The transformation of property management through computer vision, drones, and other PropTech innovations is increasingly rendering manual building inspections obsolete.
Alpha AI, a Cyberport incubatee and participant in the Cyberport and Hong Kong Housing Society’s PropTech Proof-of-Concept (PoC) Programme, has developed an AI-powered property-management solution leveraging drone technology and 3D digital twins. This innovation is transforming how buildings are inspected, moving away from the old resource-intensive methods such as scaffolding climbs, hammer tapping tests, and manual photo reviews, reducing the process from 30 days to just one.
By using drones to capture videos and photos of buildings, the start-up’s AI platform can detect defects such as spalling, cracks, rust, and water seepage. It can also identify the location, severity, and dimensions of these defects, streamlining inspection while also enhancing property-management efficiency.
What sets Alpha AI apart is its use of Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs) to create detailed 3D reconstructions and realistic renderings, offering a faster and less resource-heavy alternative to traditional photogrammetry. Its temporal-AI model further supports comprehensive digital twin analyses by integrating past inspection records to locate existing defects and predict potential ones. BIM and IoT data can all be integrated for real time data monitoring.
Alpha AI’s technology has already received industry recognition, including a Gold Award from the Hong Kong PropTech Association’s PropTech Excellence Awards. The solution has now been adopted by various government departments and private companies. Notably, the start-up completed a successful PoC trial with the Architectural Services Department, inspecting over 40 old buildings, and entered into a partnership arrangement with Ricoh.
Alpha AI is now broadening its offerings to include drones equipped with non-destructive testing (NDT) methods such as ultrasonic, electromagnetic, and impact-echo techniques. The start-up is also exploring new markets in Taiwan and Singapore, which exhibit similar demands, and opportunities in confined-space and infrastructure inspections.
