Hong Kong’s first AI system to spot scaffolding issues deployed in project
HK$1 million system able to detect structural inclinations that cannot be spotted by the naked eye and sends danger alerts to construction team
Hong Kong’s first artificial intelligence (AI) system to spot loose or tilting scaffolding, built by a developer at a cost of HK$1 million (US$127,390), has been deployed in a local construction project in the wake of a series of fatal accidents in recent years.
Sun Hung Kai Properties said on Thursday that a subsidiary spent the past six months developing a system called TIE.Ai (Tension and Tilting Inspection Engine AI), which could be applied to bamboo, metal and mixed scaffolding.
“This is the first of its kind [an AI system that provides real-time intelligence for risk analysis in scaffolding] in the market,” said Eddie Ho, deputy general manager of Sanfield (Management) Limited, the subsidiary.
The technology, which was recently applied to a project in Kwu Tung in the northern New Territories, sent alerts to the construction team whenever the system detected any danger, he said.
Ho said that the system consisted of a line sensor, a control gateway and AI technology, which analysed the tension, tilt and load on the scaffolding while transmitting data.
The system checks the scaffolding every five seconds and can detect structural inclinations that cannot be spotted by the naked eye.