Drainage Services Department

DSD Wins Nine Awards at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, Including a First-Ever Saudi Innovation Excellence Prize

The Drainage Services Department (DSD) returned with outstanding results from the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, winning nine awards for eight innovative inventions — namely one Saudi Innovation Excellence Prize, one gold medal with the congratulations of jury, four gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals.

These accolades represent international recognition of DSD's research and development capabilities, and affirm our commitment to translating innovation into practical applications that enhance flood protection and sewage treatment services for Hong Kong.

A Historic Milestone: DSD firstly won Saudi Innovation Excellence Prize

In addition to securing multiple awards, DSD achieved unprecedentedly by winning the "Saudi Innovation Excellence Prize - Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" with the Crawler-type all-terrain survey robot "T300" — a highly significant recognition at this year's exhibition.

Traveling to Geneva — Teamwork for Success

The DSD delegation proactively participated at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva. Team members led the on-site demonstrations and technical briefings for each invention, impressing international judges with their professionalism and dedication.  At this exhibition, the department not only received international recognition for its self-developed invention, but also achieved remarkable results for several innovations jointly developed with the industry. The DSD have also been actively collaborating with the academic sector.  The Remedix: Remedying and Fixing Medical Pollution was jointly developed by the DSD and Po Leung Kuk Celine Ho Yam Tong College and Yan Oi Tong Tin Ka Ping Secondary School.  This invention not only improves environmental monitoring efficiency, the collaboration also provides an opportunity for students to materialize their research ideas, reflecting DSD's commitment to both technological innovation and talent cultivation.

Award-winning Innovations: Technology Advancing Hong Kong's Flood Protection and Sewerage Services

Below is a list of DSD's award-winning projects at this year's exhibition:

1. Crawler-type all-terrain survey robot "T300" (Saudi Innovation Excellence Prize + Gold Medal)

The Crawler-type all-terrain survey robot "T300", which was jointly developed by the DSD and a professional team from the Chinese Mainland, won the Saudi Innovation Excellence Prize - Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This marks the first time a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government department has received this prestigious award.  Equipped with a zoomable high-resolution camera, LiDAR, and an adaptive lighting system, this robot can capture comprehensive visual and spatial data. Its novel transformable tracked structure allows it to navigate complex and challenging terrain. The robot can simultaneously collect photogrammetric information and point cloud data, enabling the automatic construction of detailed three-dimensional (3D) models of the drainage facilities. Its modular design can also accommodate other sensors, such as the gas detector for monitoring air quality in confined spaces. Inspection data can be automatically uploaded to an AI-powered online condition assessment platform for real-time analysis and rapid generation of inspection reports.
(Co-developed by DSD and Wuhan Easy-Sight Technology Co.,Ltd)

2. i-STAR: Intelligent smart trap analysing robot (Gold medal with the congratulations of jury)

The "safety guardian of manhole covers", weighting at about 300 kg, the system simulates working conditions on drainage covers and provides real-time detection of potential issues such as looseness, deformation or missing components. Alerts will be trigged immediately once anomalies are identified, which helps prevent safety incidents. (Developed by DSD)

3. Flood model with explainable AI computation (Flood MoXAIC) - A smart flood forecast and alert system (Gold Medal)

The "Prediction Expert" for flood management, by integrating explainable artificial intelligence with 3D digital twin technology, it can forecast flooding risks in advance, use 3D imagery to simulate the extent and timing of inundation, and analyze the factors contributing to flooding. This enables decision-makers to understand not only what is happening, but also why it is happening — shifting from reactive response to proactive prevention. (Co-developed by DSD, South China University of Technology, Guangdong Hydropower Planning & Design Institute Co., Ltd. and AECOM Asia Company Ltd)

4. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for semi quantitative analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) (Gold Medal)

The portable water quality monitoring system, like a "Beach Guardian", applies advanced genetic testing technology to replace time-consuming method of bacterial culture. It can accurately detect the level of E. coli in water in just over two hours, making beach water quality monitoring faster and more convenient. (Co-developed by DSD and MGI Tech Co., Ltd.)

5. RPIR: Rapid purification of sewage using sedimentation integrated rectangular airlift loop reactor (Gold Medal)

To explore ways of achieving energy and space savings at sewerage treatment plants, combining the aeration and sedimentation processes into one has become a new direction. Through ingenious hydraulic design, this approach can improve wastewater treatment efficiency while saving up to 40% of plant space. (Co-developed by DSD and Qingyan Environmental Technology Co., Ltd.)

6. Intelligent Sludge Detective (Silver Medal)
As a "24-hour daily sludge pathologist" for sewage treatment plants, the system can automatically extract sludge samples and use an AI-enabled microscope to monitor the health of protozoa and metazoa, as well as various sludge parameters — ensuring the treatment process remains stable at all times. (Co-developed by DSD and Guangzhou Sewage Purification Co., Ltd.)

7. Remedix: Remedying and Fixing Medical Pollution (Bronze Medal)
The new detection system is designed as a portable testing box and uses biosensing technology to screen for antibiotics in wastewater.  It integrates a genetically engineered E. coli biosensor that produces a distinct colour change upon exposure to tetracycline, significantly enhancing monitoring efficiency. (Co-developed by Po Leung Kuk Celine Ho Yam Tong College, Yan Oi Tong Tin Ka Ping Secondary School and DSD)

8. Digitalization of underground pipeline inspection and management system (Bronze Medal)
As the "all-round manager" for underground pipe networks, the system uses artificial intelligence to automatically identify pipeline defects, build 3D models, and upload data to a cloud platform. It enables end-to-end digital management — from inspection and analysis to maintenance planning — enhancing the safety and reliability of Hong Kong's underground pipe network infrastructure. (Co-developed by DSD and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

The Director of Drainage Services, Mr Ringo Mok (third left), Deputy Secretary for Development Mr Tony Ho (fourth left) and the DSD team receiving the Saudi Innovation Excellence Prize - Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the presentation ceremony

Crawler-type all-terrain survey robot "T300" won the "Saudi Innovation Excellence Prize - Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia"

The DSD team introduced the Crawler-type all-terrain survey robot "T300"

i-STAR: mainly assisting to analyse and test the working condition of drainage covers

The DSD team introduced the design concept and performance of the i-STAR to the jury

The DSD team introduced how the Flood MoXAIC conducts the flood forecasting and generates alerts using its flood model and explainable AI computations

The DSD team introduced the Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for semi quantitative analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA)

The DSD team introduced the RPIR: Rapid purification of sewage using sedimentation integrated rectangular airlift loop reactor and took a photo with the jury

The display of the Intelligent Sludge Detective at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva

The Director of Drainage Services, Mr Ringo Mok (fourth left), jointly presented with the research teams from Po Leung Kuk Celine Ho Yam Tong College and Yan Oi Tong Tin Ka Ping Secondary School on the Remedix project: Remedying and Fixing Medical Pollution

The DSD team introduced the digitalization of underground pipeline inspection and management system and took a photo with the jury