7 firms recognised for safety, security technologies

SINGAPORE - A total of 7 firms have been named recipients of the Merlion Award 2013 at the Safety & Security Asia 2013 exhibition on Tuesday.

The awards recognise new designs and products in the field of security here. The Merlion Award is a review of new safety systems based on product innovation, design, benefits, user-friendliness, and uniqueness. Categories include CCTV Digital Surveillance, Access Control, Alarm Systems, and Others.

The event, which runs till 6pm on Thursday, showcases some of these technologies as part of the solutions for various security and safety issues the Government and businesses face today. To help encourage awareness, a series of solutions and strategic plans have been put on exhibition.

CHH Construction System's wireless property protection technology PowerMaster-30 G2 took the Gold award in the Alarm Systems category.

Described as a state-of-the-art "next-gen" wireless property protection technology, the PowerMaster-30 G2 can be applied for both security and disaster prevention such as flooding.

The user-friendly system includes a main control panel which works as the "brain" of the system, and is supported by ancillary sensors, which are analogous to the "eyes" and "ears" of the system.

The "intelligence" of the sensor was commended not just for its sensitivity, but also for its accuracy. For example, the Flood Detector is able to distinguish between splashes of water from a real flooding incidence with incredible accuracy.

Powered by lithium batteries, the devices work for an unparalleled 4-8years without any power cables. This completely eliminates cable installation along with the associated costs and hassle to do with installations in hard-to-access areas.

The Merlion Award Winner in the surveillance category was Mobotix S14D FlexMount created by Spiral Tech Pte Ltd. At just the size of a tennis ball, the device is easily concealable and deployable.

It captures data through a fisheye lens sensor and translates the image into a linear, panoramic visual of the scene. This allows for simultaneous visuals around corners. The surveillance area is also much larger than the traditional CCTV camera. Just one device has a view as wide as 2 traditional CCTV cameras combined, allowing companies to cut costs in installation, monitoring and maintenance.

The device is also devoid of moving parts, adding durability to its lifespan of up to 11 years.

In light of a recent accident involving a couple who were hurt when the lift they were in jerked violently, lift security was also highlighted at the event.

Fujitec Singapore  illustrated various new technologies it has developed to help reduce running cost, save energy and improve safety in lifts.

One of the features is a counterweight safety technology which catches not just the passenger car during an accident, but also the counterweight of the lift. This prevents a free-fall of the counterweight which could severely harm residents at the basement level.

Apart from awarding notable designs in security and safety systems, the Building Specialists Trade Handbook by the Specialists Trade Alliance of Singapore (STAS)  was launched at the event.  The handbook is meant to help further develop and improve the standards of professionalism and conduct of the building trade, especially among suppliers and specialist contractors of the building and construction industry.

It augments industry standards and will be used as a source of specialists’ trade information and an industry reference for Singapore and the region.