News

PolyU research finds transcranial direct current stimulation to be a promising novel treatment for autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder common among children. While the exact cause and cure remain unclear, a PolyU research team integrated clinical, neuropsychological, and neurophysiological research methods to examine the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) treatment on brain function in adolescents and young adults with autism.Results showed that tDCS paired with concurrent cognitive remediation training could effectively improve their social communication skills and cognitive function. Dr Yvonne Han, Associate Professor from PolyU’s Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, who led the project, says that tDCS is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique for treating major neuropsychiatric disorders. The findings of the study, derived from more than 150 ASD patients aged 14 to 21 years old, confirmed and expanded on previous investigations that reported the positive effects of tDCS. “Most importantly, the findings demonstrated that multisession tDCS, alongside concurrent cognitive remediation training, can significantly reduce core symptoms and promote social functioning in teenagers and young adults with autism. No serious side effects were observed in the study,” Dr Han said. Moving forward, the research team plans to further study how to incorporate machine learning to predict the treatment outcomes of tDCS, the feasibility of home microcurrent stimulation treatment, and the effectiveness of continuous treatment.

AiDLab's Fashion X AI International Symposium

The rapid development of technology in the areas of AI, advanced materials and online retail has created a multitude of innovative opportunities for design practitioners to create, present and commercialise their products. Organised by Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Design (AiDLab), the symposium gathers inter-disciplinary leaders of innovation to explore and discuss how advanced technologies are disrupting the future of fashion. An opening ceremony, with participation of international guests, has been held to commence the symposium.  Professor Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, and Hon. Sunny Tan, Legislative Council Member of the Textiles and Garment functional constituency delivered the welcoming speech and opening address respectively. The symposium conducts in both physical and online formats. Feature topics include: Spray-on fabric as seen on Bella Hadid at Paris Fashion Week; Advanced technology into humanistic design for sportswear; AI for fashion design; and Technology and future materials of fashion and textile industry, etc. Details: https://www.fashionxai.com/internationalsymposium

The 96th PolyU Research Salon Featuring National Natural Science Foundation of China – 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞

The 96th PolyU Research Salon drew substantial interest of researchers to join the discussion on young scientist funding scheme for potential opportunity and benefit.  This sharing session, which was held by RIO on 17 Feb, introduced the details of National Natural Science Foundation of China – Excellent Young Scientist Scheme. Prof. Zuankai WANG, Associate Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU delivered the introductory remarks.     Valuable experience and research insights about the funding scheme were shared by: - Prof. Jianhua ZHANG, Executive Dean, School of Microelectronics of Shanghai University; - Prof. Yanfeng ZHANG, Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering of Peking University; - Prof. Xiangheng XIAO, Professor, School of Physics and Technology of Wuhan University; - Dr Minchen Tommy Wei, Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering of PolyU; - Dr Xin ZHAO, Department of Biomedical Engineering of PolyU

PolyU Project Honored with Grand Prize by 2022 CSCS Science and Technology Awards

The project led by PolyU scholar has received a Grand Award of the CSCS Science and Technology Awards 2022 (Cert. No. 0163 of National Office for Science and Technology Awards (www.nosta.gov.cn), during the opening ceremony of the annual conference of the China Steel Construction Society (CSCS) held on 10 February 2023 in Guangzhou. It is the highest honour of the Awards, and PolyU is the only Hong Kong institution honored. The award-winning project “Basic Theory, Key Technology and International Application of Chinese High Strength 690MPa Steel Structures”, led by Prof. Kwok-fai Chung, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Director of Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Steel Construction (Hong Kong Branch)(www.polyu.edu.hk/cnerc-steel), was successfully completed with academics from Tsinghua University and Imperial College London, and experts from famous consulting and construction companies in Hong Kong, as well as leading steel fabricators and suppliers in China. The project provided a comprehensive solution to innovative applications of high quality Chinese 690MPa steel in construction. With thorough research and development collaboration, advanced predictions on mechanical properties and structural behaviour of S690 welded sections were achieved through integrated experimental and numerical investigations. This allowed minimal or even no penalty in both strength and ductility in these welded sections after welding.  Also, effective design rules became available through rigorous design development and codification. Practically, research results have been applied in a number of construction projects in Hong Kong, such as the completed Double Arch Steel Bridge of the Cross Bay Link in Tseung Kwan O, the long span roof structures of the Kowloon Tsai Swimming Pool, as well as the steel roofs of both the East and the West Stands of the Yuen Long Stadium (both under construction). (Click here to learn more)   

