PolyU wins 36 accolades at International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva; Showcasing research excellence and innovation capabilities

13 Apr 2025

Achievements Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship Office

PolyU won a total of 36 accolades at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, with its award-winning projects spanning a broad range of fields, demonstrating the University’s holistic research expertise. The PolyU delegation posed for a group photo.

The Surface Sampling and Packing System for Chang’e-5 and -6 Lunar Sample Return Missions developed by a research team led by Prof. Yung Kai Leung, Sir Sze-yuen Chung Professor in Precision Engineering and Chair Professor of Precision Engineering, in collaboration with the China Academy of Space Technology, grasped the Saudi Innovation Excellence Prize - Ministry of Education and Gold Medal with Congratulations of Jury.

Prof. Tam Haw Yaw, Chair Professor of Photonics of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and his team were awarded the Thailand Award for the Best International Invention & Innovation and Gold Medal with Congratulations of Jury for their project “Hearing Hope: Smart Sensor for Enhanced Safety and Precision in Hearing Restoration Procedures”.

Prof. Christopher Chao, PolyU Vice President (Research and Innovation), attended the award ceremony in Geneva and presented the “International Strategic Technology Alliance Global Innovation and Invention Award (ISTA)” on stage.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) won a total of 36 accolades at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva (Geneva Inventions Expo), a widely recognised annual event devoted exclusively to invention. This remarkable achievement highlights the University’s strong research capabilities and commitment to innovation on the global stage.

33 PolyU innovations seized 36 accolades, including 2 Special Prizes, 10 Gold Medals with Congratulations of the Jury, 8 Gold Medals, 11 Silver Medals, 4 Bronze Medals and 1 Special Merit Award. Among them, 2 were developed by the Centre for Eye and Vision Research, a partnership between PolyU and the University of Waterloo. Reflecting PolyU’s long-standing commitment to industry collaboration, two projects co-developed with MTR Corporation and The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) respectively were also granted awards.

The project titled “Surface Sampling and Packing System for Chang’e-5 and -6 Lunar Sample Return Missions”, developed by the research team led by Prof. YUNG Kai-leung, Sir Sze-yuen Chung Professor in Precision Engineering, Chair Professor of Precision Engineering, in collaboration with the China Academy of Space Technology, garnered the Saudi Arabia Award for Excellence in Innovation – Ministry of Education Prize and a Gold Medal with Jury Commendation. This is the first space-qualified robotic Sampling and automatic packaging system of its kind, and had successfully collected over 1.5kg of surface samples on the lunar front side and 1.6kg on the far side. On the Chang’e-6 mission, this system also marked the first-ever lunar far-side surface sampling.

Another project titled “Hearing Hope: A Smart Sensor for Enhanced Safety and Precision in Hearing Restoration Procedures”, developed by the research team led by Prof. TAM Haw Yaw, Chair Professor of Photonics, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, won the Thailand Award for Best International Invention and Innovation as well as a Gold Medal with Jury Commendation. This medical device enhances surgical precision and reduces trauma in cochlear implantation by incorporating an optical fibre sensor within the electrode array.

Prof. Christopher CHAO, PolyU Vice President (Research and Innovation), attended the award ceremony in Geneva to support the participating teams and startups. He also presented the “Hong Kong Polytechnic University Award” and the “International Strategic Technology Alliance Global Innovation and Invention Award (ISTA)” on stage.

Prof. Chao remarked, “I am immensely proud of PolyU’s remarkable achievements at this year’s Exhibition. These projects exemplify PolyU’s research and entrepreneurial strength across diverse disciplines and demonstrate how our researchers combine visionary thinking with cutting-edge technologies to shine on the international stage. Their accomplishments reinforce our commitment to translating innovative knowledge into impactful solutions and motivates us to pursue further breakthroughs for the betterment of society and humanity more broadly.”

This year, PolyU’s award-winning projects span a broad range of fields, including life sciences and healthcare, vision and eye health, engineering, ultra-precision machining, and green technology, demonstrating the University’s advantages and potential in medicine-engineering integration to advance healthcare technology.

PolyU possesses strong capabilities in the interdisciplinary field of biomedical engineering, bringing together top-tier research teams dedicated to seamlessly combining engineering innovations with medical applications. The University’s cutting-edge research covers areas such as smart medical devices, biomaterials, and rehabilitation technologies, illustrating its solid foundation and potential to establish Hong Kong’s third medical school.

