PolyU wins record-breaking number of awards at International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva

20 Apr 2024

Achievements Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship Office

PolyU won 45 prizes at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva. The PolyU delegation posed for a group photo.

The PolyU innovation which grasped the Prize of the Saudi Arabian Delegation and Gold medal is the world’s first portable High-Definition corneal topographer developed by a research team led by Prof. KEE Chea-su, Head and Professor, PolyU School of Optometry (2nd from left).

CAiRS was awarded the Prize of the International Federation of Inventors’ Association - IFIA and Gold Medal for its RailSwinX project, which enhances rail track defect detection through cutting edge AI technology.

Impactful innovations from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) won a record-breaking number of accolades at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva (Geneva Inventions Expo), a widely recognised annual event devoted exclusively to invention.

43 PolyU innovations seized 45 accolades, including two Special Prizes, five Gold Medals with Congratulations of the Jury, 18 Gold Medals, 13 Silver Medals and seven Bronze Medals. Among them, 19 were developed under the InnoHK research centres led by PolyU in collaboration with top research institutions around the world. This achievement underscores the commitment of the PolyU community, encompassing scholars, students and alumni, to embracing research breakthroughs.

The PolyU innovation which grasped the Prize of the Saudi Arabian Delegation and Gold Medal is the world’s first portable High-Definition corneal topographer developed by a research team led by Prof. KEE Chea-su, Head and Professor, PolyU School of Optometry and Deputy Director of Centre for Eye and Vision Research (CEVR). It is commercialised through the PolyU academic-led startup GOOD Vision Technologies Co., Limited. The award-winning innovation supports eye care practitioners in assessing risks and facilitating timely interventions, which are critical for visual development in children as young as four years old. It outperforms existing devices with its flexibility, compact size, utlisation of normative data from Chinese populations, and affordability, allowing for early diagnosis of vision conditions such as astigmatism and corneal ectasia.

Centre for Advances in Reliability and Safety (CAiRS) was awarded the Prize of the International Federation of Inventors’ Association - IFIA and Gold Medal for its RailSwinX project, which enhances rail track defect detection through cutting edge AI technology.

Prof. Christopher CHAO, PolyU Vice President (Research and Innovation), extended his congratulations to the University’s winning teams and stated, “I am thrilled about the exceptional accomplishments of PolyU’s research teams at the Geneva Inventions Expo this year. The results are truly encouraging and serve as a testament to the outstanding research capabilities of our scholars and experts. The international recognition will inspire them to continue pursuing excellence, not only in basic research but also in translating their research outcomes into positive impacts for the benefit of Hong Kong, our Nation, and the world.”

This year, PolyU’s award-winning projects span the fields of life sciences and healthcare, renewable energy, new energy vehicles, materials and sensing technology, civil engineering, food science, and vision and eye health. These projects demonstrate the University’s dedication to improving human health and lives and contributing to sustainable development.

PolyU is at the forefront globally of driving innovation and entrepreneurship. Among the PolyU award-winning teams, 10 are PolyU-nurtured startups, some of which were founded by the University’s scholars. To-date, the University has trained over 7,600 entrepreneurs, including researchers, alumni and students, and nurtured nearly 500 active startups PolyU innovations and research projects have also garnered close to 400 international and local awards.

The 49th Geneva Inventions Expo attracted 1,035 entries from 38 countries and regions. PolyU’s award-winning projects are listed below. To learn more about these impactful projects, please refer to the Appendix or visit the website of the PolyU Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship Office.

