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【2021 Solutions】 Enhancing Water Resource Efficiency: WoLong Intelligence Makes Good Use of AI for Early Warning and Decision-Making Functions

An incident of wastewater treatment audit at a home electroplating factory was the driving force for Xie Wenbin, the general manager of WoLong Intelligence Environmental Company, to venture into the environmental engineering field. Leaving behind the envied position of senior engineer at TSMC, he embarked on this entrepreneurial journey with a mission to create a better environment for Taiwan and future generations. Facing erratic climate changes causing droughts and floods, Xie utilized artificial intelligence (AI) technology to become a pioneer in water resource protection.

Observations on Taiwan's rainfall trends over the past half-century indicate that due to intensifying climate change, the drought cycles in Taiwan have shortened from 17 years to between 3 and 5 years. In April 2021, Taiwan experienced its worst water shortage in over half a century. Subsequently, central and southern Taiwan suffered from floods caused by heavy rainfall, making water resource protection a critical issue in today's society.

Xie Wenbin, formerly a chief engineer at TSMC responsible for water treatment, achieved remarkable results in a water-saving event organized by the Water Resources Agency and Hsinchu Science Park in 2015, where TSMC ranked first. During his tenure at the Environment and Development Foundation, he undertook the Industrial Bureau's project on enhancing water efficiency in industries, advising over 300 Taiwanese companies.

AI Adoption in Water Resource Applications Aims for Early Warning and Forecasting Goals

Since its inception less than six months ago, WoLong Intelligence Environmental Company has focused on government projects and SMEs for IoT setups or AI intelligence adoption in wastewater and sewage treatment, aiming to achieve early warning and decision-making goals to enhance water resource efficiency. There are three main themes of smart AIoT applications: predictive and decision-making water treatment systems, optimization of water treatment operation protocols, and smart water treatment management platforms. These are the core businesses of WoLong Intelligence.

Scope and Benefits of AIpoint Water Treatment AI Intelligence System

▲ Scope and Benefits of AIpoint Water Treatment AI Intelligence System

Xie Wenbin noted that the Industrial Bureau supervises 66 wastewater treatment plants, plus tens of thousands of regulated wastewater treatment facilities commonly facing issues with their chemical coagulation systems due to inaccurate and untimely human control and feedback-based chemical dosing, leading to unstable water quality. Large amounts of PAC and Polymer are used unnecessarily, producing a significant amount of sludge. Current testing methods contain errors, and there is a need to establish a more comprehensive AI testing data database to support and assist in setting dosing standards. The integration of big data with patented AI models enhances the efficiency and precision control of wastewater (pollution prevention systems).

Adopting AIpoint Precision Dosing System Achieves Emission Reduction and System Longevity

The adoption of WoLong Intelligence's AIpoint precision dosing intelligent system can achieve the following benefits:

• Reduce manual operation

• Reduce the amount of chemicals used

• Reduce sludge production

• Reduce carbon emissions / Save energy

• Extend system life

• System automatic prevention and maintenance

• Lower conductivity levels

AI Water Resource Service Models and Processes

▲ AI Water Resource Service Models and Processes

Indeed, wastewater and sewage plants vary in their degree of digitalization. Therefore, Xie Wenbin categorizes clients and sets up IoT devices and software/hardware systems for those not yet digitalized; for those already equipped with IoT, AI technologies are introduced to solve specific problems and enhance the efficiency of wastewater treatment. 'Not all customer issues need to be resolved with AI, and we never use AI for the sake of using AI,' says Xie Wenbin, who assesses and implements based on the actual needs of the customers. With his extensive experience in water treatment and the addition of AI experts, factories only need to provide water quality data for AI prediction and decision-making.

In practice, some factories have stringent cybersecurity requirements, so AIpoint's smart cloud platform can directly connect the data collection hardware to the factory site, and the data is not stored in the cloud. The system automatically categorizes and filters algorithms to find the most suitable model, which is then connected to the system end to generate predictions and decisions. Additionally, the cloud platform is secured with blockchain encryption, and the factory end follows the same steps for rapid integration. Also, the backend monitoring system can assist in early warning for water treatment or water recovery systems, including sensor fault prevention, automatic protection, and retraining of backend models. Projects typically last about three to six months, after which the model is adjusted based on the system's condition. This part is offered as a subscription service combined with after-sales service.

