The 4th Asia Exhibition of Innovations and Inventions Hong Kong (AEII)

Highly integrated wireless ultrasonic motor system for fully enclosed environments

Principal Investigator:

Prof. CHAU Kwok-tong, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

How to control motor systems in fully enclosed environments without power cables, batteries and controllers? Here, we present a highly integrated wireless ultrasonic motor system designed to wirelessly power and control motors in such environments. This innovative system features a single integrated magnetic coupler connected to the motor, achieving remarkable simplicity and integration.

Key benefits include:

• Battery and cable free: Completely eliminates the need for batteries and cables, reducing maintenance
• Controller and sensor independence: Streamlines design by operating without additional controllers or sensors
• Modular design: Easily adaptable to various applications, facilitating seamless integration

This system is ideal for environments where traditional cabling is impractical, such as in robotic arms, enhancing mobility and flexibility. In enclosed environments like underground pipelines or underwater propellers, it avoids complications from perforated installation cables, preventing gas or liquid leaks. This innovation brings new solutions for advanced applications in robotics and industrial automation.

Last-Centimeter Drone Delivery in Urban Environments

Principal Investigator:

Dr HUANG Hailong 
Assistant Professor, Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering

Drone flight in urban areas is challenging due to the unreliable and inaccurate GNSS service. The innovation provides a package of hardware and algorithms, enabling a drone to fly into balconies of apartments using a LiDAR, which does not require manpower for the final-segment parcel delivery. The key features include: 

• The advanced perception algorithm, enabling precise localization for both the drone and the balcony, significantly enhancing landing accuracy
• The LiDAR-based obstacle detection algorithm that does not rely on pre-training, making it versatile and adaptable to various scenarios
• The robust control algorithm, a new dimension of stability and safety, enabling the UAV to navigate through various disturbances like wind with precision

The innovation offers a comprehensive solution that integrates cutting-edge perception, obstacle detection, and control technologies to deliver parcels seamlessly in complex urban environments. It also enables drones to fly safely in urban environments for other purposes.

ProRuka — Novel Prosthetic Hand Controlled by Wireless Sonomyography

Principal Investigators:

Ir Prof. ZHENG Yongping, Henry G. Leong Professor in Biomedical Engineering; Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Co-founder and Director, Sonoconnect Technology Limited (a PolyU academic-led start-up) 
Mr Vaheh NAZARI, Hardware Engineer, Sonoconnect Technology Limited (a PolyU academic-led start-up) 

Synergistic Integration of Terrestrial Radiative Cooling and Bifacial Solar Photovoltaics for Low-carbon Buildings

Principal Investigators:

Prof. LU Lin Vivien, Professor, Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering
Dr GONG Quan, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering

The invention is a spectrally selective and photoluminescent coating designed to integrate bifacial photovoltaic (biPV) modules, enabling simultaneous solar power generation and radiative cooling (RC). By combining the functionalities of biPV and RC, this innovative coating optimizes energy efficiency in space-constrained environments such as building rooftops.

The coating features two key properties: spectrally selective reflectivity and photoluminescence. The spectrally selective coating reflects non-responsive wavelengths of sunlight while maximizing the absorption of useful wavelengths for photovoltaic conversion. This reduces non-photovoltaic heat gain, thereby improving the efficiency of biPV systems. The photoluminescent aspect allows the coating to absorb ultraviolet (UV) and near-infrared (NIR) light and re-emit it as visible light, further boosting the solar cells' performance while enhancing cooling capabilities.

The invention addresses the limitations of current solar and cooling technologies by integrating the two technologies into a single solution, optimizing performance and reducing material and space constraints. This enables buildings to generate more power while passively radiating excess heat into space, helping realize energy-efficient and net-zero energy building designs.

