Nowadays, in the age of technology, someone has found a way to add an electric

boost to walking. Electric shoe-skates have been launched in the past few years as an

innovative and convenient mobility device. Some Western countries are gradually

adopting these mobile shoes. Introducing Moonwalkers, a brand-new product

developed by tech start-up Shift Robotics. Indeed, their design allows you to walk at

the speed of a run in a healthy way, enabling you to walk at 250% of your normal

pace.

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has been serving as the primary airport in

Hong Kong since 1998. The airport which covers approximately 1255 hectares (3100

acres) hosts millions of passengers every year (Wikipedia Contributors, 2020). It is

estimated that around 65,000 people are employed by the airport (Wikipedia

Contributors, 2020), mainly in airline customer services, ramp services, aviation

maintenance, and commercial services. Due to the vast site of the airport, many

workers have to walk frequently during working hours. For instance, airline staff may

walk certain distances within terminals to assist passengers, while baggage and cargo

handlers move between terminals and tarmac to transmit luggage. In addition, the

marshal must cover a significant distance on foot to coordinate and instruct aircraft

arrival and departure. Moreover, technicians may be required to travel between

workstations and facilities to repair and address infrastructure issues.

Even though there is plenty of transport and equipment for workers to traverse the

airport such as escalators, apron vehicles and electric cars, they are not efficient over

the long run. It is time-consuming to carry only three to four people by driving an

electric vehicle, resulting in work delays and traffic jams. As of 2023, there are 19

electric cars (Hong Kong International Airport, 2023) and 3 types of apron vehicles

available for airport staff (Vehicles pooling for greener apron, 2022). However, the

supply of electric vehicles has not kept pace with the surging demand since there are a

maximum of 1100 flights per day (www.routesonline.com, n.d.), which means

workers have to handle 68 flights per hour at peak hours. (HKIA Master Plan 2030

Technical Report, n.d.).

Apart from that, ramp services workers have a high risk of occupational strain injuries

owing to the piles of heavy baggage they handle every day. According to a Hong

Kong Airport report in 2015, there were a total of four injuries in a year and the injury

rate is 0.2%. As a result, the need to enhance transport efficiency and to reduce

occupational disease risk is identified as a key concern. In view of the above, electric

shoe-skates would be an alternative.

The overall purpose of the project is to use electric shoe-skates for workers to

commute to their destination, with a view to enhancing airport service efficiency as

well as reducing worker’s occupational strain injuries.

Wikipedia Contributors (2020). Hong Kong International Airport. [online] Wikipedia.

Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_International_Airport

Hong Kong International Airport. (2023). Electric Vehicles, Airport Facilities &

Services. [online] Available at: https://www.hongkongairport.com/en/passenger-

guide/airport-facilities-services/electric-vehicles

Vehicles pooling for greener apron. (2022). Available at:

https://www.hongkongairport.com/iwov-resources/html/hkairportnews/

2022issue164/hkairportnews2022issue164.pdf

www.routesonline.com. (n.d.). Overview: Hong Kong International Airport Routes.

[online] Available at: https://www.routesonline.com/airports/2431/hong-kong-

international-airport/.

‌HKIA Master Plan 2030 Technical Report. (n.d.). CHAPTER 3 HKIA: Operation and

Capacity, Internal and External Transportation Links. Available at:

https://www.threerunwaysystem.com/media/1280/tr_24may_eng_ch3.pdf

‌
https://www.hongkongairport.com/iwov-resources/html/sustainability_report/eng/

SR1516/pdf/performance_data.pdf