WoLong Intelligence Environmental Company also sets short, medium, and long-term goals. In the short term, it aims to maintain integrity and establish a strong brand identity; in the medium term, it plans to build an ecosystem with hardware partners and collectively expand the market; and ultimately, it hopes to export its services internationally. Financially, Xie Wenbin is looking to actively seek angel investment, targeting NT$20 million to achieve the company's goal of sustainable operation.
 

Founder and General Manager of WoLong Intelligence Environmental Company, Xie Wenbin

▲ Founder and General Manager of WoLong Intelligence Environmental Company, Xie Wenbin

「Translated content is generated by ChatGPT and is for reference only. Translation date:2024-05-19」

Recommend Cases

【解決方案】2秒鐘完成結帳動作 Viscovery AI影像辨識助攻智慧零售
Complete checkout in 1 second, Viscovery AI image recognition assists smart retail

Artificial intelligence AI has gradually changed the way various industries operate in recent years However, most of the work is still done by humans, with AI playing a supporting role This has led to emergence of the term "AI Copilot," which stands for "AI-driven tools or assistants" that aim to assist users in completing various tasks and improve productivity and efficiency The concept of AI Copilot comes from the role of "co-pilot" During flight, the co-pilot assists the main pilot in completing various tasks to ensure flight safety and efficiency In fact, there have been signs of various "machines" beginning to play the role of "copilot" in different fields since the Industrial Revolution, assisting humans in completing heavy physical and repetitive tasks, greatly improving factory production efficiency, and driving rapid economic development Following the advancement of computing equipment and breakthroughs in machine learning, deep learning, and image recognition technologies, the concept of AI Copilot has gradually taken shape The development of AI Copilot marks the transition from "machine-assisted to AI-assisted" Early robots could only complete preset repetitive tasks, but today's AI copilot can learn and adapt to new environments and tasks, and continuously optimize its performance in practical applications This transformation not only changes human-machine interactions, but also has a profound impact on various industries The application scope of AI copilot covers various industries, including finance, healthcare, manufacturing, education, retail, etc, and are everywhere to be seen Application of AI copilot in the retail industry AI image recognition checkout In the retail industry, the application of AI copilot has begun to show concrete results Take Viscovery's AI image recognition checkout system as an example This system is a type of AI copilot model that helps store clerks speed up checkout or assists consumers in simplifying the self-service checkout process The store clerk needs to scan the product barcodes one by one in the regular checkout method If a product does not have a barcode, such as bread and meals, the clerk needs to first visually confirm the items, and then input them into the POS checkout system one by one Based on actual measurements at a chain bakery, it takes 22 seconds for an experienced clerk from "visual recognition" to "entering product information of a plate of 6 items into the checkout system" New clerks may need even more time In addition, according to a Japanese bakery operator, it takes 1 to 2 months to train employees to become familiar with products Now with AI image recognition technology, store clerks let AI handle the "product recognition" step, and AI will play the role of copilot, quickly identifying items within 1 second, speeding up checkout to save 50 of checkout time, and optimizing customers'shopping experience The time cost of training employees to identify bread can also be effectively shortened Even for products with barcodes, AI can quickly identify multiple items in one second, which is more efficient than scanning barcodes one by one The self-checkout system "assisted" by AI image recognition allows consumers to successfully complete shopping without the help of store clerks, eliminating the trouble of swiping barcodes or searching for items on the screen, which improves the shopping experience In a time when store clerks are hard to hire due to labor shortage, this also helps stores reduce operating costs AI quickly identifies multiple checkout items in just one second Source of image Viscovery Recently, startups dedicated to developing AI image recognition checkout solutions have emerged in various countries The most lightweight solution currently known is in Taiwan It can be immediately used by installing a Viscovery lens and a tablet installed with Viscovery AI image recognition software at the checkout counter to connect to the store's existing POS checkout system There are various integration methods, including plug-and-play and API solutions integrated with the store's POS system Viscovery AI image recognition system can be painlessly integrated with the store's existing POS system Source of image Viscovery Example of AI image recognition checkout Currently, the Viscovery AI image recognition system is being used in bakery chains in Taiwan, Chinese noodle shops in Singapore, micromarkets in department stores in Sendai, Japan, and Japanese bakeries and cake shops Over 7 million transactions were completed through this AI system, which identified more than 40 million items These use cases demonstrate the extensive application of the Viscovery AI image recognition system in the retail industry In the future, the company will continue to explore the various possibilities of using Vision AI in retail and catering nbsp The Viscovery AI image recognition system is already being used in bakeries, cake shops, restaurants, and convenience stores in Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan Source of image Viscovery

