News

AAE PhD Students and Staff Shine in 2024 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aviation Forum

We are thrilled to announce that one of our esteemed members, along with two talented PhD candidates and a senior Scientific Officer, have been awarded the prestigious Best Student Award in Air Transportation Systems at the 2024 AIAA Aviation Forum. This accolade is a testament to their exceptional work and the groundbreaking research they have conducted. Their award-winning paper, "Analyzing the Potential of Dynamic Aircraft Wake Separation via Data-driven Aircraft Wake Region Detection," has set a new benchmark in the field of air traffic management. This research addresses a critical challenge in runway optimization by leveraging cutting-edge data-driven techniques to enhance flight safety and operational efficiency through the optimization of aircraft wake separation in dynamic environments. The recognition of this work by the AIAA Aviation Forum, a platform co-organized with leading industry entities to promote innovation in ATM, underscores the significant impact and expertise demonstrated by our researchers. We are immensely proud of their achievements and the contribution they have made to advancing the field of air transportation systems. Congratulations to our award-winning researchers!   

AAE PhD Student Named Champion in the HKIE Safety Specialist Committee - Student Project Competition 2024

We are happy to share that an AAE PhD student, Mr LI Qinbiao, won the Champion Award of Doctorate Degree group in the HKIE Safety Specialist Committee – Student Project Competition 2024 with his thesis. The Award was presented at the “HKIE-SSC Annual Dinner” on 31 May 2024. The theme of this year is “Advance Technology in improving Temporary Works safety”. The awarded project entitled “Enhancing single-pilot operations in commercial aviation: A neuro-ergonomics analysis of human performance, capabilities, and limitations” under Dr NG Kam Hung’s supervision. The purpose of this research, towards single pilot operation, is to propose a human-centred self-adaptive intelligent system driven by data from monitoring human performance and situation awareness towards single pilots, which consists of three stages to prevent human errors/unsafe behaviour in air transportation.   HKIE SSC – Student Project Competition 2024 Every year, Safety Specialist Committee (SSC) of HKIE organizes a student competition with an aim to promote safety engineering and science innovation. It also aims to provide an open and competitive platform for engineering students to demonstrate their engineering capabilities and share the learning process in safety regime.

AAE Master's Series 2024

The AAE Master's Series 2024 was successfully held on 11 May 2024. This event brought academic advisors and industry professionals together to have sharing with students/ alumni. The day began with the Academic Advisors' tea gathering. Our freshmen had the opportunity to engage in discussions and exchange ideas with their academic advisors. Following the tea gathering, we had the privilege of having two distinguished industry experts: Ir Ricky Leung, the Executive Director of Engineering & Technology at Airport Authority Hong Kong, and Ir Alan Tang, the Director of Maintenance and Engineering at HK Express (UO) to share with the audiences on the latest development and challenges in aeronautical and aviation engineering. Students and alumni gained a deeper understanding of the industry's evolving trends and innovative breakthroughs. The event also featured an inspiring sharing by Ms Riki Yeung, the recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award in Professional Achievement from the PolyU Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering 2023. Taking her own experience as examples, she provided insights on learning, exploring new frontiers, effective planning, and embracing a positive mindset. As the day progressed, the highlight of the event was the mentorship dinner. Our final year students, alongside alumni and industry professionals, gathered in companionship to foster deeper connections and engage in enriching conversations. The event exemplified the strong sense of community and collaboration within the AAE family, further solidifying its position as a leading institution in the field.

PolyU Team Won Outstanding Award at ASMPT Technology Award 2024 for "Intelligent Wheelchair" Project

A team of PolyU undergraduates from the Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering (AAE) and the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) was awarded the Outstanding Award at the ASMPT Technology Award 2024 for their final year project, "Intelligent Wheelchair."   The ASMPT Technology Award is an annual initiative by ASMPT Limited, a leading global provider of semiconductor and electronics manufacturing solutions, to promote technological innovation and excellence in Hong Kong. Now in its ninth year, the competition invites engineering and science students from CityU, CUHK, HKBU, HKU, HKUST and PolyU to submit their outstanding projects.   This year, 11 exceptional projects were nominated by the 6 participating universities to compete for awards. The nominees presented their projects in 20-minute sessions, followed by a 10-minute Q&A with a panel of judges comprising ASMPT leaders, university faculty, and industry experts. The judging criteria focused on technical performance, project quality, creativity, originality, applicability, and practicability.   The PolyU team, supervised by Dr HUANG Hailong and Dr WANG Bing from the AAE department, comprised Ms CHENG Yuling (AAE), Mr LAI Hoi Kit (AAE), Mr ISSAMETOV Altair (EEE), Mr MAN Chak Tao (EEE), Mr MYRGYYASSOV Alisher (EEE), and Mr SO King Fung (EEE). Their "Intelligent Wheelchair" project presented an advanced mobility solution designed to enhance accessibility and user independence.   At the core of the design is a user-friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI) that seamlessly integrates a wide range of intuitive control options. Users can navigate the wheelchair using eye tracking, head movements, voice commands, or even Electroencephalography (EEG) signals. Equipped with advanced obstacle detection sensors, the wheelchair can also navigate autonomously, avoiding hazards and ensuring a smooth, controlled ride.   The project presentations and award ceremony were held on 21 June 2024, where the PolyU team's "Intelligent Wheelchair" was recognized with the Outstanding Award for its technical excellence, creativity, and potential positive impact on the lives of individuals with varying physical abilities.

