The two boxes, which are actually coloured bright vermillion, are built to withstand an impact of up to 3,400 times the force of gravity and temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes, he said.
The boxes are also watertight to 600 metres and can stay intact for 30 days.
In Hong Kong, commercial airliners are required to have one of each box installed. The voice recorder must record at least two hours of cockpit communication, while the flight data recorder must be able to record at least 25 hours of data.
Lau has urged airlines to invest in real-time data link communications through satellites to ensure that plane tracking signals were always available.
Black boxes equipped with satellite transmitters could also ensure a signal would be picked up after batteries drain, he added.