Media Releases

PolyU provides “Tanzania Leadership Programme” to nurture talents for Belt & Road region

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) today launched a leadership programme for 100 Tanzania's young professionals from various sectors. The first batch of 30 Tanzanian young professionals will attend a one-week programme consisting of expert lectures, field visits in Hong Kong and Shenzhen as well as knowledge sharing sessions, focusing on areas crucial for Tanzania's development, namely: green manufacturing, urban planning, information technology for international trade, tourism, and public health. The Tanzania Leadership Programme is organised by PolyU's Institute of Advanced Executive Education. PolyUlaunched the Belt and Road Cross-Professional Advancement Programme in January 2019, providing a platform for Hong Kong's professionals and Mainland enterprise leaders to exchange knowledge and share experience, as well as to network, explore market opportunities and develop multilateral collaborations. The University also aims to leverage its expertise to share best practices and experiences with the high-potential future leaders of other Belt and Road countries such as Tanzania. The opening ceremony of the Programme was officiated by Mr Mbelwa KAIRUKI, Ambassador of United Republic of Tanzania in People's Republic of China,and Dr Miranda LOU, Executive Vice President of PolyU. Addressing the ceremony, Dr Lou said, "PolyU has been playing its role to nurture young talents for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) since 2014. We have established a platform to leverage PolyU's expertise and international network for capacity building, and thereby fostering talent development, knowledge transfer and research development for the sustainable advancement of the Belt and Road countries. This Programme is another PolyU's initiative to offer cross-cultural youth leadership programmes to Tanzania future global leaders." She added that there were more than 700 students from the Belt and Road countries last year in PolyU, some of them were from Africa. Apart from academic programmes, PolyU also supports enterprises and professionals to embrace the opportunities arising from the BRI. Since 2014, the University has offered more than 390 consultancy services and executive training to organisations from Belt and Road countries. Tanzania, as one of Africa's fastest growing economies, has its strategic role in the BRI. Mr Kairuki, who flew in Hong Kong to attend the opening, said, "Our country needs such kind of youth with vigour and zeal to make a difference and transform it from where it is to a more prosperous nation. And that starts with learning new ideas and new ways and from new experiences. I saw a need for my country as well to invest in building the capacity of the young and upcoming leaders in various industries. I saw nowhere fit for this than Hong Kong and especially at the Institute of Advance Executive Education and the PolyU." Under the Programme, the 30 Tanzanian participants will conduct field trips related to the five focused areas of the Programme, such as visiting PolyU's innovative facilities, the City Gallery (displaying the vision for the city's planning projects), Shatin (one of the new towns in Hong Kong that exhibits a success case in town planning), textile upcycling factory (using innovative technologies to provide a solution for textile waste recycling), as well as Huawei Shenzhen Campus (showcasing the emerging tech of a smartphone giant). By the end of the Programme, the young professionals, from varied sectors ranging from telecommunications, information technology, marketing, social enterprise, manufacturing, sustainability, finance, tourism to public health, will also work on action plans for specific areas of development in Tanzania. The Programme will run in a series, each will cater for a cohort of 30 Tanzanian young professionals. PolyU's Institute of Advanced Executive Education is also planning to extend similar training to other Belt and Road countries.   *****END****

