Research Centres and Labs

Establishment of the Research Centre for Electric Vehicles (電動車研究中心)

The President’s Executive Committee has recently approved the establishment of a new university-level research centre, namely the Research Centre for Electric Vehicles. The Director of the Research Centre is Prof. C.C. Chan, a Distinguished Chair Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE), who is also a renowned expert in the field and widely recognised as the “Father of Asian electric vehicles”. The Co-Director is Prof. K T Chau, a Chair Professor in EEE. This new Centre aims to address the technical challenges of modern electric vehicles (EVs) and provide significant technological solutions. By integrating EV technology with energy, information, humanity, and policy, the Centre follows the philosophy of integrating the human world, cyber world, and physical world. One of the Centre’s primary goals is to transfer the developed technologies to industries, particularly within the Greater Bay Area, enabling them to capitalise on the abundant opportunities presented by EVs globally. This technology transfer will also play a vital role in supporting the realisation of carbon neutrality in various countries and cities, including Hong Kong.

(Text extracted from Share@PolyU)

The Theme Based Smart MicroGrid Research Laboratory was established in 2014 with funding supports by RGC via two Theme Based Research Scheme projects and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The Laboratory is well equipped with state-of-the-art smart grid research facilities such as programmable AC/DC sources and electric loads, power amplifiers, smart inverters, battery energy system, a PV microgrid system with advanced sensing and monitoring devices. The focused research areas include novel operation and control methods for smart grids/microgrids with high renewables, grid integration of renewable energy systems and EVs, AI and data analytics for energy systems, and electricity market planning and management etc.

Geneva 2022 Video EEO integrated solar energy performance management toolkit

https://youtu.be/qalx9BQqgec

Photonic technologies for sensing application are versatile and have unique advantages, which are developing rapidly with active researches into novel materials, micro/nano technology, and advanced processing techniques. However, the design and development of the photonic instruments are complex and challenging, and still in its infancy, thus leaving opportunities for further fundamental and applied research. The laboratory closely works together with the Photonic Sensors Research Laboratory, and currently focuses on photonic instrumentation research and ultra-sensitive optical fiber gas sensor prototyping.

Maintained with a clean room environment, there are furnaces, mask aligner, sputterer, e-beam and thermal deposition systems. Other major facilities include metalorganic chemical vapour deposition system, semiconductor optical and electronic characterization equipment.

This laboratory is established for research on optical fibre based systems for communication and sensing applications. It has a class 10,000 clean room, test and measurement equipments for optical fibre device and system characterization.

The EMC laboratory (CF004C) is equipped with a wide range of electromagnetic measuring equipment for DC to GHz.  The analysis of the electric and magnetic fields in terms of electromagnetic compatibility and interference can be conducted.  The laboratory is equipped with a GTem cell and some conductive and radiative measurement tools.  It is also a customized EM quiet room for the high-level research study. 

A joint research laboratory on Optical Interconnection Network and Advanced Computing System was established in November 2016. The joint laboratory between The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., one of the largest telecommunication equipment vendors in the world aims to provide a platform for academic and research staff as well as students to collaborate with Huawei in various research areas in the University. There are many advanced experimental platforms for research studies on long haul optical communication systems, short reach optical communication systems for data centre interconnects, distributed optical fibre sensing systems as well as advanced optical devices.

The PolyU-Innovation Technology (HK) Audio and Speech Signal Processing Joint Laboratory is established to support and promote the research and education in the area of audio and speech signal processing. This joint laboratory between The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Innovation Technology (HK) Ltd. is installed with the state-of-the-art audio and speech signal processing equipment such as an industrial graded acoustic room, head and torso simulator, audio analyzer, real-time system emulator, high frequency oscilloscopes and artificial intelligent servers. The laboratory aims at providing students with up-to-date knowledge in the areas of audio and speech signal processing to prepare them for participating in the related industry.