“AkkMore” Natural Fat Substitute

Principal Investigator:

Dr CHANG Jinhui, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Co-founder of Bo InnoHealth Biotechnology Company Limited (PolyU Academic-led start-up)

The "AkkMore" mushroom extract we developed has been proven to be an effective substitute for fat in ice cream and other high-fat products. In addition, "AkkMore" has health benefits such as preventing obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver, regulating intestinal flora, stabilizing blood sugar levels, and inhibiting neuroinflammation. It has won the silver medal at the Geneva International Invention Exhibition. At present, the "AkkMore" mushroom extract formula has been successfully applied to a variety of products such as cookies, moon cakes, and ice cream. Using "AkkMore" instead of animal cream can reduce greenhouse gases produced by raising dairy cows, extend the shelf life of cream products, and reduce food waste by implementing cold chain transportation. We hope to allow more people to enjoy the benefits of a healthy diet while retaining the delicious taste.
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Artificial Reef for Oyster Reef Restoration in Topological Approach

Principal Investigator:

PolyU School of Design alumnus; Engineer, Team Orz (a PolyU startup)

This project aims to restore ecosystems through innovative topological artificial oyster reefs, improving water quality and promoting marine biodiversity. The artificial oyster reefs use specially designed structures to mimic the function of natural oyster reefs, providing habitats for marine life and helping filter harmful substances from the water.

These reef structures feature a unique topological design that enhances oyster growth rates and contributes to improving the marine environment. Our solution combines eco-friendly technology and innovative design, using recyclable materials in 3D printing to achieve cost-effective and efficient ecological restoration.

In addition to restoring marine ecosystems, this project also includes long-term water quality monitoring. The reef structures are equipped with water quality monitoring systems that can track various indicators in real time, such as water temperature, salinity, and pH levels. The data is relayed to a control panel, providing continuous support for ecological environment data. We plan to conduct trials in real marine areas to verify the effects of water quality improvement and use this as a basis to promote larger-scale applications.

Our product not only effectively improves water quality but also positively impacts local biodiversity, offering a sustainable solution for the marine conservation sector.

The microfluidic platform for rapid efficient separation and detection of micro/nanoplastics

Principal Investigators:

Dr CHUA Song Lin, Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology; Technical Advisor, Plastaway Limited (a PolyU academic-led start-up) 
 
Dr CHEN Chun Kwan, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology; CEO, Plastaway Limited (a PolyU academic-led start-up) 

High-efficiency GaN converter module for wireless power transfer facilities

Principal Investigator:

Dr LIU Wei Lucian,  Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

This invention integrates gallium nitride (GaN) chips into the design of high-performance power converters with low gate driver stray inductance and low switching loss. An insulated metal substrate (IMS) printed circuit board (PCB) design is utilized to lower the thermal resistance while ensuring electrical isolation. The gate drive has small ringing and voltage overshoot, which ensures the realization of smooth switching characteristics of GaN switches. Compared with insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), silicon-based metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), or silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET converters, the invented GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) converter has higher efficiency, higher power density, and higher switching frequency. Compared with GaN converters at the same power level, the invention has better drive performance and lower cost to promote the commercialization of GaN-HEMT power converters. It can be applied in various wireless power transfer facilities, including wireless charging for electric vehicles and other high-frequency high-power-density wireless charging scenarios.

LungRT Pro: Advanced Radiotherapy Support System

Principal Investigator:

Prof. CAI Jing, Associate Dean, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences; Professor, Department of Health Technology and Informatics, PolyU; Technical advisor, InsightRT Ltd (a PolyU academic-led startup) 

Our product enhances lung radiotherapy by automating the analysis of patient CT images and simplifying clinical procedures. With few clicks, it identifies organs and generates lung ventilation and perfusion maps, providing a comprehensive visual representation of lung function. This streamlined process aids clinicians in making informed treatment decisions, improving patient outcomes.
The product employs cutting-edge image processing algorithms and AI techniques to ensure high accuracy and consistency. It features a user-friendly interface, a powerful backend, and 3D visualization capabilities. The automation of manual tasks reduces workload and minimizes human error.
With functionality and user experience in mind, the product is designed with compatibility with major operating systems and distributed digitally, reducing environmental impact. Its innovative combination of automation, advanced visualization, and broad accessibility makes it a valuable tool in lung radiotherapy. The product enhances precision and effectiveness, contributing to improved patient care.