PolyU fashion design graduates stage Fashion Show 2019

Twenty-two graduating students from Institute of Textiles and Clothing (ITC) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) showcased their design flair and talent at the PolyU Fashion Show 2019 held on 13 June at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. Over 2,000 industrialists, fashion designers and fashion bloggers were attracted to the Show. Graduating students from the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Scheme in Fashion and Textiles each presented a series of six pieces of outfit with varied themes of their own choice to compete for seven awards. The Overall Grand Award eventually went to Venus TSANG with her creative design themed Toumei Ningen. (Please refer to the appendix for the full list of awardees.) The judging panel was comprised of well-known fashion designers and seasoned practitioners of the fashion industry. They included: Ms Janet CHEUNG, Vice-Chairman, Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association; Ms Lu Lu CHEUNG, Creative Director, Rolls Group Limited; Mr Anthony KEUNG, President and C.E.O., Fenix Group Holdings Ltd; Mr Walter MA, Director, Walter Ma & Co. Ltd; and Mr Peter WONG, Editorial Director, VOGUE Hong Kong. The Show was officiated by Prof. WONG Wing-tak, Dean of PolyU's Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles, and Prof. FAN Jin-tu, Chair Professor and Head of Institute of Textiles and Clothing, PolyU. Prof. WONG said, "I would like to thank our partners in the industry for their long-standing support and generous sponsorship. With their support, we are delighted to see many brilliant masterpieces today. I have no doubt that our young talents will shine on the international stage very soon." To make the Fashion Show more colourful, ITC in collaboration with the Hong Kong Sports Institute invited local elite athletes from the Institute to join the catwalk and demonstrate their all-rounded talent and charisma beyond sports grounds. The seven elite athletes made their catwalk debut were Katrina WAN (Billiard Sports), Vincent YEUNG (Badminton), Leo LEE (Badminton), Angel WONG (Gymnastics), LAU Chi Ming (Karatedo), Hugo DARKE CHRISTOPHER (Rugby), and Juanita MOK (Wushu).   Professor WONG Wing-tak, Dean of PolyU’s Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles (third from right) and the panel of judges (from left): Ms Janet CHEUNG, Ms Lu Lu CHEUNG, Mr Peter WONG; and (from right) Mr Walter MA and Mr Anthony KEUNG.   Venus TSANG wins the Overall Grand Award with her collection named “Toumei Ningen”.   The winning collection of HKIAIA Award – “ADHD” by Nabeel Khaled Hamed BAHRI.   Kerson Innovation Award goes to “URBAN SURVIVAL” by TSANG Cheuk-him.     The winning collection of Best Use of Australian Merino Wool Award (sponsored by The Woolmark Company) – “Now you know me?” by Hay WONG.   Scholarship of Creativity (sponsored by Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association) is presented to Wesker AU for his collection of “People Underground”.   CHAN Tsz-wa secures two prizes including Esquel Outstanding Menswear Award and Best Use of Australian Merino Wool Award (sponsored by Flinders Merino), with a collection themed “VO-YAGE” Ms Vivienne TAM (third from left), renowned Fashion Designer and Founder of VIVIENNE TAM, also attends the show as award presenter.     The four Hong Kong elite athletes joining the performing dance include (from left): Vincent YEUNG (Badminton), Juanita MOK (Wushu), Angel WONG (Gymnastics) and Leo LEE (Badminton). - End -

Statement by University Presidents Who are Concerned about Society

We are gravely concerned about the intensifying conflicts and tension in the community. We plead for calm from all sectors of the community, and appeal to all to consider their own safety and that of others. We urge everyone to work cooperatively and rationally towards resolving the current impasse. City University of Hong Kong Hong Kong Baptist University Lingnan University The Chinese University of Hong Kong The Education University of Hong Kong The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts The Hong Kong Polytechnic University The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology The Open University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (Listed in alphabetical order)

PolyU’s quality operation of its sub-degree programmes commended in the Quality Assurance Council (QAC) Audit Report