At this year’s Exhibition of Inventions, PolyU not only showcased advanced research breakthroughs but also provided a platform for technology commercialisation, promoting the translation of laboratory innovations into market-ready products.

As a pioneer in innovation and entrepreneurship, PolyU actively fosters a vibrant start-up ecosystem. Among this year’s award-winning teams, 13 were PolyU startups. Through the University’s flagship startup ecosystem “PolyVentures”, PolyU has nurtured over 500 active start-ups, including 2 listed companies, 3 unicorns and 25 ponies, underscoring the University’s leadership in research commercialisation and entrepreneurial impact.

The 50th Geneva Inventions Expo attracted over a thousand entries from close to 40 countries and regions. PolyU’s award-winning projects are listed below. To learn more about these impactful projects, please refer to the Appendix or visit the website of the PolyU Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship Office.

Project	Principal Investigator(s)	Award(s)
Surface Sampling and Packing System for Chang’e-5 and -6 Lunar Sample Return Missions	Prof. YUNG Kai Leung Sir Sze-yuen Chung Professor in Precision Engineering, Chair Professor of Precision Engineering and Associate Head of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and Director of the Research Centre for Deep Space Explorations	Saudi Innovation Excellence Prize - Ministry of Education Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
Hearing Hope: A Smart Sensor for Enhanced Safety and Precision in Hearing Restoration Procedures	Prof. TAM Haw Yaw Chair Professor of Photonics, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Associate Director, Photonics Research Institute (PRI)	Thailand Award for the Best International Invention & Innovation Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
Seeing the Invisible: Generating Non-invasive Angiography as an Alternative to Invasive Retinal Examinations	Dr SHI Danli Research Assistant Professor, School of Optometry	Special Merit Award from French Inventors Federation and Europe-France Inventors Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
A Customisable Wearable Saliva Sensing Platform	Prof. YAN Feng Associate Director, Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems; Chair Professor of Organic Electronics, Department of Applied Physics	Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
Smart Fire Extinguisher for Spacecraft	Prof. HUANG Xinyan Associate Professor, Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering; Co-founder, Widemount Dynamics Tech Limited (a PolyU startup)	Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
CO2-driven Superhydrophobic Carbon-sink Concrete	Prof. POON Chi Sun Michael Anson Professor in Civil Engineering; Chair Professor of Sustainable Construction Materials; Head, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Director, Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality	Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
Highly Integrated Wireless Ultrasonic Motor System for Fully Enclosed Environments	Prof. CHAU Kwok Tong Chair Professor of Electrical Energy Engineering, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering	Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
High-efficiency GaN Converter Module for Wireless Power Transfer Facilities	Prof. LIU Wei Lucian Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering	Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
Highly Efficient Brushless Dual-rotor Contra-rotating Wind Power Generation System	Prof. NIU Shuangxia Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering	Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
SweatMD: Health-monitoring Wearable Sweat Sensor	Prof. SHOU Dahua Associate Director, PolyU-Xingguo Technology and Innovation Research Institute; Associate Director of Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion; Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Advanced Textiles Technologies; Associate Professor, School of Fashion and Textiles	Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
Radome Assessment and Transmission Test System (RATTS)	Mr Robert VOYLE Chief Executive Officer, Aviation Services Research Centre (ASRC)	Gold Medal
A Multi-objective Yaw-control System for Wind Farm Optimisation Based on Novel 3D Wake Model	Prof. YANG Hongxing Professor, Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering	Gold Medal
AI-empowered Digital Twin for Smart Building Management	Prof. XIAO Fu Associate Dean, Faculty of Construction and Environment; Professor, Department of Building Environment and Energy	Gold Medal
Multi-mode Optical Characterisation Interferometer (MOCI)	Prof. CHEUNG Chi-fai Benny Chair Professor of Ultra-precision Machining and Metrology, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering; Director, State Key Laboratory of Ultra-precision Machining Technology	Gold Medal