Vcare - Vision Training VR Device

Principal Investigator:

Dr TANG Yuk Ming, Senior Lecturer, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering; 
Co-founder, Vcare Vision Technology Limited (a PolyU academic-led startup)

Real-time traffic noise identity extraction

Principal Investigator:

Dr LEUNG Chi Kin Randolph, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering 

allcareAI Smart Anti-Infection Mobile Dry Toilet

Principal Investigator:

Phil WOO, Outstanding Alumni Awardee in Entrepreneurial Achievement of PolyU Faculty of Humanities; Co-founder, PREN Limited (a PolyU startup)

Unlike conventional commode chairs, the allcareAI Smart Anti-Infection Mobile Dry Toilet helps caretakers alleviate daily hygiene and workload burden by eliminating the need to manually disinfect the toilet seat and empty the waste before and after each use in one go. 

Leveraging its patented all-in-one toilet seat wrapping and bowl sealing automation technology, both the toilet seat and bowl will always be automatically wrapped and sealed by a disposable toilet seat bag using environmentally friendly material, ensuring hygiene and dignity to both caretakers and care recipients. 

Its waterless and installation-free design enables it to be deployed in any existing community household or facility anytime, which becomes helpful in an ageing society or large-scale infection control.

Integrated with a variety of sensors and touchscreens, it digitizes and visualizes user and device status for easy health and IoT management.

Flower shaped intelligent medicine box based on artificial intelligence algorithm analysis

Principal Investigator:

Dr ZENG JingQiang, PolyU Department of Applied Social Sciences Alumnus; Founder and CEO, People Strong High-tech Company Limited (a PolyU startup)

The intelligent medication management solution project aims to improve the medication compliance of the target population through the loT intelligent medicine boxes and data-driven systems.

Through digitization, families can feel more at ease, and drug R&D companies can complete new drug trials more efficiently with a lower cost. This holistic solution targets the issues of patients forgetting to take medication, repeating medication or taking the wrong medication. Poor patient efficacy, and high cost of new drug R&D trials for drug institutions can also be benefited from this idea, which can bring more precise health management to patients, more efficient clinical trial methods for new drugs to pharmaceutical institutions, and reduction of drug waste. The advantages of our project lie in the ability to automatically detect, manage, and operate without geographical or time limitations, and integrate multi-party collaboration.

The method for preparing rPVC composites from composite PVC waste and the application of the resulting products

Principal Investigator:

PolyU Department of Biomedical Engineering Alumnus; Executive Director, EBP Biotech Company Limited (a PolyU startup)

Processing PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride - Plastic No. 3) may release toxic dioxins and hydrogen chloride (HCl). Our invention addresses the recycling challenges in Hong Kong by introducing a comprehensive solution. Using a low-temperature, high-pressure process with patented additives, we transform PVC waste into valuable products such as boxes, rPVC flooring, and even phone cases.

This method not only ensures safety and efficiency but also incorporates environmental sustainability. Throughout the manufacturing process, carbon emissions are meticulously calculated, and carbon dioxide is captured. By-products are reused, further enhancing sustainability. This upcycling approach conserves landfill space and valuable materials, saving approximately one million HK dollars daily. Moreover, our process generates carbon credits, contributing positively to both the environment and economy.

Wearable smart light-emitting diode(LED) device for knee osteoarthritis

Principal Investigator:

Prof. FU Siu Ngor, Associate Head and Peter Hung Professor, Pain Management, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences; Associate Director, Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology

Knee osteoarthritis (Knee OA) affects a large portion of the aging and sporting population, yet effective, accessible long-term treatments are limited. This wearable LED device addresses this need with three key innovations:

• Temperature sensing for Knee OA Phenotypes equipped with temperature sensors, the device assesses knee joint temperature changes, enabling differentiation Knee OA phenotypes for targeted treatments
• Tri-Wavelength LED with adjustable illumination - Our animal studies show each wavelength targets specific knee tissues: synovitis, tendons, or cartilage. The three-chip LED allows independent activation of each wavelength, customizing treatment based on tissue involvement and Knee OA phenotype
• Al-Driven Personalized Protocols with Remote Support - The Al system adjusts LED settings dynamically, based on patient-specific data from studies, to optimize outcomes. Patients can also scan a QR code for customized rehab advice and virtual consultations. This device provides a scientifically validated, user-friendly, and individualized solution, surpassing current products lacking multi-wavelength and Al capabilities