Hong Kong companies are looking at a range of innovative drone applications in order to seize the opportunities presented by the promising growth potential of the low-altitude economy.

Possible applications include building facade maintenance and cleaning, passenger-carrying drone tours, and medicine deliveries.

Industry insiders shared the developments at the Cyberport Low-altitude Economy Exhibition on Friday where 12 exhibitors showcased their latest products and solutions. They told China Daily that they are piloting projects in the city, though broader application hinges on updated regulations and dedicated trial infrastructure.

READ MORE: Official: Low-altitude economy to further drive I&T growth in HK

Startup Alpha AI uses drones to photograph aging high-rises. Its artificial intelligence (AI) platform then analyzes the images to detect structural wear and generates reports for maintenance.

The company has secured its first residential project in Tseung Kwan O, said Chief Technology Officer Wilson Suen. He added “there’s a good application prospect of this solution in Hong Kong”, as the city mandates once-a-decade inspections for its nearly 30,000 buildings aged 30 years or above — a process now still reliant on manual labor amid a shrinking workforce and rising personnel costs.

Hong Kong’s unique urban density has also inspired local firm FlightPro Drone Solutions, which specializes in drones designed to clean building facades.

David Chu, senior consultant at FlightPro, said the lightweight drones used by his company can clean 6,000 square feet of building exteriors per hour at half the cost of manual labor.

The Hong Kong branch of leading logistics services provider SF Express is going to kick off trial projects at Hong Kong’s digital tech hub Cyberport to test its ARK-20 cargo drones for medicine deliveries to outlying islands.

The pilot project could lay a foundation for the company’s expansion in the Hong Kong market, said Xuan Junhui, regional sales director of SF Express’ cargo drone subsidiary Phoenix Wings.

He said that as a key city in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Hong Kong will see a growing demand for cross-border logistics. Moreover, the city’s rich ecosystem of high-tech firms and universities can help bolster Phoenix Wings’ research and development strengths.

Kwoon Chung Bus Holdings, one of the largest bus and limousine operators in Hong Kong, is betting on low-altitude tourism. Its subsidiary KC Smart Mobility recently ordered five more two-seat drones from EHang, a manufacturer of autonomous aerial vehicles based in Guangdong province.

The aircraft, which can fly up to 120 meters high at 130 kilometers per hour, will help tourists access some natural sites unreachable by traditional transport, said Andrew Cheng King-hoi, head of China business at Kwoon Chung Bus Holdings.

“While small drones are popular, passenger-grade low-altitude sightseeing is untapped in the city,” he said.

But Cheng said commercial operations will take time. The company and its peers will only be able to proceed with test flights and related applications when regulatory frameworks are ready, he said.

Lawmaker Elizabeth Quat shares the view that a lack of regulatory support and insufficient urban test-flight infrastructure are the main obstacles for the development of the low-altitude economy in Hong Kong.

READ MORE: Hong Kong promotes low-altitude economy as new growth engine

Quat, who is also the founding president of the Greater Bay Area Low Altitude Economy Alliance, said she expects the Hong Kong SAR government to submit amendment proposals to the existing civil aviation legislation and regulatory regimes to the Legislative Council (LegCo) by the end of the month.  

If approved, this will be a “milestone” for Hong Kong, enhancing the city’s attractiveness to major players in the sector from around the world, she noted.  

In March the SAR government announced the first batch of low-altitude economy Regulatory Sandbox pilot projects, including those developed by Alpha AI and SF Express (Hong Kong).

Contact the writer at irisli@chinadailyhk.com