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) welcomes the audit findings of the Quality Assurance Council (QAC) under the University Grants Committee (UGC). The report confirms the University's sound governance, management and quality assurance (QA) of its sub-degree programmes, which are internationally benchmarked. The Audit Panel concludes that PolyU's sub-degree provision reflects its strategic priorities and mission, whether within the University proper or its College of Professional and Continuing Education. The University also consistently adheres to its QA policies and procedures in operating its sub-degree programmes. The current practices in all dimensions attest to the excellence in operation of the University. PolyU Interim President, Professor Philip C. H. CHAN, said, "PolyU is gratified by the many commendations in the report. We thank the QAC Audit Panel for going through a rigorous review process on our sub-degree programmes and offering us valuable recommendations. We are pleased to take on board these recommendations to scale new heights in academic standards and quality as we manage our curriculum and nurture our students." The Panel found PolyU's personal and career development services for students are "comprehensive" and can "help students to adopt a positive attitude towards their study and careers, broaden their horizons and develop as whole persons." Sub-degree programmes students are well supported by high-quality physical learning and e-learning environments which enrich their academic experience. Students are appreciative of their programmes' vocational relevance, the networking opportunities afforded, and skills development that will help them to progress within their chosen professions. The report also recognises PolyU's QA framework as a systematic one that enables the standard and quality of its sub-degree programmes to be set and maintained. PolyU also demonstrates its effectiveness in implementing strategic approach to curriculum design, programme development and approval. The University has clear guidelines and regulations for programme planning, validation and management that align its outcome-based approach. There is also a robust process of evidence-based improvement in learning and teaching through Programme Learning Outcomes Assessment Plans. PolyU is proactive in its support for teaching staff. The University through its Educational Development Centre (EDC), provides professional development opportunities for all academic staff.  EDC courses cover a wide range of e-learning and virtual tutorials as well as a set of workshops on integrative curriculum design. "As a university committed to whole-person development, we are glad to hear that our students are 'active-on and appreciative of'' the co-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities provided to them and found these activities wide-ranging, significant and enriching. We are also pleased to see confirmations from the Panel that our support for teaching staff are 'proactive' and 'fit-for-purpose', while our academic staff 'appreciative of the pedagogical support and development' and found it helpful and valuable," added Professor CHAN. PolyU is committed to achieving excellence in education provision through advancing and transferring knowledge, conducting impactful researches and offering the best holistic development to its students. PolyU has more than 160 postgraduate, undergraduate and sub-degree programmes and has a student population of over 28,000 students. PolyU currently offers three types of sub-degree programme: Higher Diploma (HD), Associate Degree (AD) and Continuing Education (CE). Established under PolyU in 2001, the Hong Kong Community College (HKCC) is a self-financed institution offering mainly sub-degree programmes, helping over 25,000 graduates to articulate into Bachelor's degree programmes since inception.   *****END****

PolyU signs a collaborative agreement with top textile university in Southern China to promote green and healthy textiles

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) today announced the signing of a collaborative framework agreement with Wuyi University (WYU). The two universities will join hands for research on the development of green and healthy textile materials over a span of three years.  The collaboration marks an important milestone of joint R&D effort between Hong Kong and Jiangmen – two major cities in the Greater Bay Area. As one of the world's largest textile and garment production and consumption regions, the Mainland's growing demand for "green and healthy" textile has created a huge market potential for antibacterial and mildew resistant textiles.  The collaboration aims to facilitate the experts from the two universities to innovate dyeing and finishing technologies for fabrics so as to address the health and environmental concerns associated with man-made fibers and their chemical processes. As textiles are good substrates for exponential bacterial growth and microbial proliferation under appropriate moisture, nutrients, and temperature conditions, the research will also study the ingredients and methodologies to enhance the antibacterial, antimicrobial and antifungal performances in textiles. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ir Prof. Alex WAI, Vice President (Research Development) of PolyU, said "PolyU has proven records in translating impactful research results into applicable technologies and solutions to benefit the society and humankind. Leveraging our research strengths in textile technology for smart materials, textile-based wearable electronics and biomedical textiles, we believe the collaboration will bring further success in developing next generation "green and healthy" fabrics. We are very pleased to collaborate with universities in the Greater Bay Area such as WYU. Such cooperation platforms will accelerate innovation, new technology development and commercial applications of R&D in the region." Prof. ZHANG Kun, Party Committee Secretary of WYU, thanked PolyU for kick-starting the collaboration in textile research. He hoped this is just the beginning and the cooperation could be extended to other disciplines between the two universities. The signing ceremony was attended by Ir Prof. Alex WAI, Vice President (Research Development); Prof. K.Y. WONG, Associate Vice President (Research Support); and Prof. John H. XIN, Chair Prof. of Textile Chemistry and Lee Family Professor in Fashion and Textiles from PolyU; as well as Prof. ZHANG Kun, Party Committee Secretary; Mr NG Wing Chi, Council Chairman; and Professor YU Hui, Dean of School of Textile Materials and Engineering from WYU.   *****END****