Sinopec Visit to PolyU on Research Innovations for a Better Living Environment

A delegation from the Sinopec Group, led by its Vice President Mr Xizhi Yu, visited the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) on 8-9 February to understand PolyU’s latest endeavours in innovation and technology. Prof. Jin-guang Teng, PolyU President, warmly welcomed the delegation and discussed further collaboration on new technology and research development. During the two-day visit, the delegates had fruitful discussions with PolyU scholars from various faculties and schools. The Sinopec delegation also visited the Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Laboratory, Low-carbon Building Technology Laboratory and Photonic Sensors Research Laboratory to better understand how PolyU research has advanced in areas including green technology and materials science. Earlier, PolyU and Sinopec signed a collaborative agreement to give awards to excellent student theses with a focus on topics related to clean energy and a sustainable environment. The awards aim to encourage students’ creative thinking for innovative solutions and technology in order to enhance industry and environmental sustainability. Please click here for the Award details.

International Scholars and Professionals Shared Advanced Metaverse Technologies at PolyU Symposium on Colour Imaging and Metaverse

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) hosted the International Symposium on Colour Imaging and Metaverse on 27-28 Jan 2023, which attracted around 100 researchers and industry professionals and facilitated knowledge exchanges among them. The event inspired creative thoughts and novel ideas for accelerating technology development and impactful solutions. Distinguished international speakers shared their works and insights in colour, imaging and metaverse related technologies from various aspects including product design for better user experience, next generation display applications, fashion and textiles, human skin colour in the virtual world and so on.  Thoughtful discussions during the two days event were joined by worldwide speakers and panelists from well-known technology companies such as Apple, ByteDance, Huawei, Meta Reality Lab, SenseTime, Unilever, as well as top-notched universities like Chiba University, Columbia University, Delft University of Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, University of East Anglia, University of Leeds, Zhejiang University and PolyU.  Also, launch ceremony of the Colour Imaging Metaverse and Research Centre (CIMRC) was taken place during the first day of symposium. Prof Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, Hon Duncan Chiu, Legislative Council Member (Technology and Innovation) of HKSAR, Mr Andy Wong, Head of Innovation and Technology of Invest Hong Kong, Prof Li Ping, Dean of Faculty of Humanities of PolyU, Prof Li Xiangdong, Dean of Faculty of Construction and Environment of PolyU,  Prof Christina Wong, Director of Research and Innovation of PolyU and Dr Tommy WEI, Director of CIMRC have officiated the ceremony. The research centre aims to carry out impactful research to better understand underlying mechanisms in human visual systems, and to develop innovative solutions and algorithms for imaging and metaverse related technologies and systems. The Symposium was co-organised by the Research and Innovation Office (RIO). As a forward-looking department in the University, RIO is devoted to propelling the University’s technology development and advances to benefit the society by providing all-rounded support to facilitate research endeavours within the PolyU community, and foster partnerships among universities, industries, governments, supranational bodies, and the public.  Symposium Booklet

PolyU Collaborates with Meituan to Develop Vision-aided Positioning System for Parcel Delivery by Drones in Urban Canyons

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Meituan joined hands to conduct a research project to improve the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system for parcel delivery in urban canyons. Led by Dr. Weisong WEN, Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering (AAE), the project “Vision Aided GNSS-RTK Positioning for UAV System in Urban Canyons” received support from Meituan. PolyU was the only institute funded by Meituan in the field of UAV perception. Prof. Chihyung WEN, Head and Chair Professor of Aeronautical Engineering said, “This project could effectively improve the positioning accuracy and reliability of the UAV systems for autonomous parcel delivery in complex urban canyons. The collaboration with Meituan demonstrates one of the successful knowledge transfer examples of the Research Center of Unmanned Autonomous Systems in AAE.” Prof. Guoquan Huang, the technical lead of Meituan UAV, said, “Reliable positioning in dense urban canyons is a challenging problem that prevents the massive deployment of UAV systems. Dr. Wen’s research could improve the UAV positioning, potentially unlocking a series of UAV applications in dense urban canyons”

PolyU research discovers nanoscale ferroelectric new materials exhibiting potential for making computer memory with low cost and low energy consumption

