With the onslaught of the global pandemic, human society has found an increased need for telemedicine, antibacterial technology, and work-from-home measures to minimize the chance of contact with sources of infection. In 2021, Acer’s related innovative products helped people tackle challenges in real-time, while at the same time, through product design and manufacturing, we were also able to accomplish our sustainability goal of reducing environmental impact. Acer continues to develop a number of software and hardware application technologies and products, covering various aspects such as smart medical care, smart cities, and circular innovation. These products, services, and technologies also respond to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG3, SDG12, and SDG11.
Good Health and Well-Being
Over the past two years, COVID-19 has spread across the world. To monitor and warn of possible risks to humans caused by infectious diseases, Acer Group subsidiary Acer Medical has collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control (under Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare) to develop the International Pandemic Information Station, an efficient AI-based public opinion monitoring system to instantly monitor global pandemic development and assist pandemic control personnel to stay on top of infectious disease events in various countries in the world. In this way, it serves as a reference for adjusting pandemic decision-making and prevention measures and has become an important tool in combatting the pandemic. The collection of global pandemic information in real-time has become an essential national strategic action for national health agencies, as has the sharing of the latest information with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the websites of health organizations in various countries so that all can stay current on global public opinion. The monitoring of public opinion through the collection, analysis, and summary of thousands of news items across the Internet requires a lot of manpower. The International Pandemic Information Station developed by Acer Medical makes use of AI and automated processes to quickly filter and screen for news that needs attention and provides public opinion monitoring functions to help pandemic prevention personnel quickly grasp public opinion in various countries worldwide, along with an alert function to assist in the early detection of infectious disease with potential transmission risk.
Acer subsidiary Acer Medical has created an AI-assisted ophthalmic diagnosis software called VeriSee DR. In 2020, this software received a license from the Food and Drug Administration of Taiwan and was put into use in a number of medical centers and institutions. According to data, more than 1/3 of people with diabetes worldwide will develop diabetic retinopathy. The risk of diabetic retinopathy increases with the duration of the disease, and the early stages may be asymptomatic. As such, diabetic retinopathy testing in Thailand has long seen a low screening rate. Acer’s AI-assisted diagnosis software VeriSee DR uses edge computing to perform screening and interpretation without the need for a network. It can shorten detection time, effectively address the gap in medical treatment caused by the low number of ophthalmologists in Thailand, and achieve early detection and timely treatment. Acer Medical has also strategically deployed to the Southeast Asian market. In 2021, it obtained the medical device licenses from the national Food and Drug Administration or the relevant ministries, becoming Taiwan’s first ophthalmic smart medical device to be so licensed and promising to greatly improve screening for diabetic retinopathy in Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines.
Responsible Consumption and Production
Acer launched our first environmentally friendly notebook in 2021, the Aspire Vero. Built around sustainability and the ability to be expanded and upgraded, it is not only unique but also reflects Acer’s commitment to sustainable operations. The shell of the Acer Aspire Vero is made of 30% PCR plastic, reducing carbon emissions by about 21%, while the keycaps are also made of 50% PCR. It also uses 100% recyclable materials in its outer packaging. In addition to its substantial use of recycled materials greatly reducing the amount of plastic used, the packaging is also reusable, able to be transformed into a notebook stand. This environmentally friendly design concept saw the Acer Aspire Vero win the 2021 German Red Dot Design Award for Packaging. The ingenious, sustainable design not only reduces unnecessary waste but also uses standardized screws that allow the device and parts to be easily disassembled, repaired, upgraded, or recycled. In 2021, we also updated our Acer TravelMate business notebooks, Acer Veriton Vero Mini desktop, and Acer Vero BR277 monitor. At the end of 2021, realizing a product born of Acer’s commitment to a sustainable future, a special edition Aspire Vero was released in cooperation with National Geographic. A particularly eye-catching aspect of this notebook’s shell is the lines decorating about half of the top. These are drawn from topographic maps, demarcating land and sea on the surface of the laptop and alluding to the problem of rising sea levels caused by global warming. Open the notebook and you will be greeted by the iconic National Geographic yellow frame printed to the lower right of the keyboard and a space bar printed with the words “For Planet Earth” in yellow. Every purchase of this limited-edition model helps support the global non-profit National Geographic Society and its work to protect and illuminate our world through exploration, research, and education. Hopefully, through the promotion of this eco-friendly co-branded product, we will also be able to raise people’s awareness of the need to care for our planet.
Sustainable Cities and Communities
Problems around water resources have long been a crucial issue for countries to face. Acer Being Communication, a subsidiary of Acer Group, has a long-term commitment to realizing the vision of smart cities with IoT technology and has also proposed several solutions for “Smart Water Cities,” including smart water meters to prevent unnecessary water wastage and cutting-edge smart rainfall and flood control water storage systems to assist in flood control. Such a multi-pronged smart water solution can be quickly and easily applied to major metropolitan areas, helping effectively address water resource issues and realize our vision for “resilient cities.” Acer Ozone Antibacterial Sanitizers: Acer Being Communication also released its new Acer Ozone Antibacterial Sanitizers, focused on civic water usage, along with an updated Smart Water Quality Monitoring System, through which water resource quality can be more effectively maintained through smart controls.
Smart water meters: A smart water meter solution can quickly upgrade existing water meters to smart meters, boosting communication quality and data security while keeping costs down. These smart meters have built-in camera modules that can capture the water meter reading. Then, using optical character recognition (OCR), they can calculate of water consumption through edge computing and send the data to a water usage platform, eliminating the need to cut into pipes and interrupt citizens’ water access.
Smart rainfall and flood control water storage system: Urbanization greatly reduces the land’s original water retention capability, imposing a tremendous burden on sewer systems during times of heavy rainfall. With an eye toward this, Acer Being Communication has announced its Smart Rainfall and Flood Control Water Storage System, which brings together the raft foundation of urban buildings to share the load in accomplishing urban flood control. This system can provide flood control and flood detention functions. Instructions are issued via the cloud based on weather forecasts, real-time rainfall data, and the water level of nearby rainwater sewers to automatically control valves and pumps and achieve resilient urban water storage, drought prevention, drainage, and flood detention.
