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Dr Puxiang Lai’s research on “High-security learning-based optical encryption assisted by disordered metasurface” published in Nature Communications

The research paper titled “High-security learning-based optical encryption assisted by disordered metasurface”, with Associate Professor Dr Puxiang Lai as one of the co-authors, is published in Nature Communications, an open access, multidisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing high-quality research in all areas of the biological, health, physical, chemical, Earth, social, mathematical, applied, and engineering sciences.    “High-security learning-based optical encryption assisted by disordered metasurface” Zhipeng Yu, Huanhao Li, Wannian Zhao, Po-Sheng Huang, Yu-Tsung Lin, Jing Yao, Wenzhao Li, Qi Zhao, Pin Chieh Wu, Bo Li, Patrice Genevet, Qinghua Song & Puxiang Lai Nature Communications volume 15, Article number: 2607 (2024). doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46946-w Abstract Artificial intelligence has gained significant attention for exploiting optical scattering for optical encryption. Conventional scattering media are inevitably influenced by instability or perturbations, and hence unsuitable for long-term scenarios. Additionally, the plaintext can be easily compromised due to the single channel within the medium and one-to-one mapping between input and output. To mitigate these issues, a stable spin-multiplexing disordered metasurface (DM) with numerous polarized transmission channels serves as the scattering medium, and a double-secure procedure with superposition of plaintext and security key achieves two-to-one mapping between input and output. In attack analysis, when the ciphertext, security key, and incident polarization are all correct, the plaintext can be decrypted. This system demonstrates excellent decryption efficiency over extended periods in noisy environments. The DM, functioning as an ultra-stable and active speckle generator, coupled with the double-secure approach, creates a highly secure speckle-based cryptosystem with immense potentials for practical applications.   Conceptional diagram of the proposed optical encryption system. a Optical encryption. The sender (Alice) illuminates light beams with two different polarizations of P(i) and P(j) onto the phase profiles of the superposition of plaintexts (human face images) and security keys (QR codes), which propagates through DM, generating ciphertexts (speckles). b Learning-based decryption. Two deep neural networks (DNN) of the same structure, e.g., P(i)-DMNet and P(j)-DMNet, are trained with data obtained with incident beams of P(i) and P(j), respectively. After recording the ciphertext and being authorized by Alice to acquire the security key and the polarization of the incident beam, the receiver (Bob) can feed the ciphertext and the security key into the corresponding neural network to decrypt the plaintext. The mark “×” above the straight line with arrows at both ends indicates that the information cannot be commutative. DM disordered metasurface.  

PolyU BME students receive Outstanding Student Award and Presidential Student Leadership Award 2023

PolyU BME is proud that our year four students FENG Lin, Linda and WAI Kei Chun, Adrian are the recipients of the Outstanding Student Award of Faculty 2023 and the Presidential Student Leadership Award of Department 2023 respectively. PolyU organises the Outstanding Student Award Scheme annually to award full-time final-year students who excel in both academic and non-academic pursuits during their studies. This year, a total of 28 students were recognised as the outstanding students at the departmental and faculty/school levels. Linda was one of the nine awardees of Faculties or Schools. “The Outstanding Student Award not only serves as a recognition of my unwavering commitment to personal development but also as a powerful encouragement for me to aim higher, break boundaries, and embrace new challenges,” said Linda. “Pursuing undergraduate study in Hong Kong was not easy for me at first, leading to various challenges. However, the nurturing and supportive environment of PolyU helped me overcome obstacles, experience significant personal growth, and discover my true passions. Launched in the 2022/23 academic year, the Presidential Student Leadership Award aims to recognise student leaders who possess and have practised exemplary leadership qualities and skills, in the hope of encouraging students to develop their potential fully. This award also aims to identify outstanding student leaders, providing them with support to contribute to our society and the world. “I am immensely grateful for this prestigious honour, as it acknowledges the immense efforts I have put into my academic pursuits, leadership roles, and community service endeavours. Being acknowledged in this manner inspires me to continue striving for excellence and fuels my passion to make a positive impact as a biomedical engineer and servant leader,” said Adrian. The Presentation Ceremony was held on 26 March 2024 in Jockey Club Auditorium. PolyU President Professor Jin-Guang TENG officiated at the Ceremony and presented the Awards to the students. Congratulations to Linda and Adrian!

