If you're in Hong Kong this week and fancy seeing a cat-claw-inspired crash bollard or playing games powered by satellite-linked 5G, the place to be is Hong Kong Science Park. InnoCarnival 2026, organised by the city's Innovation and Technology Commission, opened on 24 October and runs until 1 November under the theme "Lead with I&T, Dream to Fly High" — and entry to the exhibits is open to the general public.

The star of this year's show is the booth run by ASTRI, the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute. Founded in 2000, ASTRI is the city's largest government-funded R&D centre, and since merging with the Nano and Advanced Materials Institute it holds more than 1,500 patents with over 2,200 technology transfers to its name. Its booth (A08) sits in the Science Park's Atrium Link, and it's built for hands-on fun rather than glass-case exhibits: interactive games run on two of its flagship technologies, the 5G-SAT Link system and the Omniguard surveillance platform.

The tech on display is a snapshot of what Hong Kong's labs are actually shipping. 5G-SAT Link promises uninterrupted coverage in remote areas, at sea, in the air, or when disasters knock out ground infrastructure. Omniguard uses shortwave and longwave infrared sensors to see through fog and even spot non-metallic vessels that radar misses — the kind of kit that matters in busy coastal waters. There's also the SafeStop bollard, whose 3D tension-expansion design borrows from a cat's retractable claws to absorb vehicle impacts while protecting the people inside the car; it's certified to international crash-test standards and installs on shallow foundations for fast deployment in crowded streets.

Logistics gets a look-in too. ASTRI's Hybrid-Powered Asset Tracker, developed with support from the Airport Authority Hong Kong, keeps tabs on baggage carts by automatically switching between Bluetooth and GPS indoors and out, stretching battery life from under two years to five thanks to a low-light solar panel. And the NIR Secure anti-counterfeit system — which hides near-infrared absorbing materials in product packaging so anyone with a smartphone and a small reader can verify authenticity — won gold at the Edison Awards. It was co-developed with Zhuhai Print-Rite New Materials.

Big names turned up to open proceedings: Financial Secretary Paul Chan and Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Prof Dong Sun were among the officials photographed at the ASTRI stand, underlining how central the innovation sector has become to Hong Kong's economic pitch.

So why should a traveller care? Partly because InnoCarnival is a free, family-friendly event that most short-stay visitors never hear about — Science Park itself, out in Pak Shek Kok by Tolo Harbour, is a pleasant half-day trip away from the usual Central-Kowloon circuit. It's also a genuinely different way to read a city: instead of temples and dim sum, you get a look at the technology Hong Kong wants to be known for in the next decade. If you're on the ground before 1 November, it's worth the detour — especially with kids in tow.

Reported by Laotian Times.