Exclusive | Hong Kong start-up set to offer navigation, signage translation app to mainland airports

China’s massive investment in airports is creating opportunities for companies like Hong Kong's Cherrypicks to provide services such as real-time translation and augmented-reality navigation

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Cherrypicks will introduce its Starbeacon app at the Hong Kong International Airport where users can point their smartphones at a sign and have the text translated into their preferred language. Photo: SCMP

Published: 8:00am, 6 Dec 2017Updated: 10:47am, 6 Dec 2017

China’s massive investment in airports is opening up opportunities for companies like Hong Kong’s Cherrypicks that offer navigation services to help travellers find their way around the cavernous hubs.
Founded in 2000 by Jason Chiu, Cherrypicks’ Starbeacon system will soon support augmented reality features at the Hong Kong International Airport, where users can point their smartphones at a sign and have the text translated into their preferred language.

The company will also deploy the service at Fuzhou international airport in China, and is in talks to introduce it in other Chinese airports.
Besides helping the lost and weary find their way around, the software also allows companies to track data such as passenger flow and customer shopping habits, including how much time they spend at a particular store or how long it takes to get from one place to another.

“The technology allows us to collect massive location data for more intelligent services features and location insights,” Chiu said in an interview at the Hong Kong Forum on Tuesday.

Cherrypicks was acquired last year by China’s NetDragon Websoft, an online gaming and mobile internet firm.

Jason Chiu, founder of Cherrypicks, said he hopes to launch an IPO within the next three years. Photo: K Y Cheng

China has plans to build 136 airports by 2025 as part of investments to build the country’s infrastructure and cement its position as a major global aviation hub. Construction is under way for a US$12.9 billion international mega-airport in Beijing, which spans 47 square kilometres and is expected to be the world’s biggest when it opens in 2019.

Starbeacon can be deployed in any indoor space, including subway stations, shopping malls and office buildings

Globally, the indoor location market is expected to reach almost US$41 billion by 2022, with Asia-Pacific expected to be the fastest growing region over the next five years, according to a report published by B2B research firm MarketsandMarkets in October.