Aeronautical Engineering Students Won the First Runner-Up Prize at 2024 ICUAS UAV Competition

We are proud to announce that a team of AAE students recently won the first runner-up prize at the 2024 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS'24) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Competition held in Chania, Crete, Greece. The competition was inspired by the scenario of robots in agriculture. It challenged participants to develop autonomous UAVs capable of accurately counting fruits in an agricultural setting. It was divided into two stages - a simulation stage in an indoor farm environment. The goal was to count the number of selected plant variety among all the plants in the garden beds using UAV, followed by the final stage with an outdoor scenario.   Led by Prof. Chih-Yung Wen, Chair Professor of Aeronautical Engineering and Head of the Department, the student team comprising Mr Wenyu Yang, Mr Zheng Tan, Ms Yuanbo Xue, Mr Li-yu Lo, and Mr Bailun Jiang. They competed against 24 other teams from 20 regions around the world. The teams are required to navigate their UAVs, equipped with a front facing cameras, slightly pitched-down 3D LiDAR, GPS receiver, IMU and Pixhawk controller, to identify and quantify different coloured fruits. The top six teams from Hong Kong, South Korea, Brazil, India, Turkey, and Poland advanced to the final competition. The mission was to accurately calculate the number of fruits based on the data package released by the organizing committee, while minimizing energy consumption.   Congratulations to the awardees and participants!   About ICUAS’24 ICUAS’24 UAV is an international competition for research students, co-hosted by Technical University of Crete, the University of Denver, IEEE, IEEE Control Systems Society, IEEE Robotics & Automation Society, and the International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems Association, Inc. (ICUAS). It provided an invaluable opportunity for students to showcase their engineering expertise on the global stage and benchmark their skills against the brightest minds in the field of Unmanned Aerial Systems. 

Inter-departmental Final Year Project 2023/24

We are pleased to announce that AAE students performed very well at the Inter-departmental Final Year Project 2023/24, with details below:   Best Project Award   Champion (BME Project) Rescuing Robotic System with Integrated Flying Drone and Land Rover Project Coordinator: Dr CHEUNG Chung Wai James (BME) Co-supervisor: Ir Dr WONG Wai Chi Duo (BME) Students: NG Tsz Lun (BME) ZHAO Zian (COMP) KWONG Wing Tung (EEE) NG Chun Yin (EEE) PANG Tsz Cheong Jimi (EEE)   1st runner-up (AAE Project) Intelligent Wheelchair Project Coordinator: Dr HUANG Hailong (AAE) Co-supervisor: Dr WANG Bing (AAE) Students: CHENG Yuling (AAE) LAI Hoi Kit (AAE) ISSAMETOV Altair (EEE) MAN Chak Tao (EEE) MYRGYYASSOV Alisher (EEE) SO King Fung (EEE)   2nd runner-up (COMP Project) Human Robot Interaction in Smart Environments Project Coordinator: Dr ZHENG Yuanqing (COMP) Students: CHENG Cheuk Pui (AAE) CAI Yangnuo (EEE) KAN Ho Chun (EEE) LEUNG Ming Kai (EEE) LAU Hoi Yan (ISE)   Creative Project Award (AAE Project) Intelligent Wheelchair   Project Coordinator: Dr HUANG Hailong (AAE) Co-supervisor: Dr WANG Bing (AAE) Students: CHENG Yuling (AAE) LAI Hoi Kit (AAE) ISSAMETOV Altair (EEE) MAN Chak Tao (EEE) MYRGYYASSOV Alisher (EEE) SO King Fung (EEE)   The "Intelligent Wheelchair" project can be viewed through YouTube via the link here.   The "Intelligent Wheelchair" can be controlled via a user-friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI), with the design seamlessly integration of a wide range of control options, from eye tracking and head movements to voice commands and Electroencephalography (EEG). Additionally, the wheelchair is equipped with robust obstacle detection and autonomous navigation capabilities, as well as a fall detection system to prioritize user safety. Congratulations to all the awardees and participants!