Call for Nominations: Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU Department of Biomedical Engineering 2024

The Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) is now inviting nominations for the Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU Department of Biomedical Engineering. Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU Department Award aims to give public recognition to outstanding graduates of the department to recognise our distinguished alumni’s diverse accomplishments and contributions. The Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award (OPAA) is organised at three levels: Department level, Faculty/ School level and University level. The recipients of the Department Award will be nominated to the Faculty Award. All Faculty awardees will be considered for the University Award.   Award Categories and Selection Criteria In addition to honouring distinguished graduates for their distinction in their chosen fields, the Award recognises the alumni’s active support to their alma mater.  Support and Contribution to PolyU is one of the key selection criteria at all levels.  Four specific areas of achievement would be given recognition, they include Professional Achievement, Entrepreneurial Achievement, Scholarly Achievement and Community Service Achievement.   Alumni who are aged at/under 40 would be eligible for the Outstanding Young Alumni Award.   Award Category Description Professional Achievement This category recognises alumni who have attained distinguished achievements, demonstrated exemplary leadership, and made a strong impact on their profession/ industry/ society. Entrepreneurial Achievement This category recognizes alumni who have demonstrated outstanding innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as founded or advanced business or technology ventures with impact. Scholarly Achievement This category recognises alumni scholars who have made notable scholarly or research contributions in their disciplines, with proven track record and excellent reputation in the field. Community Service Achievement This category recognises alumni who have made impactful contributions to the communities, or demonstrated an extraordinary level of commitment, volunteerism and/or philanthropy for promoting the wellbeing of the communities. Notes: The bestowal of the award shall subject to individual merits of the candidates.  No award shall be given out in a certain category if no suitable candidate is identified.   Eligible Candidates and Proposers The candidate must be a graduate who has successfully completed full-time or part-time programme offered by PolyU (or its forerunners: Hong Kong Government Trade School, Hong Kong Technical College, and Hong Kong Polytechnic) which led to academic award accredited by the respective Institution.  The proposer can be PolyU graduates, Honorary Graduates, University Fellows, PolyU staff, current PolyU Council and Court members and current Advisory Committee members.   Nomination and Selection Schedule The Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) is now inviting nominations for the Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU Department of Biomedical Engineering. Please download the Nomination Form (Download Here) and return it to polyu.bme@polyu.edu.hk with all required supplementary documents on or before 30 April 2024.   Selection Committee Selection Committee of the University will examine the nominations and assess candidates’ qualifications and performance for the awards.   Confidentiality All information submitted on this nomination form will be kept strictly confidential and will only be used by the Selection Committee for the purpose of the selection process.  The candidate will not be contacted by the OPAA Secretariat until he/she is selected as the awardee of the Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award.   Notice of Revocation of Awards Failure to provide complete and accurate information in respect of the nomination by the proposer may result in disqualification of the candidate. After an award is presented, it may be withdrawn by the University when it is deemed appropriate.  The University reserves the rights to amend the rules and criteria at all time.   Enquiries Ms Sandy Wong Department of Biomedical Engineering The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom, Kowloon   Email:  polyu.bme@polyu.edu.hk Tel: 2766 7660

PolyU BME welcomes new Assistant Professor Dr Yun Chang

PolyU BME warmly welcomes Dr Yun Chang, our new Assistant Professor. Dr Chang is conferred the title of “Presidential Young Scholar” under the Strategic Hiring Scheme - Presidential Young Scholars Scheme. Dr Chang received his bachelor’s degree from Jilin University in 2013 and his Ph.D. from the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (CIAC), Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2019. He then conducted a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Purdue University from 2019 to 2024 before he joined PolyU. His research interests focus on gene editing and the targeted differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells, in conjunction with the application of intelligent, functionalized biomaterials for disease immunotherapy. Dr Chang has authored more than 40 research papers published in esteemed international academic journals, including Nat. Communications, Bioactive Materials, Advanced Materials, Nano Letters, Advanced Science, Nano Today, Biomaterials, Cell Reports, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, and Nano Research. These publications feature his contributions both as the primary author and corresponding author. Furthermore, Dr Chang has successfully filed six patent applications.

