The 2024 Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival

An ICU-grade wireless breathable cardiac electronic skin 

Principle Investigator : 
Prof. Zijian ZHENG
ADoRI-IWEAR, ADoUMF & Chair Professor of Soft Materials and Devices  

The ICU-grade wireless breathable cardiac electronic skin offers a seamless and non-invasive ECG experience. It ensures continuous, comfortable, and inflammation-free heart monitoring with the accuracy of intensive care units, but without the need for traditional wired and bulky clinical devices. It has been adopted for early detection of heart disease in daily wear and outpatient clinics, and is also suitable for monitoring ICU patients both during and after surgery.

The entire wearable platform is ultrathin with a system thickness of only 181 μm (1.139 mm thickness of the rigid components), ultralightweight (0.489 g), highly stretchable and permeable, and high-integration-density. The multilayered microcircuits are incorporated with electrical components in the monolithic multilayered configuration. This configuration allows for the acquisition, analysis, real-time and wireless transmission of cardiac data. The cardiac electronic system can be mounted on the chest, providing continuous and comfortable ECG monitoring with wireless control and communication via a portable smartphone.

Development of Intelligent Nighttime Brace with Smart Padding to treat of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Principle Investigator : 
Prof. Joanne Yip
Assoc. Dean (Industrial Partnership) of School of Fashion & Textiles & Professor

This innovation introduces an intelligent nighttime brace for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) patients with a Cobb’s angle of 10 to 25 degrees, using soft robotics and smart padding. Integrating clinical research, material science, and wearable technology, the brace features a smart system that automatically adjusts corrective forces and positioning, ensuring optimal spinal correction. Covered with sweat-wicking and breathable textiles, and equipped with an air-bag support belt for additional tractive forces, the brace promises comfort and efficiency. Real-time sensors monitor body-brace contact and sleeping posture, allowing dynamic adjustments to the wearer's movements, enhancing correction effectiveness and minimising discomfort.

The invention offers significant advantages: personalised treatment, improved patient compliance due to comfort, and reduced risk of skin issues. Its impact lies in providing a more effective, comfortable, and user-friendly solution for AIS treatment, potentially improving the quality of life for adolescents with scoliosis. Ongoing clinical trials aim to optimise this innovative brace, highlighting a commitment to advancing scoliosis management.

3D printed Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) bone scaffolds

Principle Investigator : 
Prof. ZHAO Xin
Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology; Founder, ReNew Biotechnology Limited (a PolyU academic-led startup) 

The invention, 3D printed Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) bone scaffolds, uses β-tricalcium phosphate with a hyperboloidal shape that mimics trabecular bone, the spongy part of bone. These TPMS scaffolds are highly porous and interconnected, which helps reduce stress and increases their strength. They are designed to support the adhesion and proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), a type of cell that can develop into bone cells. The scaffolds promote the transformation of these cells into bone cells and support the formation of blood vessels, a process known as ‘osteogenesis-angiogenesis coupling’. This is achieved by the scaffold’s shape, which reorganises the cell’s internal structure, with focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway activation. The in vivo evaluation further demonstrates that our TPMS scaffolds boost new bone formation and new blood vessel growth. These scaffolds guide the development of bone and blood vessel cells using only their physical properties and demonstrate substantial improvements in bone regeneration without the need for any additional substances. We believe our scaffolds pave the way towards a simple, safe, efficient and personalised bone graft solution with tremendous potential for clinical use.

Edge AI-Empowered Smart Devices and Robotics for AIoT Applications

Principle Investigator : 
Prof. Jiannong Cao
Dean of Graduate School, Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor in Data Science, Chair Professor of Distributed and Mobile Computing, Director of RIAIoT, Director of UBDA

Edge AI is an innovative technology that combines edge computing and artificial intelligence to enable real-time data processing and intelligent decision-making on IoT devices and robots. We have developed an edge AI platform that supports faster and collaborative model training and inference. Specifically, we have developed an edge-native task scheduling system to manage large-scale, geographically distributed, and heterogeneous edge resources. Atop this system, we have designed various resource-aware scheduling algorithms to optimise AI model training and inference, taking into account both AI model characteristics and underlying resources. Additionally, we offer easy-to-use programming APIs to streamline the development of edge-native AI applications.

To further demonstrate the advantages of edge AI, we have also designed and developed an edge AI robot to inspect pipelines. This robot stands out due to its three key features: its real-time AI-based defect detection, its deformable design, and its autonomous control. It uses advanced edge AI technology to enable compressed, optimised AI models, enabling it to detect pipeline defects in real time. This feature makes the robot effective in challenging environments, such as underground or underwater pipelines. The robot’s unique deformable design and self-control algorithm also enables it to adapt and navigate through various pipe structures.

MicroFish: A lab-on-a-chip for on-site detection of microbial contamination and pollutants 

Principle Investigators : 
Dr CHUA Song Lin
Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology; Co-founder, Microfish Limited (a PolyU academic-led startup)  
Dr LIU Yang Sylvia
GBA Startup Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology; Co-founder, Microfish Limited (a PolyU academic-led startup)  

MicroFish is a palm-sized lab-on-a-chip device that can detect microbial pathogens and environmental pollutants. It is easy to operate by injecting samples into the lab-on-a-chip, which contains colorimetric chemical sensors, then analysing the positive or negative result. MicroFish allows for the rapid, low cost on-site monitoring of potential microbial outbreaks in aquacultures and livestock farms with limited access to diagnostic laboratories. The result is the early detection of microbial pathogens or pollutants, enabling prompt responses to potential outbreaks of disease or environmental pollution. This innovation will reduce livestock mortality – thereby preventing serious economic losses –  and will contribute to food security . We support the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Life Below Water, and Clean Water and Sanitation.

Thick glassy carbon manufacturing and physical property adjustment through heat treatment

Principle Investigator : 
Mr YANG Yi
PhD Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering; Founder, Discarbonery Technology Limited (a PolyU startup)

The innovation addresses the challenges of working with glassy carbon, a non-graphitized carbon material with excellent physical and chemical properties, suitable for a variety of applications including uses in glass moulding and semiconductor manufacturing. However, challenges such as size limitations, high preparation costs, and high hardness make conventional glassy carbon difficult to process directly.

In response to these challenges, we have developed a way to create large, customisable shapes of glassy carbon products in a cost-effective manner. Additionally, we have developed a subsequent heat treatment that finely adjusts the material’s physical properties. This innovation not only broadens the potential applications of glassy carbon but also prolongs its service life.