https://www.scmp.com/rss/502018/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com About 75 years ago, when Le Corbusier sketched out a “plug-in concept” for the Unite d’Habitation residential project in Marseilles, the French master architect already envisioned prefabricated apartments being hoisted and inserted into a concrete structural frame. His vision was limited only by the technology available at the time. In recent decades, architects from Europe to North America have been adopting various forms of modular integrated construction (MiC), from retrofitting... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3172621/dont-let-hong-kongs-construction-innovation-stop-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3172621/dont-let-hong-kongs-construction-innovation-stop-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Apr 2022 01:15:10 +0000 The US has held a virtual democracy summit in an attempt to burnish its image and rope in allies to counter China’s peaceful rise (“US opens Summit for Democracy, with Joe Biden calling for moves to counter authoritarianism as America eyes China”, December 10). But the outcome may well go against its wishes. Among the 110 participants that the Biden administration invited to its first Summit for Democracy was Taiwan. Taipei was clearly aware of how it should behave in such a delicate situation... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3159122/why-us-democracy-summit-was-neither-fish-nor-fowl?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3159122/why-us-democracy-summit-was-neither-fish-nor-fowl?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Dec 2021 17:30:20 +0000 A smart city should be conceived and brought to life using a people-centric approach. But both the Hong Kong Smart City Blueprint 2.0, published last December, and the chief executive’s latest policy address have neglected this core focus. According to the Institute for Management Development’s latest annual IMD smart city index, Hong Kong ranked 41 out of 118 major cities. Its technologies were given an “A” rating but its structures earned just “BB”. In particular, the city did not perform very... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3157263/people-have-be-heart-hong-kongs-smart-city-plans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3157263/people-have-be-heart-hong-kongs-smart-city-plans?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Nov 2021 22:15:12 +0000 Recently, the Hong Kong government has released more than 4,000 data sets. Opening up and sharing data with the public is seen as an important attribute for a smart city and a driving force of the new economy. But do we get the expected result upon opening data? What about the usage of this data by the public and the government? How much value has been created? Wilson Wong, director of data science and policy studies at Chinese University of Hong Kong, has pointed out that many policymakers... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3146332/hong-kongs-laissez-faire-attitude-open-data-not-smart-approach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3146332/hong-kongs-laissez-faire-attitude-open-data-not-smart-approach?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Aug 2021 23:30:23 +0000 I refer to Avisekh Biswas’ letter (“Time for Hong Kong to go from ‘Asia’s world city’ to world’s smart city”, July 12) and concur with the stated remarks. The challenge with Hong Kong becoming a “smart city” is not with the private sector but the government’s intent of operating as if it is the 20th century. Consider that numerous government departments still require the submission of paper forms and that such forms and associated documents must be “chopped”. This is all on the pretence that... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3140767/how-can-hong-kong-be-smart-city-when-offices-are-stuck-past?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3140767/how-can-hong-kong-be-smart-city-when-offices-are-stuck-past?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jul 2021 22:45:17 +0000 Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan recently delivered an impressive address which can inspire us to think about the way forward for Hong Kong as a smart city. Balakrishnan, who is also the minister in charge of the Smart Nation Initiative, spoke at a geospatial and location intelligence conference in March about how geospatial innovation has become “a critical dimension of Singapore’s Smart Nation journey”. The resulting “great synergy” made it more effective in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3131382/how-singapore-synergy-shows-way-forward-hong-kongs-smart-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3131382/how-singapore-synergy-shows-way-forward-hong-kongs-smart-city?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Apr 2021 06:30:05 +0000 While most international travel has come to a halt amid the global spread of the coronavirus disease, Covid-19, an Australian technology company has come up with a smart passenger kiosk that may provide clues about what the future holds for air travel. The portable, cloud-based kiosk, unveiled by Elenium Automation in April, is both a health-screening device and a self-service check-in machine. The new hands-free technology used to assess a passenger’s vital signs – which can also be retrofitted... https://www.scmp.com/native/tech/innovation/topics/machine-learning-data-powered-innovations/article/3101899/ML-AI?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/tech/innovation/topics/machine-learning-data-powered-innovations/article/3101899/ML-AI?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2020 02:20:06 +0000 Looking back in time, you can pinpoint when something significant in tech started – from the smartphone age, when Steve Jobs unveiled Apple’s first iPhone in the US, to the world’s biggest shopping day, when Jack Ma led Alibaba Group Holding’s launch of its Singles’ Day promotion in China.   