New generation of AI-tracking grocery cart receives Hong Kong patent
To enhance the quality of life of the elderly and alleviate their burden of travelling, Lingnan Entrepreneurship Initiative (LEI) and a student team from Pui Shing Catholic Secondary School in Tin Shui Wai have jointly invented the latest and improved hands-free smart shopping cart. Combining AI technology and algorithms, this third-generation smart grocery cart system can quickly and accurately track the user’s wristband, streamlining its automatic movement in sync with the user’s walking speed.
The research team has successfully applied for a patent for this innovative invention in Hong Kong and is currently discussing collaboration with elderly centres to carry out trial runs with the elderly. Looking ahead, the team hopes to obtain a patent in Mainland China as well, introducing the product to the age-friendly communities there.
Prof Albert Ko, Director of the LEI (first from right), and his team work closely with members of the society to foster sustainable solutions with humanitarian technology, and unleash young people’s creativity and problem-solving minds.
Since the end of 2021, the LEI has set aside approximately HK$300,000 for the secondary school students to take part in engineering workshops and training, creating prototypes, and improving functions of the smart shopping cart together.
With an “anti-lost” function, the latest smart grocery cart uses ultrasonic sensors to avoid obstacles while in motion, which performs better than the radio-frequency identification (RFID) used in previous versions.
It is equipped with an insulated compartment for temperature preservation, enabling the elderly in need to shop more freely.
This innovation inherits the design concept of the winning gerontech product “Smart Shopping Cart” of a STEM product design competition in 2021, which was also tailor-made by Pui Shing Catholic Secondary School students for rural elders to transport daily necessities with less effort. Organised by the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies at Lingnan, the competition was funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust as part of the Jockey Club Age-friendly City Project: Rural Neighbourhood Development Project 2 to develop age-friendly communities through hands-on activities.
The original smart shopping cart has won the Overall Championship Award and the Age-friendly Innovation Award of Lingnan University’s STEM competition before.