PolyU develops Highly Flexible High-energy Textile Lithium Battery to cope with surging demand for Wearable Electronics

Researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have developed a highly flexible, high-energy Textile Lithium Battery that offers more stable, durable and safe energy supply for wearable electronics with a myriad of applications, such as in healthcare monitoring, intelligent textiles, smartphones, Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking and Internet of Things (IoT). PolyU’s novel lightweight Textile Lithium Battery demonstrates high energy density of more than 450 Wh/L, and excellent flexibility — with a bending radius of less than 1mm, and foldability of over 1,000 cycles with marginal capacity degradation. In comparison, the existing bendable lithium battery can only reach a bending radius of about 25 mm, and with much lower performance of less than 200 Wh/L. The Textile Lithium Battery, of less than 0.5 mm thick, also possesses fast charging/discharging capability, and long cycle life comparable with conventional lithium batteries. [Please refer to the Annex for detailed comparison of performance between PolyU’s Textile Lithium Battery and other batteries] The innovation developed by the research team of PolyU’s Institute of Textiles and Clothing (ITC) has snatched three prizes at the 47th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva held in April this year, namely a Gold Medal and two Special Merit Awards. Professor ZHENG Zijian, who leads the ITC research team, said, “Wearable technology has been named as the next global big market opportunity after smartphones. Global market revenues for wearable devices are forecasted to grow by leaps and bounds, of over 20% annually, to reach US$100 billion by 2024. [1] As all wearable electronics will require wearable energy supply, our novel technology in fabricating Textile Lithium Battery offers promising solution to a wide array of next-generation applications, ranging from healthcare, infotainment, sports, aerospace, fashion, IoT to any sensing or tracking uses that may even exceed our imagination of today.” Lithium battery is currently the dominant rechargeable battery in the market due to its relatively high energy density and long cycle life. As conventional bulky heavy lithium battery is hard for use in wearable devices, over the past decade, scientists have put in efforts in developing bendable lithium battery, often by using metal foils as current collectors. However, it is only until the emergence of PolyU’s Textile Lithium Battery that the bottlenecks over energy density, flexibility, mechanical robustness and cycling stability being able to be addressed. Applying PolyU’s patented novel technology of Polymer-Assisted Metal Deposition (PAMD), highly conductive metal, copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) are uniformly and conformally deposited onto pre-treated fabrics. Such fabricated metallic fabrics, featuring low sheet resistance [2] and large surface area [3], serve as current collectors in battery. After adding active materials to act as cathode and anode, the metallic fabrics, together with separator and electrolyte, are assembled into the Textile Lithium Battery. Laboratory tests conducted by the ITC team have proven the extremely high mechanical stability, durability and safety of the Textile Lithium Battery under deformation. When the battery is repeatedly folded in half, twisted at different angles or freely crumpled, its voltage window remained unchanged. Bending test showed that the battery can be bent over 1,000 times with marginal capacity degradation. Safety tests conducted by continuous hammering, trimming with scissors and penetrating with nail proved the battery can stably provide power output for the electronic components with no risk of catching fire or burst. [ Note: The findings are published in Nature Communications, a world's leading multidisciplinary scientific journal:- Chang et al. Flexible and stable high-energy lithium-sulfur full batteries with only 100% oversized lithium. Nature Communications, 2018, 9(1): 4480. Video on PolyU's Textile Lithium Battery:- https://youtu.be/oGRW9SKmay8 ]   ---- End ----- [1] IDTechEx. ‘Wearable Technology 2018-2028: Markets, Players, Forecasts’. Retrieved 8 May 2019 from https://www.idtechex.com/research/reports/wearable-technology-2018-2028-markets-players-forecasts-000606.asp?setlang=en [2] Sheet resistance is an important property of conductive materials, quantifying the ability for transporting charges of the materials. The lower the sheet resistance, the faster is the transportation. [3] In general, the larger the surface areas for loading anode and cathode materials, the greater stability, higher charge/discharge speed and better flexibility is the battery. Applying the PolyU patented PAMD technology to control the deposition time, the thickness and sheet resistance of the metallic yarns can be easily controlled. By weaving the metallic yarns into a 3D metal fabric, its surface areas for loading the active materials, in comparison of a 2D metal foil sheet of the same size, is much enhanced.

