Close encounters of the 'Cloud' kind

Early this year, a gigantic silver object as large as thousands of cubic meters took off from the ground at a base in Shenzhen. Soaring to a height of some 4,000 meters, it provided Wi-Fi services for an area covering 8,000 square kilometers, and monitored and collected information on more than 2,100 ships plying off the coast.

The debut of the whale-like craft, named "Cloud" and developed by Shenzhen-based and Hong Kong-listed Kuang-Chi Science Ltd, marked the first successful commercial test flight of the airborne vehicle, which is capable of providing widespread Wi-Fi coverage over Shenzhen and Hong Kong, conducting ground monitoring and collecting big maritime data.

Cloud will be seen in action abroad－in the Democratic Republic of Congo－offering Internet service for the African nation. "Among the world's 7 billion population, about 4 billion still do not have Internet access," says Kuang-Chi Science Chairman Liu Ruopeng. "I hope our technology will help change their lives."

The 32-year-old entrepreneur is also promoting the craft's use in South Asia, Europe and other parts of the world, while in China, Cloud will be used mainly for maritime activities.

Liu launched his adventure in 2010 after obtaining a doctoral degree at Duke University in the United States. Dedicated to making innovations that can change the world, he has been focusing on developing new and disruptive space technologies by using meta-material.

"I have dreamed that all people could benefit from our creative studies and longed for a platform to make my dream come true. Then, I found that building a platform of my own is the best way to give play to our creativity, imagination and design of the future," Liu said.

He set up Kuang-Chi Science with four colleagues, who had been doing research together in the US and Shenzhen. The company expanded rapidly and went public in Hong Kong in last September. It now has over 400 employees.

Despite the fact that he has been exploring and studying the field since 2003 when he was still a sophomore, Liu has encountered various obstacles after starting his own career.

Turning from a scientist to an entrepreneur is not that easy. "You need to consider more factors, such as resources, the market environment, government and media relations, rather than focusing merely on one thing, when you conduct an academic study," he said.

For Liu, the biggest challenge lies in the lack of experience and lessons he could draw from, as the area he is researching in is totally new to him. But, from another perspective, it is where he has found his own value.

Cloud is just a production of Liu's years of research and development in the lower space. In the much higher astro space of 20-100 kilometers, or near space, another aircraft, Traveler, is emerging.

Having made its first experimental flight in June, Liu's new creation is poised to make people's space dream a reality with its "space travel" program. Anyone, without having to undergo special training, will be able to travel to outer space to take a look at the universe aboard Traveler, Liu said. "With our technology, living space and lives of humans will be expanded upward," Liu said.

Wang Xueheng, an analyst at Guosen Securities, praised Liu's latest inventions. Theoretically, he said, a technologically mature near-space aircraft could have most of the functions of a satellite, like communication, navigation and mapping.

"As a near-space aircraft has such advantages like a shorter communication distance, less transmission loss, less delay and longer life, it could significantly reduce the construction costs of ground facilities and radiation pollution from the base station. At the same time, the aircraft is cheaper than a satellite," Wang said.

Liu is seeking cooperation with foreign companies. In December last year, Kuang-Chi Science became a major shareholder of Martin Aircraft－a New Zealand company specializing in commercial jetpack manufacture－after acquiring HK$279 million ($36 million) worth of its shares, or roughly 52 percent.

"The two companies are complementary in technology. We have advanced technology in materials and Martin Aircraft is experienced in flight control," Liu said. "We have the same pursuit and the same dream. The acquisition helps us expand our overseas markets."

The jetpack, which is able to carry up to two passengers, has the capacity of flying more than 30 minutes at a speed of up to 74 km per hour and an altitude of up to 1,000 meters. It's expected to serve as a first responder after its official sale in 2016, with the retail price estimated at about $200,000.

The jetpacks may also change the way people travel in future. "Probably, in a few years' time, there will emerge a new transportation mode－traveling in the sky," Liu said.