Hong Kong’s bid to become a world-class smart city was kick-started with the public unveiling of its five-year blueprint on December 15, 2017. A recent interview with executives of the Hong Kong Applied... https://www.scmp.com/tech/hong-kong-looks-5g-smarter-cars-and-roads/article/3088092?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/hong-kong-looks-5g-smarter-cars-and-roads/article/3088092?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2020 21:00:09 +0000 Since 2015, China has been engaged in a “toilet revolution” to clean up much-lamented public loos around the nation. Now the battle for better bathrooms is entering a new phase in places like Hangzhou. The capital of the eastern province of Zhejiang recently introduced a “smart” toilet, that turns answering nature’s call into a unique, relaxing and even pleasant experience. https://www.scmp.com/health/coffee-machines-facial-recognition-are-features-chinas-smart-public-toilet-revolution/article/3044036?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/health/coffee-machines-facial-recognition-are-features-chinas-smart-public-toilet-revolution/article/3044036?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Dec 2019 09:50:32 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Commercial 5G networks are finally available in China. The stand-out feature? Not the super-fast speeds, but the prices. The cheapest 5G option in China is just 128 yuan, or US$18. That’s the price of dinner at an inexpensive restaurant, or a nicer sit-down place if you’re in China. This cheap package belongs to China Mobile, one of China’s three state-owned carriers, which also include China Unicom and China Telecom. They all launched their 5G plans... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3036023/5g-available-now-china-just-us18?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3036023/5g-available-now-china-just-us18?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Nov 2019 09:14:14 +0000 Commercial 5G networks are finally available in China. The stand-out feature? Not the super-fast speeds, but the prices. The cheapest 5G option in China is just 128 yuan, or US$18. That’s the price of dinner at an inexpensive restaurant, or a nicer sit-down place if you’re in China. This cheap package belongs to China Mobile, one of China’s three state-owned carriers, which also include China Unicom and China Telecom. They all launched their 5G plans on Friday.   The US$18 plan is significantly... https://www.scmp.com/tech/5g-available-now-china-just-us18/article/3035880?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/5g-available-now-china-just-us18/article/3035880?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Nov 2019 02:00:17 +0000 Shenzhen is experimenting with a “party and technology” development model as it aims to become a “socialist model city.”   The city, which is known for its technology industry, was told by Beijing in August to find “the best modern governance practices that promote high quality and sustainable development so it can be held up as an example of civilized society of law and order where people enjoy a high degree of satisfaction.” About a month later, He Lifeng, the minister in charge of China’s... https://www.scmp.com/tech/shenzhen-wants-use-technology-become-socialist-model-city/article/3035912?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/shenzhen-wants-use-technology-become-socialist-model-city/article/3035912?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Nov 2019 13:01:27 +0000 Facial recognition has been used for a wide range of hi-tech applications in China – from airport security clearance to crime prevention. Now it is being used to solve a more down-to-earth problem. On Shamian island, a popular historical tourist attraction in Guangzhou, facial recognition for toilet paper dispensing has been introduced in some cubicles, according to a report in the Guangzhou-based Information Times. Users can remove 90cm of toilet paper after their face is recognized. If the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/toilet-paper-thieves-stopped-facial-recognition/article/3033550?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/toilet-paper-thieves-stopped-facial-recognition/article/3033550?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Oct 2019 09:27:57 +0000 Shanghai has built around 150 smart public toilets, but you’d better not spend longer than 15 minutes inside or an alert will be sent to municipal workers to check on you. The new toilets are part of China’s efforts to extend AI into almost every aspect of daily life, and come hot on the heels of smart rubbish bins and AI-powered traffic lights. Each toilet stall has a human body sensor, using infrared rays and ultrasound to detect the person inside and how long they have been sitting there,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/smart-public-toilets-shanghai-dont-want-you-taking-your-time/article/3033373?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/smart-public-toilets-shanghai-dont-want-you-taking-your-time/article/3033373?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Oct 2019 13:55:11 +0000 After a long and exhausting shift driving his taxi, 33-year-old Wu Fuchun pulled over to find a toilet. Five minutes later, a message popped up on his phone saying his car had been parked in the wrong place, in violation of traffic laws. What came next was three penalty points on his licence and a fine of 200 yuan (US$28). Far from being surprised, Wu accepted his fate, as being fined like this is nothing new in Chongqing, officially the world’s most surveilled city. As of 2019 Chongqing had... https://www.scmp.com/tech/chongqing-worlds-more-surveilled-city-residents-dont-seem-mind/article/3031553?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/chongqing-worlds-more-surveilled-city-residents-dont-seem-mind/article/3031553?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Oct 2019 08:16:30 +0000