- Double decker buses in Hong Kong have very few priority seats or space for wheelchairs
- Hong Kong’s ageing population is growing as median age increases. In 2060, when Gen Z is at retirement age, more than 30% of the Hong Kong population will be over 65 years
- Globally, many countries also have increased life expectancy and ageing populations; with more older people wanting to enjoy an active lifestyle, public transport must adapt for higher accessibility
This year’s James Dyson Award Hong Kong winner attempts to solve the accessibility problem of public transportation in cities that will face an aging population. Asit is a reimagined bus space with a specially designed seat that makes it easier for seniors and people with limited mobility to sit down and stand up safely on a bus.
Inspiration for the Asit project came from observing the problem of low accessibility on current double-decker buses. The foldable Asit chair is designed to fit against the wall to open up space in the middle of the bus. The design process studied issues associated with ageing human knees and the transition in posture as people move from standing to sitting. The Asit seat is designed to assist a passenger when they sit down or stand up. It does not use a standard lifting mechanism seen in existing medical lifting devices but instead uses a hydraulic system to raise and lower the seat. The seat size is smaller and shorter than current bus seats leaving more space for passengers to step closer to the chair when they sit down and stand up. The simple design saves space and because the chair is foldable and aligns to the wall, it is easier for wheelchairs or personal mobility device users to get on board. When it’s time to get off the bus, the Asit also includes a reminder light in the handrail. The Asit aims to improve user experience on buses for all passengers.
The Inventor
The Hong Kong winner is 25-year-old Henry Hui Hang Tat, who is a graduate student at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Henry says he was attracted to the James Dyson Awards competition because of its focus on designing for future and sustainability, as well as the opportunity to share his idea with a wider audience. He says coming up with interesting ideas and bringing them to life is his motivation for designing, and he hopes some of his ideas can help or inspire others.
Winning the Hong Kong leg of the James Dyson Award will inject HK$20,000 into Henry’s project – he plans to use the prize money for prototyping to enable him to complete the Asit project. The Asit will progress to the international stage of the James Dyson Award and the International prizes will be announced on 19th November 2020.
Henry says: “My initial question was ‘What will happen when I live in the future?’ While technology has merged into our daily life, it seems that we’ve left ‘real living’ behind. Do we only want to age with a monitor and a virtual world? What if the future can be designed for those who appreciate living an active lifestyle? What if the reality we live in can become more thoughtful and humane? This project will not change the world, but I believe it can make us think about what kind of future we want to live in and what society we want to build to sustain a healthy community.”
Steve Yeung, Co-Founder of InnoSphere Ltd and former President of Industrial Designers Society of Hong Kong says: “An inclusive concept that evokes industrial designers to rethink what public transport could be like for ageing populations. The flexible seating configuration is adaptive to the new demands of communities with maximum accessibility; the hydraulic lifting seat also cares for individuals with limited physical capacity. Such a vision should be advocated, and I look forward to seeing the implementation of “Asit” on all buses in the future!”
The Runners Up
Coal Ash-Hardened Marine Soil for Backfilling Shiu Hoi Kit, The University of Hong Kong
Problem: Extensive reclamation projects are proposed in Hong Kong but the slow consolidation process of soft marine soil used in reclamation is one of the key challenges for engineers. Traditionally, to avoid this problem, sand is used as the backfilling material after dredging due to its high strength and permeability. However, sand has become more costly and more difficult to source. Meanwhile, dredging also causes pollution in the marine environment. Therefore, a new geomaterial that is economical, abundant, easy to produce and environment-friendly is required.
Solution: The concept of Coal Ash-hardened Marine Soil is an innovative idea that makes use of industrial waste to transform marine soil into a geomaterial that has high load-bearing capacity. For this project, coal ash from a local coal-fired power station and a small proportion of cement were used to harden marine soil mainly by chemical hydration. Results proved that coal ash is an effective yet economical choice of stabilising agent for marine soil, and the solution could also reduce wastage from coal-fired power stations.
Diagnose Scoliosis: RGB-D Images in Deep Learning Genyu Li and Siyi Huang, The University of Hong Kong
Problem: Every year, thousands of children in Hong Kong are diagnosed with scoliosis (abnormal side to side curvature of the spine). Regular X-ray images are used for diagnosis; however, radiation from frequent exposure to X-ray machines is harmful to children's health. To reduce the risk of harm from radiation, an alternative system was invented.
Solution: The growth of deep learning approaches to medical imaging inspired the team to use deep learning model to synthesize X-ray images from RGB-D images taken by a radiation-free depth camera. The RGB-D images contain the surface geometry of patients' back, which makes it theoretically possible to synthesize X-ray images from corresponding RGB-D images. However, directly synthesizing X-ray images from RGB-D images is hard because the model is unable to learn the shape of the spine curves, which is the most important factor. Therefore, an intermediate step, landmark detection, was added. Firstly, a deep learning model was implemented and trained to do landmark detection on RGB-D images. The locations of these anatomical landmarks contain essential information about the shape of the spine curve that will be fed into to the second deep learning model. This model will then synthesize X-ray images with the correct spine curve shape. The aim of this project is to make diagnosis of scoliosis radiation-free.
This year, the judging panel for the Hong Kong competition comprised three innovative leaders, including (in alphabetic order) Hong Ko, Partner of KL&K Design, Richard Lai, Editor in Chief of Engadget Chinese and Steve Yeung, Co-Founder of InnoSphere Ltd and former President of Industrial Designers Society of Hong Kong.
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