip to the mainland, as he also hopes to bring Chinese spaceship technology to Hong Kong's civil aviation service.

"Days ago, we saw the successful launch of the Shenzhou XIV spaceship," Li said. "The spaceship was controlled well with astronauts simply sitting in the command module. That is because we have a lot of sensors on the ground.

"If we can apply such advanced technology to civil aviation, the safety of air travel will be greatly enhanced," he added.

Li also revealed his plan to introduce an automatic aircraft maintenance system, as he found that aircraft maintenance in Hong Kong still follows traditional methods.

The aviation engineering student said his idea is to create a robot that combines all kinds of sensors required by aircraft maintenance and moves freely along different aircraft surfaces.

"I am pretty confident that the technology will be implemented in the near future. Because nowadays everybody is talking about AI and big data. We can also make use of this kind of data to build a huge database," Li said.

"With such data and information, we can predict whether there will be any not-so-good things [happening to the aircraft] in the near future."

The innovation and technology scholarship is awarded to entrepreneurial students at local universities whose academic performances in the field of InnoTech are outstanding.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor officiated at the ceremony at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

She encouraged the winners to promote cross-sector collaboration and "embrace the spirit of this scholarship and pass on the life of wisdom to those around [them]."