FJDynamics and SCIL debuted Hong Kong's first Remote Tower Crane Control System at CIExpo 2022 from Dec. 13th to 17th. With "Innovation Starts Here" being the topic, the event aimed to demonstrate the latest construction technologies (contech) and advance the sustainable development of Hong Kong's construction industry.
(A female operator operating tower cranes in the booth)
A Profession That Is Not Getting Any Younger
Tower crane operators are high in demand in Hong Kong due to the long process it takes to get certified. The salary of an operator starts at HKD30,000 and the average age of the operators is 50, which means that fewer and fewer people are joining this field each year. At the same time, those qualified are getting older so they may not be able to endure the long working hours as they used to.
Manning a tower crane is physically demanding — 12 hours in a 1.5m x 1.5m room where operators also have meals and use the bathroom. They sometimes have to face tough conditions such as heat waves and rainy days. Additionally, they have to climb the tower crane of more than 30 meters every day. This is both physically and mentally tiring. As a result, FJD's solutions were created to make this career option more palatable and accessible.
The Remote Tower Crane Control System
The Unmanned Tower Crane answers these issues by providing operators with a comfortable working environment. It removes the need to stay in a cockpit for 12 hours a day. The system is comprised of sensors that monitor wind speed and crane movements in real-time and trigger warnings to reduce risks. Currently, out of the 600 certified tower crane operators in Hong Kong, only 14 are female, which is less than 5%. The team of the Remote Tower Crane Control System hopes that the improved working conditions will encourage more women to join the profession. Additionally, having the control panel on the ground instead of the cockpit makes this a safer option as the operators are no longer subjected to bad weather.
(One of the most popular booths at CIExpo visited by different guided tours every day)
About the Cooperation
Sanfield Construction Innovations Limited — a startup under SHKP, one of the largest property companies in Hong Kong — was founded in 2021 to innovate and develop integrated technological solutions for the construction field and related industries. FJDynamics is a robotics company committed to driving carbon neutrality and improving working environments with automation, digitalization, and new energy solutions. In making the Unmanned Tower Crane, SCIL and FJDynamics combined their efforts and complemented each other with their respective know-how and experiences.