Former Olympic diving gold medalist Ms Wang Xin speaks at Distinguished Elite Athletes Seminar

The very first Distinguished Elite Athletes Seminar "Never Stop Dreaming - From Olympic Champion to Research Scholar" delivered by Ms Wang Xin, former Olympic diving gold medalist, current Sports Advisor of Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports) and PhD student at PolyU, organised by RISports and jointly co-organised by the Department of Biomedical Engineering, the PolyU - Samaranch Sports Development Centre and the PolyU - HKSI Research Centre was successfully held on 24 January. This seminar attracted nearly 100 PolyU staff and students, athletes and friends from the sports industry to share Ms Wang's journey from once an Olympics champion to now a research scholar.

BMEAA New Year Gathering

To welcome the new year 2024 and to create a networking opportunity for BME alumni, PolyU BME and Biomedical Engineering Alumni Association (BMEAA) organised a cocktail reception as the first 2024 gathering on 19 January 2024 on PolyU campus. Over 25 alumni enjoyed a wonderful Friday evening together with Prof. Ming Zhang, Department Head, and Dr Thomas Lee, Associate Head (Academic). Not only the alumni had the chance to meet some old friends, fresh graduates also had the opportunities to chat with the senior alumni about the industry development. The Department and BMEAA look forward to welcoming more alumni in the future gatherings!  

Ir Professor Yongping Zheng’s startup snatches Gold Award in "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area High-value Patent Portfolio Layout Competition 2023"

Telefield Medical Imaging Limited (Telefield), founded by Ir Professor Yongping Zheng, Henry G. Leong Professor in Biomedical Engineering and Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering, PolyU, was the only Hong Kong start-up snatched a Gold Award in the "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area High-value Patent Portfolio Layout Competition 2023" (website in Simplified Chinese only). A total of 809 projects participated in this competition. The awarded projects were selected through 1.45 million online votes and a panel of professional judges. Telefield is a pioneer in developing 3D ultrasound imaging equipment and solutions, and has over 120 patents. The patent portfolio of Telefield is based on three PolyU patents: "Three-Dimensional (3D) Ultrasound Imaging System for Assessing Scoliosis," "Three-Dimensional Ultrasonic Detection Method," "Three-Dimensional Ultrasonic Imaging System." After commercialisation, Telefield has developed a diverse range of patent families, including platform technologies for 3D ultrasound imaging devices and systems, as well as over a hundred patents/patent applications spanning 21 patent families derived from the platform technologies. These 21 patent families primarily cover five areas, including (i) 3D ultrasound scanning and imaging techniques, (ii) applications of 3D ultrasound imaging in orthotics, (iii) the structure of 3D ultrasound imaging systems, (iv) micro 3D ultrasound imaging technologies, and (v) 3D ultrasound display, measurement, and analysis. These patent families provide comprehensive patent protection for various products of Telefield, such as the 3D spinal ultrasound device, portable spinal ultrasound device, and AI+ 3D ultrasound spinal imaging algorithms. Telefield’s Scolioscan® is the world’s first and only radiation-free 3D ultrasound scoliosis assessment system. It enables patients to undergo safe and unrestricted examinations of scoliosis and posture, eliminating the need for regular X-Ray scans that increase the risk of cancer. Additionally, it ensures timely treatment for patients.  The system has been deployed in hospitals and clinics in Europe, Australia, Mainland China, and Hong Kong. It has obtained the EU CE certificate, Australian ARTG certificate, and Mainland China NMPA certificate.