Smart Structural Integrity Monitoring Syste	Prof. WONG Man Sing Charles Associate Dean, Faculty of Construction and Environment; Associate Director, Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development; Professor, Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics Mr CHAN Pak Kwan Managing Director & Co-founder, LeafIoT Technology Limited (a PolyU startup)	Gold Medal
Artificial Reef for Oyster Reef Restoration in Topological Approach	Mr Dean CHAN Alumnus, School of Design; Engineer, Team Orz Limited (a PolyU startup)	Gold Medal
Behaviour Recognition Method, Device and Wearable Device	Prof. HE Mingguang Henry G. Leong Professor in Elderly Vision Health and Chair Professor of Experimental Ophthalmology, School of Optometry; Director, Research Centre for SHARP Vision Dr TO Yuen Ying Elaine Postdoctoral Fellow in Ophthalmology, School of Optometry	Gold Medal
Eye-on-a-chip Device	Dr ZHOU Liping Research Assistant Professor, School of Optometry and Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology; Principal Investigator, InnoHK Centre for Eye and Vision Research; Director, Eyenova Biotech Limited (a PolyU startup) Dr PHAN Chau-Minh Research Assistant Professor, School of Optometry and Vision Science, UWaterloo; Principal Investigator, InnoHK Centre for Eye and Vision Research; Director, Eyenova Biotech Limited (a PolyU startup)	Gold Medal
Last-centimetre Drone Delivery in Urban Environments	Prof. HUANG Hailong Assistant Professor, Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering	Silver Medal
IHAC Film: Intelligent Humidity Control and Atmospheric Water Collection Film	Prof. YAN Jinyue Jerry Chair Professor of Energy and Buildings, Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering	Silver Medal
Intelligent Construction Site Layout Design Platform	Dr WANG Dong Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Building and Real Estate; Founder, ICC (Hong Kong) Limited (a PolyU startup)	Silver Medal
AI-based Railway Obstacle Intrusion Detection System with Multimodal Transformers	Prof. NI Yiqing Yim, Mak, Kwok & Chung Professor in Smart Structures; Chair Professor of Smart Structures and Rail Transit; Director, National Rail Transit Electrification and Automation Engineering Technology Research Centre (Hong Kong Branch); Director, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University-Hangzhou Technology and Innovation Research Institute	Silver Medal
LungRT Pro: Advanced Radiotherapy Support System	Prof. CAI Jing Head and Professor, Department of Health Technology and Informatics; Technical Advisor, InsightRT Limited (a PolyU startup)	Silver Medal
Virtual Patient Simulation System	Prof. CHAN Wing Chi Lawrence Associate Professor, Department of Health Technology and Informatics; Founder, Advantage Data Vision Limited (a PolyU startup)	Silver Medal
EmoFriends	Prof. WANG Jia Stephen Professor, School of Design	Silver Medal
The EyeFatigue Tracker: Exploring Visual Health through Wearable Devices and Deep-Learning Technology	Dr CHEN Yanxian Research Assistant Professor, School of Optometry	Silver Medal
STARS: Smartphone AI Refraction System	Prof. DO Chi Wai Associate Professor, School of Optometry Prof. Grace NGAI Associate Professor, Department of Computing	Silver Medal
Biomimetics Nanoplatform for the Treatment of Retinal Diseases	Prof. DO Chi Wai Associate Professor, School of Optometry; Principal Investigator, InnoHK Centre for Eye and Vision Research Prof. Emmanuel HO Professor, School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo; Principal Investigator, InnoHK Centre for Eye and Vision Research	Silver Medal
Wellsees Orthokeratology Contact Lens	Dr Jason Ki-Kit LAU Technical Director, Wellsees Technologies Co Ltd Mr Roger Jing ZHANG Founder, Wellsees Technologies Co., Ltd. Prof. Chea-su KEE Head, School of Optometry, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Co-Founder, Wellsees Technologies Co., Ltd. Dr Andy WANG Associate Professor, College of Mechatronics and Control Engineering, Shenzhen University; Co-Founder, Wellsees Technologies Co., Ltd. (a PolyU startup)	Silver Medal
Suture Anchor-Tendon Hybrid Graft	Prof. Elmer Dai Fei KER Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering	Bronze Medal
Advanced Self-cleaning Oil Fume Purification System for Commercial Kitchens	Prof. LEE Shun Cheng Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Technical Advisor, AeroGreen Technology Company Limited (a PolyU startup) Dr LI Xinwei Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Founder, AeroGreen Technology Company Limited (a PolyU startup) Dr HAN Shuwen Alumnus, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Chief Technology Officer, AeroGreen Technology Company Limited (a PolyU startup)	Bronze Medal
Next-generation Sportswear with Polylactic Acid, Auxetic Knitting Structure and Ergonomic Design	Prof. Erin CHO Dean and Limin Professor in Integrated Strategies and Leadership in Fashion, School of Fashion and Textiles; Advisor, Leopitorca Global Limited (a PolyU startup)	Bronze Medal
3D-printed Superior Light and Breathable Wearable Textiles	Prof. JIANG Shou-xiang Kinor Professor, School of Fashion and Textiles	Bronze Medal