PolyU-Innovation Technology (HK) Audio and Speech Signal Processing Joint Lab

The AISP laboratory is used mainly to support the research, teaching, and exhibition of state-of-the-art AI and signal processing technology with an emphasis on multimedia applications. Various demonstration units have been installed in the laboratory for the aforementioned purposes. They include a human detection and tracking system, a speaker verification system, a video surveillance system, a face recognition system, etc., demonstrating the Department's research achievements in these areas. All of these systems are supported by a network of high-performance servers, workstations, and multimedia personal computers with advanced graphics and AISP development software.

The laboratories are equipped with some anti-vibration optical tables and a broad suite of bulk optics components for conducting optical experiments, e.g., optical communication, optical information processing, computational optics, machine learning in optics and photonics, and optical imaging etc. There are different types of spatial light modulators in the laboratories, including liquid crystal-based spatial light modulators, digital micromirror devices (DMD) and projectors. Different types of light sources are available, i.e., coherent laser sources and incoherent LED light. In terms of laser sources, there are a number of wavelengths in the labs for optical experiments. In addition, there are some highly-sensitive optical detectors. High-quality objective lenses and microscope bodies are available in the labs. In the labs, various optical applications, e.g., high-fidelity free-space optical transmission and high-resolution optical imaging in complex environments, can be conducted.

A comprehensive range of circuit design and development facilities, including programmable power supplies, AC power analyzer, AC/DC current probes, electronic loads, high-performance digital and analog oscilloscopes, high-end computers and workstations, etc.

The Advanced Materials and Electronics Laboratory aims at developing high performance thin film electronic devices from solution processable advanced materials. The focused material areas are organic semiconductors and hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite semiconductors. The devices focus on are photovoltaic cells, light emitting devices, photodiodes etc. The research includes fundamental scientific understanding on materials, morphology, interface, high performance devices, as well as engineering issues towards device scale-up and stability. The laboratory is equipped with the state-of-the-art material processing, device fabrication, characterization equipment.

This is the largest research laboratory of the Department. Activities are mainly focused on power electronics and communications. The laboratory houses most prototyping and test equipment for power electronics research in the low to medium power range, including BH characterizer, PCB tools, impedance analyzer, high power current loads, programmable and dc power supplies, DSOs, current probes, burn-in tester, etc. It also has the state-of-the-art equipment for communication systems research, including spectral analyzer, network analyzer, antenna sets, UWB test set, etc.

This laboratory features a big display cabinet for antique electronic instruments and components kept by the Department such as vacuum tubes, a wheatstone bridge, a core memory, and many other exhibits with a long history.

Research into smart materials, devices, and their integrated systems and applications is a strategic technology resource to facilitate the sustainable development of electrical engineering (and its related science, technology, and engineering fields) into newer and smarter dimensions.

Supported by the well-equipped Smart Materials and Systems Laboratory, the research group’s primary focus is on developing multifunctional smart materials with interestingly high magneto-electro-thermo-mechano-optical responses at the bulk, micro-, and nano-scales. It also aims to investigate the fundamentals of energy generation, harvesting, conversion, and storage processes as well as structural integrity and environmental sustainability for multidisciplinary applications of the materials. The smart materials of interest include, but are not limited to, multiferroic, magnetoelectric, ferroelectric, piezoelectric, magnetostrictive, magnetocaloric, ferromagnetic shape memory, magnetorheological, and photovoltaic materials. Moreover, the application of these materials focuses on the development of smart devices, including AIoT sensors and actuators; electrical circuit protection and control devices; electromagnetic wave nano-absorbents; green rechargeable batteries, flexible supercapacitors, and energy generators; ultrasonic motors and vibration absorbers/isolators/dampers; etc. In addition, the synergic technologies for integrated systems are condition and health monitoring; signal analysis, processing, and transmission; drives, control, and automation; energy harvesting, conversion, storage, and management; prognosis and diagnosis; and nondestructive evaluation.

The research group has an outstanding record of research performance and an excellent reputation for professional services in the three aspects of basic, applied, and industrial research, both locally and internationally.

Website: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/rcev/