Society

A humanoid robot dances to music. Others clap to the beat, or make eye contact through vision sensors with the audience. These bots are all the rage at the third sci-tech exhibition InnoEX at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from Apr.13 to 16 this year. Co-organized by the Technology and Industry Bureau and Hong Kong Trade Development Council and themed with “Innovate, Automate and Elevate”, this exhibition spotlights robotics, low-attitude economy, AI, smart mobility, and cybersecurity, according to the official news release. “These robots can already be applied in certain scenarios like playing football games. They can identify objects and take actions like shots and dribbling.” said Liu Weitong, 32, head of commercialization at Booster Robotics. “Humanoid robots can provide basic services like guidance and performance, but it will take at least two to three years for the industry to provide mature products for factories or families,” she added. She explained  the limited load-bearing weight of the robot's arm is such that they cannot be used in  large-scale industrial production. The algorithms at the current level also cannot fully guarantee the safe use of robots in the home. “Similar to human beings, robots set their goals based on basic logic, such as ‘who am I, where am I right now, and where I should go,” said Calvin Chiu, the COO of Novautek Autonomous Driving Limited, an exhibitor at InnoEX. “The AI algorithm helps humanoid robots understand the surroundings and connect the decoded information with their goal to guide their action,” Chiu said. Existing algorithms, he explained, can only let humanoid robots accomplish the goal based on training data. “We still need time to make humanoid robots more widely available to the public,” he said. Over 500 exhibitors from 17 countries and regions joined the exhibition this year. New …

At a roadside taxi stand in Mong Kok, Lily Ho, 42, was having a verbal altercation with a taxi driver for taking a detour. “I have repeatedly told the driver that I am in a hurry, but the driver just ignored me and even attacked me with vulgar language,” Ho said. “I often take this route by taxi, and I am sure the driver had taken a detour.” Ho said it was not the first time she had encountered poor service from taxi drivers. Taxi complaints surged 51% year-on-year to 11,452 cases in 2023, with refusal for hire, driving malpractice, and joyriding being the most common, according to the Legislative Council. However, these situations may be addressed  as a new taxi fleet is introduced which aims to provide better quality services through technology and improvement in drivers’ attitude , according to Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mable Chan.  Cheung Chi-kwan, 65, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi Owners’ Association, said the traditional taxi industry in Hong Kong has room for improvement, but it is undergoing changes to refresh the industry. “In the past, the number of taxis in Hong Kong was stable, but the number of orders received has decreased significantly. 20 years ago, the daily passenger capacity was more than 1.2 million passengers, compared to just 750,000 today,” Cheung said. The expansion of the MTR network, illegal pick-up of private car-hailing services and prejudice against the poor Hong Kong taxi service caused the sharp decline, he said. “It was a one-way cross-harbour taxi, but the driver asked me for a round-trip fare,” said Henry Zoeng, 31, a travel blogger. “There is no surveillance inside the taxi, nor is there a unified platform to monitor driving routes and fare issues.” “I prefer to spend more time on the subway or …

The cancellation of the HK$2,500 education subsidy has drawn mixed reactions among parents about the latest budget plan, which aims to reduce education expenditures. Cammy To, 34, a mother with a daughter in kindergarten, said she does not consider the grant to be very impactful for her daughter’s education.  “My child studies in full-day kindergarten. A month of tuition fee with meal fee is almost HK$1,500. One semester’s textbook fee is about HK$1,100. So a HK$2,500 grant for a year is just better than not having any subsidies,” she added. The grant did not require a means test for application, making it accessible to all families. According to the Education Bureau, around 800,000 applications of the HK$2,500 grant succeeded and nearly HK$2 thousand million were given to households in the academic year of 2023/24. Lan Wong, 53, a parent to a primary school student, expressed confusion about the proposal after the abolishment was proposed.  “The original grant did not require a means test that both rich and poor could get it,” said Wong.  She added that removing it all of a sudden is unfair for some families, especially for those who need this yearly subsidy.  Christine Choi, the head of the Education Bureau, commented on March 7 during a press conference that the abolition was a necessary step to decrease the government’s expenditure while maintaining educational standards in Hong Kong. “The HK$2,500 grant was introduced as a relief measure, we had announced beforehand that it was designed to alleviate challenges,” said Choi. “Families in need could apply for other subsidies that the government is currently providing.” Professor Cheung Chi-keung, the Head of the Department of Educational Administration and Policy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, also expressed concern. “Removing subsidies for education is deteriorating Hong Kong’s talent cultivation in …