Materials with switchable electrical properties are in demand for memory applications – like thumb drives. New research from a team led by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) achieves a sought-after type of electrical behaviour in nano-sized materials. Electronics manufacturers are expected to show a keen interest, as the valuable ferroelectric characteristics can be reproduced at large scales with unprecedented ease. A one-atom-thick layer of any substance – most famously graphene, made of atomically thin carbon – can have dramatically different properties from the bulk material. Stacking such layers on top of each other may give rise to new properties which do not exist in their individual layer. The PolyU research team, led by Prof. Daniel LAU, Chair Professor of Nanomaterials and Head of Department of Applied Physics of PolyU, studied two-layer stacks of molybdenum disulphide and tungsten disulphide (MoS2 and WS2). Excitingly, these materials showed not just piezoelectric but also ferroelectric effects. Ferroelectric materials have an intrinsic electrical polarisation that can be switched by simply applying a current. The ability to “toggle” between two states gives them wide-ranging applications in sensors, capacitors and data storage. The electronics industry is particularly interested in developing ultra-thin devices, based on ferroelectrics that retain their properties even when produced at the nanometre scale. This has proven a major hurdle until now. In contrast to single-molecule layers of pure MoS2 or WS2, the nano-scale stacking of both compounds gave rise to a strong ferroelectric response. The team produced different versions of the bilayers by tuning the stacking angle – similar to how one clockface might be overlain on another, with the two 12-o’-clocks either aligned or displaced. Both types of stacked bilayers displayed remarkably strong piezoelectricity as well as ferroelectricity. To verify the switchable polarisation of MoS2/WS2, the researchers pulled off an impressive feat of “domain writing”. Within a triangular slice of the thin material, they established a square-in-a-square pattern that could be seen under an atomic microscope. The smaller inner square, approximately one micron across, was clearly distinct from the larger outer square due to the opposite voltages of the two poled areas. This is not the first report of exotic electrical behaviour in hetero-structured bilayers, in which the two layers are made of different chemicals. Usually, though, piezo- and ferroelectricity depend on subtle geometric details of such materials. This can make them difficult to manufacture consistently and at industrial scale. In particular, conventional hetero-bilayers tend to have moiré patterns (named after a type of fine fabric), due to the stacking of two layers with similar but not quite identical crystal structures. The moiré effect is fascinating, but the researchers ruled it out as an explanation of the piezo- and ferroelectricity of MoS2/WS2. Despite the slight difference between the inter-atom distances in the two layers, they accommodated one another to produce perfectly aligned stacking, without the tiny twists or discrepancies required for moiré interference. The PolyU team’s process involved simply “baking” MoS2 and WS2 together and letting the layers stack spontaneously. Indeed, the perfect stacking of two layers with identical crystal structures but different atom types is key to the electrical properties. According to physics, ferroelectricity can only arise in such materials if they have a certain symmetry, or rather lack of it. Compared with two identical layers, a stack of MoS2 on WS2 has no centre of symmetry (formally, inversion centre) and also lacks several other symmetric transformations. This symmetry-breaking allows the material to show ferro- and piezoelectricity when one layer slides slightly relative to the other. Prof. Daniel Lau said, “High-tech industries, such as the computer memory sector, will benefit from this new class of nano-scale ferroelectrics. When manufacture is scaled up, the low cost, low energy demand and faithful reproducibility of these atomically thin bilayers promises to advance the frontier of modern electronics.” The PolyU research was in collaboration with researchers from the Renmin University of China, University of Cambridge, and Nanjing University. The study was published on Science.

PolyU partners with Cybaverse to set up Hong Kong’s first research laboratory on law and Web3

