Creating a commercial product was one way John Lee Chung-mong, assistant professor of computer science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, helped further his academic research.
'It makes me realise the limitations [of my invention] in real applications,' he said.
The Vecon software system, developed by Mr Lee, recognises alphanumeric characters on cargo containers and vehicle licence plates. It can be used at car parks to increase security, and container terminals to speed up stock checking.
Mr Lee said that to have restricted his research to the university would have been similar to the Chinese idiom 'make a cart behind closed doors', which meant isolating oneself from reality and acting blindly.
During the process of commercialisation, he made several improvements to the technology by considering external factors such as lighting and the location of the connected camera which might affect the system's performance. He also upgraded the system to make it function for up to 24 hours non-stop.
Mr Lee set up his company, Asia Vision, last year with a former student who specialises in computer vision technology. While he enjoyed teaching and would never give up his position in the university, Mr Lee planned to consult for the company while allowing his partner and employees to take charge of the business operation.