Professor Mo Yang and Dr Youhua Tan receive 2023/24 RGC CRF Collaborative Research Project Grant

Hong Kong's Research Grants Council (RGC) has recently announced the funding results of the Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) including Collaborative Research Project Grant (CRPG), Collaborative Research Equipment Grant (CREG) and Young Collaborative Research Grant (YCRG) in 2023/24 Exercise. PolyU has nine CRF Collaborative Research Project Grant (CRPG) projects and two CRF Young Collaborative Research Grant (YCRG) projects supported by RGC in this round of exercise. Among the nine PolyU CRF CRPG projects, two of them are from BME colleagues — Professor Mo Yang, Associate Head (Research), and Dr Youhua Tan, Associate Professor and Programme Leader (MSc). Details are as follows: Professor Mo Yang – Proposed Tile: High-resolution single-cell multi-omics: Joint profiling of multiple types of biomolecules in the same single cell Dr Youhua Tan – Proposed Title: The roles of mechanically heterogeneous local niches within primary tumors in metastatic organotropism Congratulations to Prof. Yang and Dr Tan!   About the Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) The Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) supports multi-investigator, multi-disciplinary projects in order to encourage more research groups to engage in creative and high-quality cross-disciplinary / cross-institutional projects.

Professor Mo Yang and Dr Youhua Tan awarded Faculty of Engineering Research Grant Achievement Award 2022

Professor Mo Yang, Associate Head (Research) of BME, and Dr Youhua Tan, Associate Professor and Programme Leader (MSc) of BME, were awarded the Faculty of Engineering Research Grant Achievement Award 2022. The Award is to recognize the outstanding performance of Faculty of Engineering academic staff members in securing external competitive research grants from 2018 to 2022. Prof. Yang’s research focuses on microfluidic device for biosensing and nanomaterials based bioprobes for imaging, sensing and therapy; Dr Tan’s research is to unveil the roles of mechanical cues in tumor metastasis and develop new mechanomedicine and mechanotargeting strategies. Congratulations to Prof. Yang and Dr Tan!

The 4th "Love．Innovate for Happy Ageing" engages younger generation to address the needs of the elderly

The 4th Biomedical Engineering Innovation Competition "Love．Innovate for Happy Ageing" (第四屆「愛．創耆樂」) ended successfully on 2 December on The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) campus. Over 366 students formed 67 teams to participate in the competition. Co-organised by PolyU Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council, "Love．Innovate for Happy Ageing" aims to nurture the younger generation to develop innovative technologies and solutions to meet the emerging needs of the society due to the aging population in Hong Kong. It upholds the spirit of interdisciplinary learning through STEM. Students used engineering design thinking to understand the advantages and disadvantages of existing assistive technologies, pay attention to the needs of end users, and suggest a more appropriate product design. The competition also involves the participation of the elders during the innovation process, in order to achieve harmony between the elderly and the youth. The competition had two categories — Challenge Competition and Design Competition. The Challenge Competition was an intergenerational robotic car competition. Each team consisted of two to eight primary or secondary school students, one teacher and one elder who is over 60 years old. Each team needed to use Micro:bit or LEGO to build three robotic cars to target the balloons on the cars of the opponent teams, while saving their own balloons at the same time. One of the cars must be controlled by the elder. The Design Competition requires participants to design and develop a gerontechnology product aiming to help the elders prevent or alleviate the symptoms of Dementia. Each team consisted of two to eight primary school, secondary school or higher education institution students and one to two teachers/coaches. Before building the final prototype to present their product ideas, they must first participate in three activities, including Event 1: Participating the online co-create platform, Action Hub to understand the living difficulties and mental health condition of the Hong Kong elders who live alone or in double aging families, Event 2: Design Thinking & Entrepreneurship Sharing Workshop to understand the design of different existing gerontechnology products and Event 3: Sharing sessions with the healthcare professionals to collect feedback from healthcare professionals and/or elders to optimize their product ideas. The teams introduced their products through their design inspirations, ideas and solutions to address the needs of the elders to prevent or alleviate the symptoms of Dementia. Judges included engineers, medical professionals and over 180 elderly users. The winning teams were selected based on these criteria — innovation, STEM application, usability and potential for improvement. Scholarships were also awarded to teams whose products were considered suitable for further research and development. Dr Hin-chung LAU, Senior Teaching Fellow of PolyU BME, organised the competition for the fourth year, expected the scholarship would encourage the students to continue to design products using STEM knowledge and skills.