HONG KONG, April 2025 — The Trustworthy AI and Autonomous Systems Laboratory (TASLAB) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has reached a key milestone in urban air mobility. In collaboration with SUTPC Digital Technology (Hong Kong) Limited, TASLAB has secured formal approval for trial operations under the Low-altitude Economy (LAE) Regulatory Sandbox, an initiative led by the Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB) of the HKSAR Government.
This approval enables TASLAB to conduct a series of real-world unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) trials across critical zones in Hong Kong, advancing its work in aerial robotics, low-altitude applications and smart city integration.
The LAE Regulatory Sandbox launch event.
National vision: a smart sky economy
In a recent public address, Chief Executive Mr. John Lee described the low-altitude economy (LAE) as:
“One of our nation’s strategic emerging industries, as well as the example in exploring new quality productive forces… It not only gives rise to a series of industries, but also brings along a very wide scope of application scenarios with tremendous potential. It is set to strengthen city management and business efficiency, and create a whole new experience of smart living for the public, making it an important growth engine for the economy.”
Mr. Lee reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to developing Hong Kong into both an international innovation and technology centre and a hub for high-calibre talent, with the LAE as a crucial pillar of this transformation. The TASLAB project contributes directly to this initiative by combining academic research with field applications.
For more about the Low-altitude Economy Regulatory Sandbox, visit TLB’s official website.