PolyU develops a high-efficiency, high-quality ultra-precision polishing technology for different kinds of freeform surfaces

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) developed a novel curvature-adaptive multi-jet polishing (MJP) technology for different kinds of freeform surfaces, i.e. surfaces without symmetry axis, which are widely used in high end products such as compound lenses in 3D imaging, Head-up display (HUD) lenses used in automotive, optical components for augmented reality and virtual reality headsets, etc. Time efficiency and surface quality improvement are the main goals of the technology research. This technology can meet the stringent requirements for ultra-precision and high efficiency in polishing to reduce the surface roughness in high-value-added products, such as artificial joints, turbine blades of aeroplanes and other components with complex geometric shapes. PolyU’s technological breakthrough in high quality polishing will add great value to the high-end precision equipment manufacturing in the Greater Bay Area. The cutting-edge technology is developed based on the current Fluid Jet Polishing (FJP), an ultra-precision non-contact polishing technology that pumps the pre-mixed slurry, i.e. abrasive particles and water, through an adjustable nozzle directly towards a target surface at appropriate speed to polish the surface of the freeform products to the desired finish. PolyU’s research team customised multi-jet nozzles and developed a computerised system to automate the process and to control the fluid pressure and processing time of each jet according to the shape, variation of curvature and surface polishing requirements of a workpiece. The technology can thus be applied to most of the freeform products, including products with various complex curved designs and inner surface finishing of pipe-shaped products. Similar to FJP, MJP is also of high machining accuracy, suitable for polishing complex surfaces, and will not cause tool wear and temperature increase of the workpiece during polishing. MJP, however, has additional advantages in ultra-precision polishing. It can overcome the limitations of FJP to improve the material removal rate, and the polishing efficiency particularly for large-scale surfaces, lens array surfaces and inner surfaces polishing. The higher efficiency of MJP compared with that of FJP tool has been validated through an experiment. In the experiment, the FJP polishing procedure on a 4x4 lens units array took about 320 minutes as the lens in the array was polished one after another and each unit requires 20 minutes. However, if a MJP tool is used, it only takes 20 minutes to polish all the lens because they were polished simultaneously. In this case, the processing time for using the MJP tool has been significantly improved by about 16 times as compared to FJP. Leading this innovative project, Ir Professor Benny CHEUNG, Head of State Key Laboratory of Ultra-precision Machining Technology, PolyU, said, “Surface finishing especially for freeform surfaces can be expensive, time consuming, labor intensive, and error prone. FJP has its limitation in efficiency, so it has only been used in small size surfaces. MJP can be applicable to various industrial fields, such as high-precision optical components and moulds, aerospace components, automotive systems, semi-conductor plants, as well as biomedical engineering industries. The beauty of MJP solution includes high efficiency and lower cost without compromising on the polishing quality. We believe the technology could bring substantial benefits to the advanced manufacturing industries.” In terms of cost-saving, it will usually cost several millions (HK$) to purchase a FJP machine. However, the design and production cost of a MJP machine innovated by PolyU will only be at about two-third of the cost for the commercialized FJP machine. Moreover, the MJP system can be adapted and integrated into the existing polishing machines or robotic arms, which will further cut down the set-up cost. The novel technology has recently won a Silver Medal as well as two Special Merit Awards at the 47th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, 2019. The research team plans to further enhance the technology by developing apparatus fit for plugging in 3-dimensional (3D) printers for enhancing the efficiency of post-process finishing of 3D-printed complex components. Note: Video on “Ultra-precision polishing technology”   *****END**** About The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) While boasting a proud history of 80 years, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is a vibrant and aspiring university with a forward-looking vision and mission. Committed to building a talent pipeline and research strength for advancing the development of Hong Kong, the Nation and the world, PolyU provides the best holistic education to nurture future-ready global citizens and socially responsible leaders; conducts high-impact interdisciplinary research and proactively transfers knowledge to create value and build impact. We embrace internationalisation and engage the Nation for education and research through strategic partnerships and collaborations. With “Opening Minds. Shaping the Future” as our brand promise, the University is currently offering more than 160 taught programmes via six faculties and two schools, engaging in 3,200 exciting research projects and partnering with over 660 institutions overseas and in mainland China on a wide variety of initiatives. We have over 400,000 alumni around the globe and 28,000 students. PolyU website: www.polyu.edu.hk

