FLAIR Debuts at WAIC 2024, Showcasing "FUTURE FACTORY" Concept

(Hong Kong, 9 July 2024) The Hong Kong Industrial AI and Robotics Centre (FLAIR) made a successful debut at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2024 in Shanghai. Themed "Governing AI for Good and for All," the four-day conference (4-7 July) featured a keynote address by Chinese Premier LI Qiang. FLAIR’s "Future Factory" booth received enthusiastic responses from a wide variety of audience spanning across investors, industrialists, and SMEs. The booth showcased FLAIR’s latest advancements in industrial AI and robotics, emphasising their potential to revolutionise manufacturing.

"AI is a key driver of high-quality development and a guiding force in the industry’s future," said Mr Edmond LAI, Chief Executive Officer of FLAIR. "We are thrilled to demonstrate Hong Kong's prowess in AI and robotics at WAIC and receive very positive responses from visitors. Having had insightful conversations with audiences from various industry sectors, we look forward to unlocking more cooperation opportunities. Our presence underscores Hong Kong's commitment to leveraging technological innovation to contribute to the country’s development."

FLAIR's "Future Factory": A Showcase of Cutting-Edge R&D

FLAIR's "Future Factory" exhibition offered an immersive experience for attendees to witness the transformative potential of AI in shaping the "Industry of the Future". Grounded in real-world applications, the exhibition was structured across three levels representing key stages of a production line: Dynamic Logistics Centre, Next-Gen Shopfloor, and Industrial Brain. This comprehensive approach highlights the efficacy of FLAIR’s solutions to help businesses achieve flexible production, respond rapidly to market demands, and manufacture superior, cost-competitive products. " We hope to help industries smooth out AI adoption at every key stage of production. Given the extensive industrial application scenarios, we strive to provide platform solutions. For instance, our collaborative approach involves working closely with clients to refine AI models and partnering with industry associations to gather extensive data. This process enables FLAIR to deliver a broader spectrum of practical solutions, and concretely illustrates how to accelerate the development of New Productive Forces," said Mr LAI.

Mr LAI also stated that SMEs often face cost constraints when it comes to achieving smart manufacturing. "Consequently, they (SMEs) face the challenge that they can only find standardised solutions that may not fully align with their specific requirements. To address this pain point, FLAIR provides tailored solutions for their needs."

"Despite the rise of AI, in most manufacturing use cases it’s still necessary to acquire a large amount of labelled data. Thereby, the combination of data science and domain knowledge is important to build AI models according to industrial requirements. At the exhibition, FLAIR showcased the unique understanding of industrial pain points and the AI solutions we built together with manufacturers worldwide," said Dr-Ing. Benny DRESCHER, Chief Technology Officer of FLAIR.

FLAIR unveiled several groundbreaking technologies at WAIC, including:

1. "AIM – Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing" (「天工開物：工業人工智能應用平台」): This platform leverages cutting-edge algorithms, data analytics, and computing power to create a universal and comprehensive AI-powered data management platform, empowering a wide range of industries.
2. "SYBIL – System for Bottleneck Intelligence in Logistics" (「流程瓶頸監測與預測系統」): SYBIL provides real-time detection and analysis of bottlenecks in production processes, identifying the time, location, and root causes of these bottlenecks. It can even predict potential bottlenecks and offer preemptive solutions, helping businesses optimise production processes and enhance overall efficiency.
3. "AssemblyWise" (「裝配易」): AssemblyWise leverages AI technology to fill the market gap in comprehensive automation solutions for manual assembly planning. This significantly reduces the time-to-market for new products, accelerating businesses' product iteration and upgrade cycles.
4. "WISIO - A Fully Automated AI Vision Inspection Platform" (「銳思智視－全自動人工智能視覺檢測平台」): WISIO leverages advanced visual inspection technology to reduce product scrapping and overkilled rates. It effectively addresses challenges posed by product defects, such as high costs and lengthy inspection times, ultimately enhancing overall product quality.

Technology Seminar Unveils Core Technologies of "Future Factory"

FLAIR also hosted a technology seminar, "FLAIR Future Factory," where experts elaborated on the core technologies driving this vision. The seminar explored how FLAIR integrates AI, robotics, and advanced manufacturing technologies to achieve intelligent, automated, and highly efficient production processes. Speakers also shared FLAIR's vision for advancing the "Future Factory" and provided insights into their patented technologies, including how AI, edge computing, and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) can help businesses anticipate and address potential production issues, ultimately improving efficiency and product quality.

International R&D Team, Five Spin-offs in Four Years: Contributing to Hong Kong's Rise as an International R&D Centre

As a leading international research institution in industrial AI, FLAIR is dedicated to transforming research achievements into tangible productivity gains. In just four years since its establishment, FLAIR has successfully incubated five spin-off companies that have reached the commercialisation stage. FLAIR boasts numerous independently developed patented technologies and has received prestigious international awards, including the TechConnect Global Innovation Award and the APEC INPUT2 (Innovating for Public Urban Technology Transformation Competition) Start-Up Award.

"FLAIR has an international research team that comprises experts from seven countries and regions, spanning 19 research fields," said Dr-Ing. DRESCHER, Chief Technology Officer of FLAIR. "Our network of industry partners extends across Hong Kong, the Mainland , and Europe, collaborating on R&D and commercialisation efforts. We are actively contributing to Hong Kong's goal of becoming a global innovation and technology hub."

Looking ahead, FLAIR remains committed to advancing industrial AI and robotics, driving the commercialisation of research breakthroughs, and strengthening collaborations with Hong Kong, Mainland and international enterprises. By promoting the "Future Factory" concept and its underlying technologies across diverse application domains, FLAIR aims to empower the manufacturing industry's transformation and upgrade, contributing to high-quality development and furthering technological advancement in Hong Kong and beyond.

- Ends -

The Hong Kong Industrial AI and Robotics Centre (FLAIR) debuted at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), showcasing its latest advancements in industrial AI and robotics under the theme “Future Factory.” FLAIR's presence highlighted Hong Kong's commitment to leveraging technological innovation to contribute to the country’s development.

Mr Mohamed BUTT, Chairman of the Board, FLAIR (centre), Mr Edmond LAI, Chief Executive Officer of FLAIR (right), and Dr-Ing. Benny DRESCHER, Chief Technology Officer of FLAIR (left), at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2024 in Shanghai.