【解決方案】讓硬碟裡的音樂重生 愛飛媒平運用AI為影像找到最佳拍檔
Rebirth the music on the hard drive. Aifei Matchmaking uses AI to find the best partner for the image.

A young girl, alone in Los Angeles, USA, is looking for a dream, a dream that allows the music creator to find her soulmate again with the music she buried deep in the hard drive Li Zihui, the founder of iFeiMedia, has a background in science and engineering, but she has a strong gene for musicians In order to help global musicians create music and find the "best partner" who can successfully match them, she founded iFeiMedia Ping Company provides a one-stop AI video and music matching platform AV Mapping to help video creators quickly find copyrighted original music One-stop AI image music matching solution to find innovative business opportunities for music creators Generally speaking, in the past, video creators had to work on video music, including composing lyrics, music, and finding copyrights It usually took two weeks Through the AV Mapping video and music matching platform, it can be instantly matched to a suitable video in 10 seconds Music, musicians can also remarket their creations to gain profit sharing, creating a win-win situation This new, decentralized operating model is also favored by the descendants of the late Taiwanese music master Li Taixiang On the platform, you can relive a time when music creation was free to fly Li Zihui has practiced piano since she was a child, participated in choirs and wind bands, and composed her own music Although she studied science and engineering in college - the Department of Surveying and Spatial Information at Cheng Kung University, she joined the imaging team to work on soundtracks from her junior year , and went to the Applied Music Department of Nanyit University to audit After graduating from college, Li Zihui decided to obey the voice in her heart and become a music dreamer Aifei Matching provides a one-stop AI image and music matching solution Aifei Matching provides a one-stop AI image and music matching solution, which mainly uses artificial intelligence image recognition and music analysis Image creators can search and match suitable music by themselves on the platform, and use the system to It can shorten the duration of the soundtrack from 8 hours to a few seconds, a significant reduction of nearly 2,000 times Li Zihui said that in addition to creating suitable soundtracks, traditional video scoring projects also require a lot of time and cost in communication and search, including subsequent post-production processing such as arrangement and recording, and music licensing, which are even more time-consuming and labor-intensive With the assistance of AI, creators can focus all their efforts on creation without worrying about finding suitable music or having their music copyright stolen Integrated virtual and real marketing, from transaction to contract signing with one click At present, AifeiMeiping's music database has a total of 60,000 tracks in more than 60 categories, covering music from Europe, America, Asia and other parts of the world, including pop, EDM, rock, Irish music, etc The original decentralized concept of iFlyMediaPing further protects the rights and interests of musicians Musicians on the platform can set their own prices and track the transaction process, achieving open, transparent and decentralized features There are currently more than 7,000 video and music creators on the platform Music creators who successfully trade on the platform can share profits of more than 40, up to 50 The two parties transact and complete the contract on the platform, and the procedure is very simple AVMapping has a total of 14 AI models, making it easy to find speed dating music Li Zihui said that the AI image music matching solution has a total of 14 AI models The method is to disassemble all elements, conduct music analysis through image recognition and text recognition, and then use machine learning algorithms to