Project	Principal Investigator(s)	Award(s)
GOOD Vision/Wellsees: Novel Portable Corneal Topographer	Prof. KEE Chea-su Head and Professor, School of Optometry; Deputy Director of CEVR; Co-founder, GOOD Vision Technologies Co., Ltd/Wellsees Technologies Co., Ltd (a PolyU academic-led startup)	Prize of the Saudi Arabian Delegation Gold Medal
RailSwinX: Enhanced Rail Track Defect Detection through Cutting Edge AI Technology	Prof. Kenneth LAM Kin-man CEO and Centre Director of Centre for Advances in Reliability and Safety (CAiRS)	Prize of the International Federation of Inventors’ Association - IFIA Gold Medal
ProRuka — Novel Prosthetic Hand Controlled by Wireless Sonomyography	Prof. Yongping ZHENG Henry G. Leong Professor in Biomedical Engineering and Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Director, Research Institute for Smart Ageing; and Director, Jockey Club Smart Ageing Hub Mr Vaheh NAZARI Research Assistant, Department of Biomedical Engineering	Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
Augmented Reality (AR) Software Built to Aid the Visually Impaired	Prof. Allen Cheong Associate Head and Professor, School of Optometry; Deputy Director of CEVR Project from Centre for Eye and Vision Research (Set up as a joint partnership between PolyU and the University of Waterloo, Canada under the Health@InnoHK cluster)*	Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
SLOPE – Structured Light Observation, Perception and Evaluation	Co-Principal Investigator: Dr Dennis Tse Associate Professor, School of Optometry Project from Centre for Eye and Vision Research (Set up as a joint partnership between PolyU and the University of Waterloo, Canada under the Health@InnoHK cluster)*	Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
AI-Driven Ergonomic Headwear Customisation System	Dr Yan LUXIMON Associate Professor, School of Design *Project from AiDLab (established under the AIR@InnoHK cluster in collaboration with the Royal College of Art, UK)	Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
AI Knitted Textile System with Interactive Illumination	Prof. Jeanne TAN Centre Assistant Director, AiDLab Professor, School of Fashion and Textiles *Project from AiDLab (established under the AIR@InnoHK cluster in collaboration with the Royal College of Art, UK)	Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
MicroFish: A Lab-on-a-chip for On-site Detection of Microbial Contamination and Pollutants	Dr CHUA Song Lin Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology; Co-founder, Microfish Limited (a PolyU academic-led startup) Dr LIU Yang Sylvia GBA Startup Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology; Co-founder, Microfish Limited (a PolyU academic-led startup) Dr KHOO Bee Luan Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong	Gold Medal
3D Printed Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) Bone Scaffolds	Dr ZHAO Xin Associate Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology; Founder, ReNew Biotechnology Limited (a PolyU academic-led startup)	Gold Medal
Autophagy-targeting Peptidomimetics as Novel Cancer Therapeutics	Prof. ZHAO Yanxiang Associate Head, Departmental Learning and Teaching Committee Chair, and Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology	Gold Medal
Flexible Perovskite Solar Modules Based on Surface Reconstruction Technology	Prof. YAN Feng Associate Director, Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems; Chair Professor of Organic Electronics, Department of Applied Physics	Gold Medal
A Fireproof Solar PV Vacuum-Glazing Wall Panel (FSVG) as Building Insulation Layer	Prof. YANG Hongxing Professor, Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering	Gold Medal
Mobile Ankle-foot Exoneuromusculoskeleton	Dr Xiaoling HU Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Founder, Thecon Technology HK Ltd. (a PolyU academic-led startup)	Gold Medal
FRP-ECC-HSC Composite Column	Prof. Tak-Ming CHAN Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Dr Shuai LI Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Prof. Ben YOUNG Vice President (Student and Global Affairs); Chair Professor of Steel Structures, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering	Gold Medal
Multi-Functional High-Power-Density Integrated Onboard Charger for Electric Vehicles	Dr WONG Chi Shing Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Dr LOO Ka Hong Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Assistant Dean (External Engagement), Faculty of Engineering Dr LIU Junwei Research Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering	Gold Medal
Virtual MRI Contrast Enhancement System for Precise Tumour Detection and Treatment	Prof. CAI Jing Associate Dean, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences; Professor, Department of Health Technology and Informatics; and Technical Advisor, MedVision Limited (a PolyU startup)	Gold Medal
Smart-CKD: Ultrasound Tool for Renal Fibrosis in Chronic Kidney Disease	Dr CHEN Ziman Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Health Technology and Informatics Prof. YING Tin Cheung Associate Head and Professor, Department of Health Technology and Informatics	Gold Medal
Vcare - Vision Training VR Device	Dr TANG Yuk Ming Senior Lecturer, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering; Co-founder, Vcare Vision Technology Limited (a PolyU academic-led startup)	Gold Medal
Patellar Auto-mobilising Device (PAD)	Prof. FU Siu Ngor Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences Dr Kam-lun LEUNG Principal Research Fellow, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences	Gold Medal