AEOLUS shines at the 28th AIAA Design/Build/Fly Competition

We are thrilled to share with you that our remarkable DBF team ranked the 18th place out of 108 fierce competitors at the 2024 competition held on 18–21 April 2024 at the Textron Employees’ Flying Club, Wichita, Kansas! The objective for this year’s competition is to design, build, and test an airplane to fulfil Urban Air Mobility (UAM) missions, including the delivery of airplane, medical transport, and urban taxi. With the immense efforts and resilient to challenges, our DBF team excelled well in all these three missions, surpassing PolyU's previous records and achieving an outstanding result this year.    About AEOLUS RC Aeromodelling Team: The AEOLUS RC Aeromodelling Team represents The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) at the renowned American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Design/Build/Fly (DBF) Competition. Comprised of talented students from AAE, the team showcases their skills, creativity, and engineering prowess in designing, building and piloting remote-controlled aircraft.   About AIAA Design/Build/Fly Competition (click to learn more): The AIAA Design/Build/Fly Competition, now in its 28th year, was established in 1996 by the AIAA to provide university students with real-world aircraft design experience. Participants design, fabricate, and demonstrate the flight capabilities of an unmanned, electric-powered, radio-controlled aircraft. The competition emphasizes balanced design, flight handling qualities, affordability, and high performance. Each year, new design requirements and performance objectives are introduced to encourage innovation and technological advancements. The competition offers students a valuable opportunity to apply their knowledge and contribute to the field of aviation. The full list of awardees for the 28th Design/Build/Fly Competition (2024) can be found here.

The first Hong Kong-GBA Low-Altitude Economy Seminar was successfully held at PolyU

The inaugural Hong Kong-GBA Low Altitude Economy Seminar co-organised by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Hong Kong Drone Sports Association (香港無人機運動總會), the GBA Low-Altitude Economic Research Institute (Hong Kong) (粵港澳大灣區低空經濟研究院(香港)), and the Smart City Consortium (Hong Kong) (智慧城市聯盟(香港)) was successfully held on the University campus on 24 March 2024, Sunday. The event drew over 130 experts from government bureaus, business sector and education institutions from the Greater Bay Area to exchange views on the cutting-edge dynamics, development trends, and future cooperation opportunities in the low-altitude economy.   Prof. Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, delivered a speech and Prof. Chih-Yung Wen, Head of Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering, gave a keynote presentation at the seminar, presenting the university's vision and development direction in the theme of "The Hong Kong Polytechnic University's Contributions to the Development of Low-Altitude Economy in the Greater Bay Area."   The low-altitude economy encompasses a wide range of industries, including aircraft research and development, low-altitude flight infrastructure, and flight services. Its applications span various sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, and services, making it a crucial driver for constructing a modern industrial system. According to estimates, China's low-altitude economy has already surpassed 500 billion yuan in scale in 2023, with projections to reach 2 trillion yuan by 2030.   Prof. Wen stated that the national "14th Five-Year Plan" has given Hong Kong the positioning of " eight centres," consolidating and enhancing Hong Kong's status in international finance, trade, shipping centre, aviation hub, innovation and technology centre, as well as cultural exchange and tourism. This reinforces Hong Kong exchange and cooperation with countries and regions. With this, PolyU AAE will contribute to Hong Kong's integration into the development of aerospace technology in the Greater Bay Area.   An in-depth dialogue with the theme of "Unleashing the Low-Altitude, Smartly Connecting the Bay Area " was held at the meeting. The discussion focused on how to empower the low-altitude economy construction in the Greater Bay Area, with the participation of Dr Hailong HUANG, Assistant Professor of PolyU AAE, Mr Weijie ZOU, Chairman of the Hong Kong Drone Sports Association, Mr Mingquan QIU, Vice President of XPENG AEROHT (小鵬匯天), Prof. Chenggang JIANG, Associate Dean of School of Aviation, Beijing Institute of Technology, Zhuhai, and Dr Jing XIAO, Senior Researcher of the GBA Low-Altitude Economic Research Institute (Hong Kong). The dialogue session was moderated by Dr Peng YANG, President of Shenzhen CPS Unmanned System Research Institute (深圳市中安無人系統研究院) and Secretary-General of the Drone World Congress (世界無人機大會).   The successful hosting of this seminar demonstrated a shared commitment between the experts to driving innovation, technological applications and sustainable development in the region. It is expected to effectively promote the comprehensive integration of unmanned aerial vehicles, the low-altitude economy industry, and various fields of industry, academia, research, and application in Hong Kong.   Featured in press: Ta Kung Pao Hong Kong Commercial Daily China.com Toutiao.com

Outstanding Student Award of the Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering (AAE) 2023

We are delighted to announce that Mr WONG Man Nok, a Year-4 BEng (HONS) Aviation Engineering student, was selected as the Outstanding Student of the Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering. The award scheme is organized annually by the University to recognize full-time final-year students who excel in both academic and non-academic pursuits during their studies.  Please join us in congratulating Mr Wong. Read more about the Outstanding Student Award Scheme and the full list of awardees in 2023.l

Dr Li-Ta Hsu won the individual award in the President's Award of Outstanding Achievement 2023

Dr Li-Ta Hsu, Associate Head and Associate Professor, Limin Young Scholar in Aerospace Navigation, Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering (AAE) was awarded the Individual Award - Teaching: Outstanding Young Teacher in PolyU's President's Award for Outstanding Achievement 2023.