train extensively The characteristics of images and music are listed, which can quickly match the soundtrack that suits the image situation, atmosphere, and rhythm In addition to online matchmaking transactions, Aifei Matchmaking also holds physical concert events, inviting music and video creators to participate The content of the event revolves around the display of AI video soundtracks, and a video directed by the director is used on-site to allow music creators to participate PK soundtrack or take out a demonstration video and let AI match it It only takes 10 seconds The images and music matched by AI are very accurate in terms of mood and atmosphere, which amazed the participants Three years of research and development won the Red Dot Design Award, using technology to support the development of music and art Aifei MatchPing spent three years of research and development, and the platform was officially launched in August 2021 In January 2022, it participated in the CES event in Las Vegas, USA, which attracted great attention from reporters present and received more than 100 awards in total media reports, the number of uses in a month has exceeded 1,000 times, attracting 7,000 video and music creators to join the matchmaking platform According to statistics, in the initial stage, the proportion of matchmaking transactions between the United States and Taiwan is evenly divided Li Zihui said that the licensing methods of traditional music are very complex, including types of works, types of copyright property rights, etc To obtain authorization for a song, one must go through a songwriting agency, a collective management group, a production company, a record company, or even a composer , lyricists, it is very cumbersome, and musicians may not necessarily get profit sharing Through the AI image music matching platform, all transaction contracts are completed online, music creators can gain profits, and their creative enthusiasm is constantly stimulated Three steps to help video creators easily complete the soundtrack work It is worth mentioning that NFT Non-fungible token, also known as non-fungible token is currently very popular in the art and cultural market What is the possibility of introducing it into the field of video and music Li Zihui said that the current transaction fees gas fees of Ethereum remain high, and coupled with the conclusions she obtained from attending many gatherings in Los Angeles, the acceptance of NFT is still in the process of brewing However, Aifei Matching is still optimistic about the future of NFT Trend, in the foreseeable future, relevant technologies will still be introduced into the AV Mapping platform to provide more diversified trading methods In order to rapidly expand overseas markets, Li Zihui continues to seek funding from international strategic investors in San Francisco At the same time, due to the appropriate control of the epidemic in Los Angeles, the industry is gradually recovering, and Li Zihui also participates in many offline creative gatherings Aifei Media hopes to become a bridge connecting images and music, introduce well-known user cases in the international market, and let more creators see the power of the platform Aifei Media Ping also frequently reports good news After winning the DSA Digital Advertising Singularity Silver Award and the AWE Female Entrepreneurship Best Potential Award co-organized by the American Institute in Taiwan and META, the one-stop AI video and music matchmaking company founded by Li Zihui The platform AV Mapping also won the Best of the best in the Design Concept of the German Red Dot Award in 2020 We hope to continue to be based on technology and nourished by art Support music creators to create better works Li Zihui, the founder of Aifei Matchping, has won many international awards and is a female entrepreneur with great potential「Translated content is generated by ChatGPT and is for reference only Translation date:2024-05-19」