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Cybaverse Academy Limited (Cybaverse Academy) signed a Memorandum of Establishment to jointly set up the “PolyU and Cybaverse Academy Joint Lab on Law and Web3” (Joint Lab). With the vibrant development of Web3 and blockchain technologies, governments around the world are now acting to provide a facilitating regulatory environment. This Joint Lab will be the first research lab in Hong Kong to focus on the intersection of law and Web3, encompassing the research and development of technological solutions and the exploration of relevant legal and industry standards. PolyU and Cybaverse Academy will collaborate to promote the safety, security and protection of privacy in the areas of Web3 and blockchain. The Joint Lab aims to provide regulators and other stakeholders with essential tools to enhance protection for the investment community and the general public. PolyU is well-recognised for its expertise in blockchain technology by CoinDesk, ranking in the top position in the “Best Universities for Blockchain 2022” list. Leveraging the University’s excellence in blockchain technology education and research, the Research Centre for Blockchain Technology of PolyU, which is the first research centre in Hong Kong to cover research in full-stack blockchain technology, will provide a training programme related to Web3. The Centre also draws expertise from various fields including computer science, finance, logistics and maritime studies, and industrial and systems engineering to carry out interdisciplinary research in blockchain. Witnessed by Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU; Prof. Wing-tak WONG, Deputy President and Provost of PolyU; Mr Johnny MOK SC, Co-founder of Cybaverse Academy; and Dr Winnie TANG, Co-Founder of Cybaverse Academy, the Memorandum of Establishment was signed on 17 January by Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, and Mr Paul LI, Managing Director of Cybaverse Academy. Prof. Allen AU Man-ho, Professor of PolyU’s Department of Computing, will be the Director of the Joint Lab. Dr Daniel LUO Xiapu, Associate Professor of PolyU’s Department of Computing, and Mr Li from Cybaverse will be the Co-Directors of the Joint Lab. Prof. Jin-Guang Teng said, “PolyU is pleased to collaborate with Cybaverse Academy in the Web3 industry. Combining PolyU’s strength in blockchain technology education and research and Cybaverse Academy’s experience in R&D and Web3 development, I believe this synergy of academia and industry will generate a big positive impact in the near future. PolyU’s leading blockchain research is going to be translated into practical use to deliver innovative solutions for the Web3 industry and will benefit the development of Hong Kong into a virtual asset hub.” Mr Paul Li said, “We are excited to partner with PolyU to explore the frontiers of law and Web3. By combining world-class research capabilities and industrial experience, the Joint Lab will provide a solid foundation for a better Web3 ecosystem.”

Impacts of Technology Innovations on Textiles Life Cycle Sustainability Reviewed by PolyU Scholars

The life cycle of textile products spanning from raw materials to fibre production, textile conversion, distribution and disposal contributes to 5-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, textile industry  accounts for the second largest consumption of the world’s water supply, and it greatly pollutes waterways with microplastics and colourants.  With this significant implication on environment and human, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has unveiled a research study to review technology innovations for advancing sustainability of textiles.  Prof. Xiaoming Tao, Director of Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems and Chair Professor of Textile Technology of PolyU and Dr. Svetlana Boriskina of Massachusetts Institute of Technology have teamed up to study technological innovations to reinforce and accelerate green transformation of textiles. The study entitled “Advancing Life Cycles Sustainability of Textiles Through Technological Innovations” was published in Natural Sustainability. The research highlights a systematic analytical framework, which identifies and elucidates impactful textile technology developments.  The research team analysed impacts of green technologies for textiles based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals outlined by the United Nations Agenda 2030, particularly those concerning the deployment of natural resources, energy and environmental impacts. The study collected 22,724 publications during the past ten years, in which 940 were screened and 215 were studied in details.  In the study findings, sustainability through innovations in raw and fibre materials, manufacturing technologies and textile recycling are discussed as future research and development direction for the industry. These technological developments could also accelerate green transformation of textiles to achieve sustainability.  The study covers topics in:  green science and process based on high-throughput  data-driven discovery studies to identify and develop sustainable replacement for synthetic polyester and nylon fibres biomass-based and degradable fibre-forming materials biological science on cultivation of insect- and disease-resistant plant seeds that require less water waterless and less-water colouration reduction or elimination of production steps mono-materially in textiles for proactive material recovery Prof. Tao said, “The research team spent two years to critically study major technology developments in both industry and laboratories, and their impacts on sustainability in a cradle-to-grave fashion. The team examined the state-of-the-art technology developments meant to solve sustainability issues throughout the complete life cycle of textiles. This study paves the way for an open, systematic and qualitative large-scale data analysis for sustainability research.”  Looking ahead, promotion of green science and technology is crucial to solve sustainability issues from the root to end of textiles life cycle. For instance, large scaled applications of green fibres made from bio-sources will eliminate the poor degradability and microfibre contamination from petroleum derived synthetic fibres.  Also, technology developments will significantly reduce energy and water use in textile conversion and consumption processes. Recycling, especially mechanical recycling, will become a major technology for single-material or some blend textiles. Despite of challenges in adaptation, mono-material textiles will be possibly one of the most effective design strategies for proactive material recovery and recycling efficiency.   Detail of the paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-022-01004-5