BEEE Fire Group awarded the 2023 PolyU Micro Fund for Smart Robotic Firefighting

The Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is pleased to report that Mr WANG Meng (BEEE Research Assistant, PolyU) and his teammates have emerged as winners in the final round of the PolyU Micro Fund Scheme 2022-2023 Cohort 1. The team will receive a HK$120,000 start-up grant and an acceptance into the Ideation Program of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP), which comes with a HK$100,000 start-up grant. Furthermore, they have also qualified for the HKSTP Incubation Program, with a conditional acceptance to receive up to HK$1.29 million in start-up support over a period of three years.

PolyU Micro Fund (MF) Scheme is the first funding initiative to cultivate innovative and entrepreneurial ambiance in the PolyU community and to promote knowledge transfer and commercialization of PolyU’s innovations and technologies. The funding support is up to HK$120,000 for each awarded start-up. The three-year HKSTP Incubation Programme aims to help technology startups specializing in deep tech research to develop innovative solutions. Satisfy their R&D and business development needs with up to HK$1.29 million in financial aid. 

Supervised by Dr Xinyan Huang, Mr WANG Meng and his team proposed and developed a winning project titled "Autonomous Firefighting Robot". The project innovatively integrates a variety of artificial intelligence technologies into the firefighting robot to improve its autonomy and intelligence. This can significantly boost the role of robots in firefighting and rescue missions and safeguard the lives and assets of citizens, which has earned recognition from the judging panels.

Congratulations to Mr WANG Meng for his accomplishment, and the Department wishes his continued success in his future endeavors.