George Tee, third right, chief technology officer of Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, and representatives from tech companies take a group photo at HKSTP@Wheelock Gallery in Admiralty, Hong Kong, Nov 6, 2018. (XIE SHUDAN / CHINA DAILY)

Five innovations in areas including smart living, big data applications and smart healthcare were showcased in Hong Kong on Tuesday to promote the development of more innovative smart city applications.

The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), together with five companies, held a media briefing to demonstrate latest tech inventions including a hydroponic smart grower, a web-based diabetic retinopathy  screening platform, and a virtual queue app for doctors’ appointments.

For the future, the HKSTP will expand support for startups including financing and training to more technology companies

“The innovations and services we showcase today not only are solid proof of the creativity and R&D capabilities of our start-ups in Hong Kong, but also show their dedication to developing solutions that tackle the challenges faced among the Hong Kong community. This speeds up the progress of Hong Kong into a smarter city,” said George Tee Shiu-lung, chief technology officer at HKSTP.

READ MORE: Transforming HK into a global innovation hub

The Hong Kong government outlined the Smart City Blueprint for the city in December 2017, covering six major areas, that is, smart living, mobility, environment, people, government and economy. The vision is to embrace innovation and technology to build a world-renowned Smart Hong Kong characterized by a strong economy and high quality of living.

The Aspara by the company Growgreen is a hydroponic smart grower, the size of a microwave oven that provides a specialized environment for growing vegetables at home. People can grow vegetables in three steps without soil or sunlight. With the device, the company said people can expect to harvest vegetables in 30 days.

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Reny Ng, center, CEO of Visiona MedTech, showcases the web-based diabetic retinopathy (DR) detection system in Hong Kong, Nov 6, 2018. (XIE SHUDAN / CHINA DAILY)

Diabetic retinopathy, or “DR”, is one of the most common complications of diabetes, It’s an affliction that may cause rapid deterioration of vision and eventually blindness.

Visiona MedTech, another tech company, has developed and launched VisionaDR - a retinal image analysis platform for automatic detection of diabetic retinopathy. The device is powered by AI algorithms and it uses big data analytics to produce a report.

Yvonne Chan, business & general manager of Growgreen, demonstrates hydroponic method at HKSTP @Wheelock Gallery in Admiralty, Hong Kong, Nov 6, 2018. (XIE SHUDAN / CHINA DAILY)For the future, the HKSTP will expand support for startups including financing and training to more technology companies.