The Electrical & Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) is Hong Kong’s central authority for electrical and mechanical engineering services across government, advising departments on how to adopt technology to deliver safe, reliable public infrastructure. As part of its innovation mandate, EMSD actively pilots new solutions that can make day-to-day operations more precise, data-driven, and sustainable.
PUBLIC SECTOR
Challenges
Traditionally, EMSD staff measured lighting levels using handheld meters at multiple points along walkways. Technicians had to move from marker to marker, repeatedly squatting, standing, and recording readings in tight spaces and busy pedestrian areas. The work was physically demanding and time-consuming, and it limited how often inspections could realistically be carried out.
The measurement process also needed to be technically robust. Footbridges and subways are dynamic environments, with constant pedestrian movement and obstacles that can disrupt line of sight and positional accuracy. EMSD needed a solution to capture reliable, repeatable readings and accurately map them to physical locations, without relying on manual judgments. Any new solution had to be light enough to deploy easily, smart enough to navigate autonomously, and precise enough to be trusted for regulatory and planning purposes.
Solutions
LPS was engaged to design and build an outdoor illuminance measuring robot to automate pedestrian lighting inspections. The solution features a lightweight, customized robotic platform adapted from Ubiquity Robotics, enabling easy transport and stable operation in constrained environments such as footbridges and subways. Using LiDAR, the robot maps its surroundings, follows planned routes, and navigates safely through pedestrian areas.
To turn the robot into a precise inspection tool, LPS integrated an illuminance meter via SDK and customized the robot functionality to cater for the environmental challenge so that lux measurements are collected automatically as the robot travels its route. Readings are captured at consistent positions and intervals, then consolidated into structured reports without manual transcription. Drawing on LPS’ experience in emerging technologies, robotics and IoT, we worked closely with EMSD to refine navigation in dynamic environments and align the reporting output with existing workflows and standards.
Value created
The robot transforms light measurement into an intelligent, automated process. EMSD can now deploy it to run inspection routes while staff focus on analysis and maintenance planning rather than manual data collection. This also reduces physical strain on frontline staff, improving worker wellbeing and long-term health.
The quality of data has seen major improvements as well. Automated navigation and sensing provide a more consistent basis for comparing measurements over time, making it easier to spot deterioration, underperforming sections, or the impact of lighting upgrades. Automatic reporting further reduces administrative effort.
At a strategic level, the EMSD–LPS collaboration demonstrates how robotics can modernize routine inspection work in a practical, scalable way. The solution provides a blueprint for broader adoption across public infrastructure, supporting the Hong Kong government’s push toward smarter, more digital public services.
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