PolyU to hold "PolyU JUPAS Consultation Day 2019: Admissions Strategies"

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) will hold the "PolyU JUPAS Consultation Day 2019: Admissions Strategies" in the afternoon of 18 May 2019 (2-5pm, Saturday) on PolyU campus. In the Consultation Day, JUPAS applicants will obtain the latest update on PolyU’s programmes, which will be useful for them to re-evaluate the programme choices they made and amend their programmme choices by 22 May before the release of HKDSE results. Academic Secretariat of PolyU will arrange a seminar during the Consultation Day on “admissions strategies and interview skills” which covers the latest admissions arrangements, key considerations in programme selection and essential interview skills. Registration in advance for the seminar is advisable as the seats are limited and are offered on a first come, first served basis. Moreover, the academic units will organise consultation sessions, programme information seminars and other activities during the Consultation Day. JUPAS applicants will have ample opportunity to interact with professors and academic staff members from their preferred disciplines/programmes to better understand the entrance requirements, curricula and programme features, and campus life. “PolyU JUPAS Consultation Day” has been held for many years. Over 3,000 attendees, including JUPAS students, parents and teachers, were drawn to the event last year. To know more about the Consultation Day and to register for the seminar, please visit the event website: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/conday. JUPAS programme details are available at Study@PolyU website: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/study. Enquiries on the event should be directed to (tel) 2333-0600 or (email) asevents.enquiry@polyu.edu.hk.   *****END**** About The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) While boasting a proud history of 80 years, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is a vibrant and aspiring university with a forward-looking vision and mission. Committed to building a talent pipeline and research strength for advancing the development of Hong Kong, the Nation and the world, PolyU provides the best holistic education to nurture future-ready global citizens and socially responsible leaders; conducts high-impact interdisciplinary research and proactively transfers knowledge to create value and build impact. We embrace internationalisation and engage the Nation for education and research through strategic partnerships and collaborations. With “Opening Minds. Shaping the Future” as our brand promise, the University is currently offering more than 160 taught programmes via six faculties and two schools, engaging in 3,200 exciting research projects and partnering with over 660 institutions overseas and in mainland China on a wide variety of initiatives. We have over 400,000 alumni around the globe and 28,000 students. PolyU website: www.polyu.edu.hk

PolyU develops Palm-sized 3D Ultrasound Imaging System for Scoliosis Mass Screening and Frequent Monitoring

