Robots Help Old Hong Kong Residents Get Their Things Back

The fire that shook Tai Po last November left a high‑rise block in ruins and 168 people dead. Four months later, residents are trying to recover what they can from the wreckage.

Fanny Mok (59)
Lived on the 13th floor for three decades. The blaze destroyed her home, forcing her to stay in a small hostel far from the site. She reports knee pain, weakness, and rapid breathing. To climb back to her apartment, Mok uses robotic exoskeleton legs that lift and support her limbs.

• Trained in a nearby building, learning to move with the device.
• Exoskeletons are made by Shanghai company Hypershell and lent to former residents who pass a safety test.
• NGO AidVengers Federation oversees the program; about 70 % of applicants succeed.

Wang Fuk Court

• Complex built in the 1980s; housed 4 600 people.
• More than a third were over 65, many now in temporary shelters across the city.
• Towers rise to 31 floors; climbing is hard for many elderly people.

Recovery Window (April 20 – May 4)

• Residents have a three‑hour window each day to gather belongings.
• Betty Ho (61), who lived on the 15th floor for 35 years, feels it is impossible to take everything back in such a short time.
• She hopes to bring home money and family photos that span her life, but worries about letting go.

The exoskeletons offer a practical solution for those who cannot lift themselves up the stairs, but time limits and emotional weight of losing a home make the task daunting.

As more people return, they will face the challenge of deciding what to keep and what to leave behind.