News

Reunion of the former staff of Jockey Club Rehabilitation Engineering Centre. Welcome back!

The former staff of Jockey Club Rehabilitation Engineering Centre (JCREC 1987-2005) had a reunion at BME on 25 January 2025, warmly welcomed by Ir Prof. Ming ZHANG and Ir Prof. Yongping ZHENG. Welcome back!

JOIN US at the PolyU Biomedical Engineering Day and Alumni Homecoming on 29 March 2025! Register now!

We are thrilled to invite you and your family to the PolyU Biomedical Engineering Day and Alumni Homecoming on 29 March 2025 (Saturday) from 10.00am to 4.00pm at PolyU campus!   Lots of activities and celebrations await you and your friends and family! FREE body scans: register for a health check-up for you and your loved ones Award ceremony: celebrate the achievements of our Outstanding Alumni, Research Staff, and Outstanding Students across Research, Master, and Bachelor programmes Entrepreneurial talk: gain insights from Mr Chapman Lee, our 2024 Outstanding Alumni Awardee and Director of Imsight Technology Co. Limited, as he shares his entrepreneurial journey Inauguration of BME’s new laboratories: be part of the unveiling of our state-of-the-art facilities that will drive future innovations And there’ll be MUCH MORE on the Day!   We warmly welcome all our BME graduates*, current students*, staff, and former staff to join us for this exciting day.   Please complete the registration form  (https://polyu.hk/YvSQe, or scan the below QR code) on or before 7 March 2025. Kindly share this exciting news with your BME member, and we look forward to seeing you there!   * including Prosthetics & Orthotics, Health Technology and Biomedical Engineering-related BSc, MSc, MPhil, PhD and other graduates from Jockey Club Rehabilitation Engineering Centre (1987-2005), Department of Health Technology and Informatics (2005-2012), Interdisciplinary Division of Biomedical Engineering (2012-2017) and Department of Biomedical Engineering (2017-2024)  

2025 The 5th Love. Innovate for Happy Ageing 第5屆「愛．創耆樂」

The 5th Biomedical Engineering Innovation Competition "Love. Innovate for Happy Ageing" (第5屆「愛．創耆樂」) took place on 18 January 2025 on the PolyU campus. It was a blast filled with fun and excitement with 650 students (formed 121 teams) participated in the competition. Co-organised by PolyU BME, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council and PolyU Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA), "Love. Innovate for Happy Ageing" aims to nurture the younger generation in thinking creatively and developing solutions that meet the emerging needs of society due to the ageing population in Hong Kong. It upholds the spirit of interdisciplinary learning through STEM. There are 2 categories in the competition - "Challenge Competition", an intergenerational robotic car competition; and "Design Competition", a creative gerontechnology product design competition. The "Challenge Competition" is comprised of 2 groups: "Micro:bit" and "Lego", where each team's robotic cars are tied with balloons and controlled by the senior (over 60 years old). The goal is to target at the balloons on the opponent's cars, and defense their own balloons at the same time. Participating teams of the "Design Competition" compete with their gerontechnology products designed and developed to maintain the seniors' physical and mental health. Before building their final product prototypes, the teams are required to participate in activities arranged by BME, so as to understand the real needs of the seniors, learn about the designs of existing gerontechnology products, as well as get feedback from professionals and/or real users to optimize their product ideas. The winning teams are selected based on their products' innovation, STEM application, usability and potential for improvement. Scholarships are also awarded to teams whose products were considered suitable for further research and development, encouraging the participants to continue designing products using STEM knowledge and skills.

Congratulations to the winners of the Faculty of Engineering Research Grant Achievement Award 2023

The results of the Faculty of Engineering Research Grant Achievement Award 2023 were announced on 31 December 2024. The Award is to recognize the outstanding performance of Faculty of Engineering academic staff members in securing external competitive research grants from 2019 to 2023. Congratulations to the following winners from BME! Ir Professor Ming ZHANG, Head of Department, Chair Professor of Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Director of Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology Professor Lei SUN, Professor of BME Dr Puxiang LAI, Associate Professor of BME Dr Sharon Y. C. RUAN, Associate Professor of BME Dr Youhua TAN, Associate Professor, and Programme Leader (MSc in BME)  

PolyU multimodal robot for post-stroke ankle-foot rehabilitation wins CES 2025 Innovation Award

PolyU is dedicated to pursuing pioneering research in frontier areas and to embracing a strong culture of knowledge transfer, as well as making a positive impact for societal benefits. The “Mobile Ankle-foot Exoneuromusculoskeleton”, the first-of-its-kind multimodal robot for ankle-foot rehabilitation developed by a research team led by Dr Xiaoling HU, Associate Professor of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been named as an Honouree in the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 Innovation Awards. Following triumph in winning a Gold Medal at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva in April, the innovation has once again been recognized for its effectiveness in helping stroke patients with hemiplegia to improve the motor function of their lower limb and walking ability. It is for the second consecutive year that PolyU has been honoured in the Accessibility & Aging Tech category — the only university in Hong Kong to receive the recognition of this consumer technology award - reaffirming the effective impact of the University’s PolyImpact philosophy. Congratulations to Dr Hu and the research team for another exceptional achievement! More: https://polyu.hk/MynAo

RISports and BME host symposium to promote talent cultivation and industry development

The Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports) and the Department of BME of PolyU joined hands with the Samaranch Foundation and AquaBloom International Sports Technology Group to co-organise the 2024 Symposium on Sports Science and Technology from 30 November to 2 December. Attracting more than two hundred students, researchers and industry professionals, the event featured a number of Olympic and world champions, scholars and industry leaders from around the world to share their latest research outcomes and experiences in the field of sports technology. The forum on sports technology talent and industry development took place on the first day of the Symposium, where six former Olympic or world champion athletes from the Hong Kong, China team, and national teams shared their experiences as athletes, the applications of sports technology, and their personal and professional development after retirement. During the second and third days, scholars and experts from PolyU and academic institutions in Mainland China, the United States, France and the UK shared the latest research outcomes and products in sports science and technology and discussed how to integrate innovative technologies to enhance training effectiveness. At the swimming forum hosted by Prof. LU Yifan, Professor of sport medicine of the School of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation at Beijing Sport University, representatives from the national swimming team shared insights into the training systems, while former Olympic champions introduced their doctoral research work. Prof. ZHANG Ming, Director of PolyU RISports, also announced the establishment of the International Society of Sports Science and Technology, aimed at promoting exchange and collaboration between academic and industry sports institutions in the Greater Bay Area, Greater China and around the world. To further cultivate talents in sports technology, RISports and Department of BME will collaborate to launch the new “MSc in Sports Technology and Management” programme in 2025, whereas the Department’s BSc (Hons) Scheme in Biomedical Engineering will also incorporate a new stream in Sports Science and Technology, injecting fresh energy into the sports sectors both in Hong Kong and internationally.

PolyU BME delegates visit Sun Yat-sen University

PolyU BME and the School of Biomedical Engineering at the Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) jointly organised a two-day PolyU-SYSU Joint Biomedical Engineering Symposium on August 26 and 30. Ir Prof. Ming Zhang, Head of BME, and Prof. Mo Yang, Associate Head (Research) of BME, visited SYSU on August 26 to explore the potential biomedical engineering collaborations between the two departments. On August 29, five more BME colleagues joined Prof. Mo Yang to visit SYSU, including Dr Sharon Ruan, Dr Xiaoling Hu, Dr Youhua Tan, Dr Puxiang Lai and Dr Chunyi Wen. The main purpose of the visit was to conduct research presentations and discussions, which were beneficial to the research development of both departments. PolyU BME looks forward to future collaborations with SYSU to contribute to the research excellence in the field of biomedical engineering.

PolyU BME welcomes new Associate Professor Dr Elmer Ker

PolyU BME warmly welcomes Dr Elmer Ker, our new Associate Professor! Dr Ker completed his B.S. in Molecular Biology and Genetics at the University of Sydney, Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, and postdoctoral training in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Stanford University. Dr Ker’s research interests include biomaterial development and computer vision-based cell tracking. His work has been published in prestigious journals such as Advanced Functional Materials, Acta Biomaterialia, Bioactive Materials, Biomaterials, Medical Image Analysis, NPG Asia Materials, Scientific Data, Stem Cell Research & Therapy, and Science.

PolyU is dedicated to enhancing sports technology research and nurturing talents

By Ir Prof. Ming ZHANG Head of Department, Chair Professor of Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Director of Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology   Athletes from China Mainland and Hong Kong have achieved remarkable success at the Paris Olympic Games. The achievement is not only due to the athletes’ relentless dedication but also a result of the advancement in sports science and technology. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has long been committed to enhancing research in sports technology and nurturing talents in related fields, aiming to elevate Hong Kong’s standing on the global sports stage and meet the growing demands for sports development on both social and professional levels. To this end, PolyU has established an interdisciplinary research institute—the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports). The institute seeks to integrate the university’s research output, academic resources, and industry network to contribute to sporting events, athlete development, and consolidating Hong Kong’s reputation and performance on the international sports scene. RISports will inject new vitality into the sports technology industry, benefiting not only Hong Kong but also broader regions, and providing critical technical support to the field. PolyU places great emphasis on cultivating talents in sports technology. As a result, RISports will collaborate with the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) to launch a new program MSc in Sports Technology and Management (Programme Code: 47005) next year. Additionally, the existing BSc Scheme in Biomedical Engineering (Programme Code: JS3150) will incorporate a new stream in Sports Science and Technology. The curriculum not only covers cutting-edge sports technology theories and the fundamentals of human biomechanics but also emphasizes practical application. PolyU strives to provide students with a comprehensive professional education that will enable them to excel in their future careers. Through these academic programs, PolyU anticipates to train and deliver hundreds of high-caliber sports professionals every year, injecting fresh energy into both Hong Kong’s and the international sports sectors. Academic collaboration and talent development with sports elites are also PolyU's key focuses. The university provides numerous scholarships to support elite athletes in pursuing bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees. PolyU is exploring tailor-made programs to accommodate their unique needs. Through these collaborations, PolyU not only offers a platform for scientific learning to athletic elites but also leverages their social influence and reputation to further raise public awareness and interest in sports. This effort will help more people recognize the importance of sports technology and attract more young talents to this vibrant and promising field.

Faculty Awards for Outstanding Achievement 2024

The results of the Faculty Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching, Research and Scholarly Activities, Knowledge Transfer and Services 2023 were announced on 13 August 2024. BME is proud that Associate Professor Dr Xiaoling HU had been awarded the Outstanding Individual Award - Knowledge Transfer: Industry! Dr Hu is the founder of Thecon Technology HK Ltd. (a PolyU academic-led startup). The “Mobile Ankle-foot Exoneuromusculoskeleton” developed by the research team led by Dr HU had recently won the Gold Medal at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva. All winners were chosen by a Faculty Assessment Panel, comprising Heads (or their delegates) and chaired by the Dean of Engineering, from amongst a pool of well-qualified nominees put forward by individual departments. The selection was made with reference to the indicative criteria for assessment as laid down by the University for the exercise. Dr Hu will receive a Certificate of Award, a cash prize and a teaching grant of HK$100,000. The Prize Presentation Ceremony of the Faculty will be held in February/March 2025. Congratulations to Dr Hu for her exceptional achievement!