iActive: Intelligent Active-Perspiration Activewear	Dr SHOU Dahua Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Advanced Textiles Technologies; Assistant Professor, School of Fashion and Textiles	Gold Medal
AiDA: AI-based Design Assistant for Fashion	Prof. Calvin WONG Centre Director of AiDLab; Cheng Yik Hung Professor in Fashion, School of Fashion and Textiles *Project from AiDLab (established under the AIR@InnoHK cluster in collaboration with the Royal College of Art, UK)	Gold Medal
CablePrognosis: AI-Driven Predictive Health Index System and Remaining Useful Life Prediction for Underground Cables	Centre for Advances in Reliability and Safety (CAiRS)	Gold Medal
LithioGuardian: Online Lithium-ion Battery Health Monitoring System with FBG Sensors	Centre for Advances in Reliability and Safety (CAiRS)	Gold Medal
Smart Firefighting Robot	Dr HUANG Xinyan Associate Professor, Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering; Advisor, Widemount Dynamics Tech Limited (a PolyU academic-led startup) Mr WANG Meng Research Assistant, Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering; Founder, Widemount Dynamics Tech Limited (a PolyU academic-led startup)	Silver Medal
Ammonia Powered Electric Vehicle	Prof. CHENG Ka-wai Eric Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering	Silver Medal
Invention and Application of Vitamin D Supplement Preparations	Prof. WONG Man Sau Director, Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation; Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition	Silver Medal
Precision Gene Editing for Enhanced Stem Cell-Retinal Neuron Generation	Dr HUANG Chien-ling Associate Professor, Department of Health Technology and Informatics; Principal Investigator, Centre for Eye and Vision Research Limited Prof. YIP Shea-ping Head and Chair Professor of Diagnostic Science and Molecular Genetics, Department of Health Technology and Informatics; Principal Investigator, Centre for Eye and Vision Research Limited	Silver Medal
A Smart 3D+AI Industrial IoT (IIoT) Sensor for Precise Measurement	Dr LI Da Founder, PlusD Technology Limited (a PolyU startup)	Silver Medal
Novel Nano-imprinting Technology for Anti-counterfeiting Micro-images and Information Storage	Prof. Sandy Suet TO Professor, State Key Laboratory of Ultraprecision Machining Technology, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering Dr Zhanwen SUN Postdoctoral Fellow, State Key Laboratory of Ultraprecision Machining Technology, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering Dr Lenny Wai Sze YIP Research Assistant Professor, State Key Laboratory of Ultraprecision Machining Technology, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering	Silver Medal
Smart Headset featuring Adaptive Noise Filters for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder	Dr CHOY Yat Sze Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering	Silver Medal
ZC-01 Automatic Washroom Cleaning Robot	Mr LEE Tsz Chung Curry Founder, ZeeqClean Technology Limited (a PolyU start-up)	Silver Medal
WiseEye: A standalone AI based defect detection, classification and grading system for textiles	Prof. Calvin WONG Centre Director of AiDLab; Cheng Yik Hung Professor in Fashion, School of Fashion and Textiles *Project from AiDLab (established under the AIR@InnoHK cluster in collaboration with the Royal College of Art, UK)	Silver Medal
SolderSense: A Novel AI Failure Prediction System for PCB Solder Joints Using Thermal Imaging Analytics	Centre for Advances in Reliability and Safety (CAiRS)	Silver Medal
WireInspect: Anomaly Detection System for Elevator Steel Wire Ropes Using Deep Learning Models	Centre for Advances in Reliability and Safety (CAiRS)	Silver Medal
RoboGuide: Intelligent Collision Avoidance Tracking and Hazardous Object Detection for Robot Temi	Centre for Advances in Reliability and Safety (CAiRS)	Silver Medal
ClearLens: Cutting-Edge Camera Tampering and Anomaly Detection System for Video Surveillance	Centre for Advances in Reliability and Safety (CAiRS)	Silver Medal
Thick Glassy Carbon Manufacturing and Physical Property Adjustment through Heat Treatment	Mr YANG YI PhD Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering; Founder, Discarbonery Technology Limited (a PolyU startup)	Bronze Medal
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) Hat to Limit Dementia Progression	Dr SETO Sai-wang Associate Director, Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation; Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition Prof. Samuel LO Honorary Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology	Bronze Medal
AR Smart Headset with Gesture Recognition and Control	Dr Carman LEE Associate Professor, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering *Project from AiDLab (established under the AIR@InnoHK cluster in collaboration with the Royal College of Art, UK)	Bronze Medal
VehicleGuardian: AI-Enhanced Online Health Monitoring and Remaining Useful Life Prediction for Vehicle Engine Cooling Systems	Centre for Advances in Reliability and Safety (CAiRS)	Bronze Medal
MotorGuard: Automated Motor Health Monitoring and Failure Diagnosis with a Rule-Based Expert Inference System	Centre for Advances in Reliability and Safety (CAiRS)	Bronze Medal
ManufacturoVision: Real-Time Defect Detection and Classification System Using Deep Learning for Multi-Material Components	Centre for Advances in Reliability and Safety (CAiRS)	Bronze Medal
RailScan: AI Rail Anomaly Detection and Remaining Useful Life Modelling	Centre for Advances in Reliability and Safety (CAiRS)	Bronze Medal