【解決方案】7毫秒內分離人聲 洞見未來科技協助聽損者「聽說更簡單」
Voice Separation in 7 Milliseconds: RelaJet's Future Technology Makes 'Hearing and Speaking Easier' for the Hearing Impaired

One rainy Thursday afternoon near Taipei Arena, the Taipei Experience Center of RelaJet was fully booked with appointments from people with hearing loss eager to try hearing aids made with a voice separation engine For the hearing impaired, having affordable, lightweight, and effective noise-reducing hearing aids is truly a blessing 'We hope to help users in need to hear the world's wonders again' This empathetic expectation by RelaJet's founder and CEO Po-Ju Chen, who is also hearing impaired, illustrates his understanding of the needs of the hearing impaired He hopes that RelaJet's unique voice amplification hearing aid technology will benefit many more people Affordable hearing aids benefit many with hearing loss Founded in 2018 by Po-Ju Chen and his brother Yu-Ren Chen, RelaJet developed a multi-voice separation engine paired with Qualcomm's Bluetooth audio platform, drastically reducing the price of imported hearing aids, typically costing 80,000-100,000 NT dollars, to just under 10,000 NT dollars They aim to develop affordable goods with excellent noise-cancelling capabilities that wirelessly connect to smartphones In its first two years, the company primarily developed the multi-voice separation engine, which significantly improved the noise reduction quality Once equipped with Qualcomm Bluetooth earphone chips, the audio processing time is drastically short, at about 7 milliseconds to enhance main voice projection and reduce ambient noise, less than half the time required by traditional medical standard of 16 milliseconds for hearing aids, nearly 'zero-delay' 洞見未來科技推出平價助輔聽器,大大嘉惠聽損者 Yu-Ren Chen explains that the primary use of Qualcomm chips for edge computing, along with a streamlined algorithm, achieves extremely low latency and better noise reduction The hearing aids can cover 18 channels, whereas traditional hearing aids cover 4-48 channels In the future, RelaJet will progressively increase the number of channels According to statistics, there are 470 million people globally with hearing disabilities, with a 30 average device use rate in developed countries, with the highest in Western countries Taiwan has nearly 15 million people with disabling hearing loss, of which the middle-aged and elderly make up 30, yet the device use rate is only about 10, which is quite low Yu-Ren Chen further analyzes that the low device usage rate is due to two reasons firstly, the high average selling price of international big brands ranges from 80,000 to 200,000 NT dollars with a three-year usability period, which deters many due to the high cost and maintenance Secondly, in noisy environments, the noise is also amplified which does not necessarily ensure clarity for the users, and the sound parameters can't be adjusted in real-time, making it inconvenient to frequently visit stores for tuning Thirdly, most models cannot connect to smartphones, making it inconvenient for the hearing impaired to take phone calls Utilizing Qualcomm Bluetooth chips for rapid product development In light of this, Po-Ju Chen, formerly a semiconductor engineer at MediaTek, leads the technical development, while Yu-Ren Chen, with a legal background, manages the operations Their seamless collaboration, along with their team employing AI algorithms and chip integration, learns from thousands of hours of audio files in databases through neural networks and deep learning technologies to develop low-latency, high-noise-reduction voice amplification technologies for hearing aids In 2019, this sound processing technology was integrated into Qualcomm Bluetooth chips, winning first place in the Qualcomm Taiwan Startup Competition and becoming a partner in Qualcomm's Global Expansion Program, significantly boosting product development pace In 2021, they launched their own Otoadd series of hearingenhancement products in Taiwan, which received both market favor and positive reviews from many with hearing loss Based on different consumer needs, various product designs are available According to Yu-Ren Chen, the Otoadd wireless earphones with hearing enhancement functions, model N1, are entry-level neckband style priced at 9,500 NT per pair Users can wear the hearing aid while taking calls, and control noise reduction strength and volume through a mobile app They plan to develop accessories in the future tailored to the needs of older adults Besides being available for trials at experience centers in Taipei and Kaohsiung, this hearing aid is also sold through PChome, Taiwan Mobile's myfone, and Elder Age networks, among other channels Another model intended for individuals with mild to severe hearing loss is the Classic R hearing aid, which received the Japanese Good Design Award in 2021 Since its market debut last year, it has attracted those with congenital hearing loss, with users noting improved clarity in noisy environments and appreciating the convenience of Bluetooth connectivity for calls and watching videos This product is anticipated to be exported to international markets in the latter half of this year Additionally, a hearing aid product combining Bluetooth functionality, set to launch in June this year, is sized like typical Bluetooth earphones, targeting visually conscious consumers with hearing loss Its small size and attractive wireless earphone design allow for phone calls, and if approved by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, eligible users can apply for government subsidies RelaJet to expand into overseas markets, using the USA as a beachhead An interesting question arises due to the pandemic everyone must wear masks which impedes lip-reading How does this affect those with hearing loss Yu-Ren Chen indicates that this situation highlights RelaJet's advantages As each person with hearing loss has different levels of hearing ability, hearing aids can only augment to an appropriate volume, assisting users to hear about 60-70 content, with the remainder relying on lip reading and gestures During the pandemic, as everyone wears masks, masks also muffle sounds, but RelaJet's voice separation engine can correct and strengthen the separation, making it easier for those with hearing loss to recognize voices Besides the Taiwan market, RelaJet's next stage will be expanding into overseas markets, expecting to obtain ISO 13485 medical device quality management system certification and US medical device approval in 2022 They plan to enter the US market, either under their own brand or through OEM arrangements Apart from the Taiwan market, RelaJet will also enter the US market in the next phase for hearing aids「Translated content is generated by ChatGPT and is for reference only Translation date:2024-05-19」