(Hong Kong, 15 September 2015) - September is the time when students go back to school and get on with their studies. In this digital age, information technology has brought unprecedented convenience to studying and advance learning. Four start-ups in Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (“HKSTP”)’s Incu-App Programme launched their respective innovative teaching and learning mobile apps that enhance teaching and learning efficiency. These apps provide seamless platforms for people who wish to dive into the world of knowledge.
Through its 18-month Incu-App Programme, HKSTP provides a wide range of support to enthusiastic technology entrepreneurs. Close to 110 start-ups have benefited from the Programme since 2012. HKSTP also works hand in hand with 18 strategic partners, including Amazon Web Services, Google Hong Kong, Microsoft Hong Kong and other internet/mobile communication corporations to assist its incubatees in apps’ development, application and commercialisation. "Benefitting from the strategic partnership between HKSTP and leading platform-service providers in the market, our incubatees have the privilege to receive support from the leading technology corporations at the inception stages of their apps’ development. With the access to different platforms throughout apps’ development, the R&D process is accelerated. Incubatees can therefore speed up the commercialisation of their innovation in this fast-paced innovation ecosystem.” said Mr. Peter Mok, Head of Incubation Programmes of HKSTP.
Among the four mobile Apps, SnapWord, a foreign language-learning app developed by Axon Labs Limited, used the cloud platform and business development support provided by Google to the members of HKSTP Incu-App Programme. Mr. Joey Cham, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Axon Labs Limited, explained that SnapWord has adopted Deep Learning technology, the latest Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) technology. It mimics the arithmetical operation mode of human beings’ nerve system and computation with multiple nodes and levels to process details and characteristics of the object on an image. SnapWord has currently learned over one million images and identified more than one thousand objects. It is expected that its database will continue to grow and double within this year.
“When using Deep Learning technology, the nodes at the lowest level only calculates the contrast of black and white in each pixel, the second level’s nodes distinguish lines and boundaries by comparing information collected in the first level. As the levels go up, the accumulated calculations get complex. The system can then identify and categorise the image. As our R&D process relies heavily on cloud computing, the support from Incu-App Programme was the perfect solution to answer our needs.” said Mr. Albert Au Yeung, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Axon Labs Limited.
Brief introduction of the new apps:
SnapWord
SnapWord adopts Deep Learning technology, the innovative AI technology, for users to learn vocabularies in foreign languages in a creative way. When a user wants to learn a new vocabulary, he or she simply needs to take a photo of the object. SnapWord can instantly recognise the object in the photo and provide relevant vocabularies along with their meaning and translation in different languages. SnapWord can pronounce words in Japanese, Korean, French, German, Cantonese, Putonghua, English, Spanish, Russian and Icelandic. It is definitely a useful new app for travelling and understanding different cultures.
Tutorspotter
Tutoring is very common in Hong Kong. More often than not, it is the student or their parents to provide information including their background and requirements to the tutoring agencies and wait for the agencies to match them with a tutor. The whole process is just like a blind marriage. Besides, the agencies charge tutors expensive referral fees. Tutors usually have to pay the agencies referral fees which are equivalent to two to six tutorial classes. There is also no one for students and parents to turn to when the quality of tutors does not meet their expectations. Tutorspotter revolutionises traditional private tutor market by providing a transparent open marketplace that provides security authentication and high level of freedom. Students and tutors are able to select their own best fit. With Tutorspotter, tutoring is made easy.
Twosigmas
Created by three graduates from the University of Cambridge, Twosigmas is just like an “ultimate hotline” that revolutionises the concept of traditional and private tutoring. It helps users with doubts on English language around the clock. Whether it is about homework, thesis or job interview questions, your doubts will be cleared right away. It is definitely a dream service for students as well as people in the job market. Twosigmas has already recruited over 1,000 teachers and developed an online platform for students and teachers to chat and do video conferencing. The projects also received seed funding from relevant Shenzhen Government fund and is now servicing over 6,000 enterprises in Shenzhen on improving English learning.
DSE Wiki
As the first app tailored for Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) learning, DSE Wiki brings a brand new mode of learning and revision. The app consolidated Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination(HKCEE) and HKDSE exam papers and solutions of the past 17 years in six subjects including Mathematics, Economics and Physics. It also categorises topics and the level of difficulty so that users can handily do their revisions for exams with mobile phones. They can also do self-assessments and get test results analysis. The results will be presented in a table so that students can easily track their own progress and even predict exam results. Students can better prepare for HKDSE according to their own strengths and weaknesses.
