FIRST The medical service robots have provided service at Haven of Hope Hospital and Kowloon Hospital
Medial service robots reduce direct contact between people and solve the challenges of manpower shortage due to staff infection
HKPC develops service robots to address manpower shortage
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he Hong Kong Productivity Council used advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to develop intelligent service robots that fit into different scenarios. Necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, they were aimed to not only reduce direct contact between people but also solve the challenges of manpower shortage due to staff infection. Customer service robots The customer service robots share employees’ duties as receptionists and patrollers. It helps answer customers’ questions, broadcast public announcements and crowd control
messages, making it become a new generation of “safety ambassadors”. This robot can naturally chat with guests in Cantonese, English and Mandarin, and has an object recognition function based on AI-trained models to avoid obstacles at work. Frontline medical service robots In view of the manpower shortage in Hong Kong’s healthcare system, HKPC has developed a frontline medical service robot to help frontline medical staff reduce their workload and avoid direct contact between visitors, patients and medical staff. On top of its basic customer serviceability, this robot can also assist in directing and
guiding visitors to the destination of various hospital facilities, checking the temperature of visitors and whether visitors are wearing masks, and broadcasting relevant warnings. This robot has natural language processing and obstacle avoidance functions. These medical service robots have provided service at Haven of Hope Hospital and Kowloon Hospital. HKPC is exploring cooperation opportunities with the Hospital Authority on the application of this frontline medical service robot. Document delivery robots The document delivery robot assists employees in passing documents or materials to colleagues, thus reducing direct contact between employees. The robot can move freely around the office with simultaneous localisation and mapping navigation. Employees can assign tasks to the robot through a mobile App conveniently and put the documents into the electronic locker to prevent them from being lost or exposed in transit. This robot is currently operating at HKPC Building. Disinfection robots The disinfection robot uses its existing robotics platform and cooperated with other professional disinfection robot companies, providing users with an automated all-round disinfection solution to help improve the enterprise’s work efficiency, save manpower, as well as disinfect different premises.
Over half of Hong Kong SMEs expects to overcome 5th COVID-19 wave
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espite the fifth COVID-19 surge in Hong Kong, 55% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Hong Kong are confident that they will survive the worsening health crisis, according to a poll conducted by CPA Australia, a global professional accounting body. CPA Australia’s 13th Asia-Pacific Small Business Survey also found that 57% of SMEs project that their revenue will stay normal or increase in the next three months. On the negative effects of the fifth wave, 35% of SME owners said business operations will most likely be hit by the pandemic, followed by 26% of respondents who said cash flow will be bruised during the surge. Also, survey results showed that 42% of respondents said relaxed social distancing measures will positively affect their business in the next three months, whilst 18% of respondents said employment support schemes will have a positive impact on their business. This was followed by 12% of respondents who believed consumption vouchers will have the most positive effect on their operations. It can be recalled that in March 2022, the Hong Kong government declared it will relax most of social 8
HONG KONG BUSINESS | Q2 2022
distancing measures from 21 April in three phases as long as the pandemic situation shows no signs of rebound and the number of COVID-19 infections continues to decline. Janssen Chan, the chairperson of CPA Australia’s SME Committee in Greater China, said Hong Kong businesses are already resilient and adaptable amidst the impact of the fifth wave because of online and digital payments options. “The pandemic is a major catalyst for transforming business models and consumer spending patterns. In Hong Kong, more consumers are purchasing online and using digital payments,” he said in a statement. “With social distancing restrictions set to relax from mid-April and the roll-out of stimulus measures such as the e-consumption vouchers, small businesses should continue innovating, digitalising and updating their business plans to ensure they are best placed to rebound in the second half of 2022,” added Chan. Nearly 300 Hong Kong-based accounting and finance professionals working for SMEs were respondents in the survey, which was conducted from November to December 2021.