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) today shared that more youngsters can have their scoliosis conditions detected early and monitored frequently, thanks to the portable imaging system developed by PolyU’s experts in scoliosis research. The first-of-its-kind palm-sized 3D ultrasound imaging system for radiation-free scoliosis assessment, named "Scolioscan Air", can bring accurate, safe and cost-efficient mass screening to schools and anywhere in the community. The portable Scolioscan Air developed by the research team of PolyU’s Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) was recently awarded Grand Award, Gold Medal with the Congratulations of Jury, and Special Merit Award at the 47th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva held in April. Scoliosis is one of the most prevalent spinal diseases affecting adolescents. It is estimated that about 3% to 5% of adolescents in Hong Kong suffering from scoliosis, with increasing prevalence in recent years.1 A recent study in Guangzhou indicated that for girls aged 14 and 15, the prevalence is as high as 13.8%. About 15% of the adolescents with scoliosis would have condition deteriorating, and bracing or surgery would be required when curves progress to moderate or severe status. Early detection of scoliosis conditions and regular check-up during the rapid growing period of adolescent school-children is thus crucial. At present, X-ray imaging is the clinical gold standard for scoliosis assessment, but radiation exposure may pose increased risk for cancer. PolyU-developed scoliosis imaging technology Ir Professor ZHENG Yong-ping, Head of BME and Henry G. Leong Professor in Biomedical Engineering, who leads the research, said Scolioscan Air is a further advanced system based on the PolyU-developed 3D ultrasound imaging technology under the trademark “Scolioscan” (weighed about 150 kg). “Scolioscan” was successfully commercialised into a clinic-based facility in 2016. Being radiation-free and more cost-effective than prevailing X-ray imaging technologies, Scolioscan can facilitate mass screening and frequent follow-up monitoring. Clinical trials have proven the novel technology is very reliable, with accuracy of curve measurement comparable to X-ray assessment.2 3 Moreover, it can obtain image in any postures, provide vertebra rotation and muscle-related information, and form a 3D spinal model for the three-dimensional analysis of deformity of spine. All these cannot be achieved by X-ray imaging systems commonly used at present. Scolioscan can also be applied to conducting prognosis and monitoring treatment outcomes for each scoliosis patient so as to establish personalised treatment plan. Palm-sized Scolioscan Air facilitates screening anywhere, anytime The research team has recently applied the novel technology to a portable palm-sized Scolioscan Air they further developed, which weighed only 5 kg. “With this innovation, we can now literally bring the device and mass screening service to the youngsters anywhere, anytime. It would facilitate the implementation of school-based scoliosis screening to detect and treat spinal curvatures before they become severe enough to cause chronic pain or other health issues among adolescents,” said Professor Zheng. “Moreover, when providing non-surgical treatment for scoliosis patients, healthcare personnel can use Scolioscan Air to conduct real-time assessment, so as to optimise the treatment outcome.” Scolioscan Air consists of three hardware components: i) a palm-sized wireless ultrasound probe with an optical marker mounted at its bottom; ii) a depth camera; and iii) a laptop or tablet computer with dedicated software. The compact optical marker and depth camera replace the spatial sensor used in Scolioscan and thus help dramatically downsize the device. In addition, the technology for 3D ultrasound image reconstruction, visualisation and measurement, including a fully automatic curvature measurement method and 3D spinal deformity analysis software, developed by the team earlier can also be applied to Scolioscan Air. The newly developed optical 3D spatial tracking method for Scolioscan Air achieves a high degree of accuracy, which is comparable with Scolioscan. Moreover, the technological compatibility makes Scolioscan Air readily available for commercialisation for popular use. With dramatically reduced material cost, size and weight compared with other scanning systems, Scolioscan Air can be carried within a suitcase. Scolioscan has been registered as a medical device in different countries since 2016, including European Union and Australia. A total of 23 patents globally for the related technology have been awarded to, or filed by, PolyU and the collaborating company. The clinic-based systems have been installed in clinics in Hong Kong, Macau, the Mainland, Netherlands, Australia, Italy, etc; and have been used for scoliosis scanning for over 4,000 patients. Members of the PolyU research team of Scolioscan Air include Mr MENG Qiang, Mr Derek YANG De, Mr Joseph HUI Chi-ho, and Mr Henry WONG Yiu-hang. Note: Video on “Scolioscan Air”:- https://youtu.be/UQEWbaE3aOU   *****END**** [1]Fong , et al. A population-based cohort study of 94401 children followed for 10 years exhibits sustained effectiveness of scoliosis screening. Spine Journal. 2015;15:825–33 [2]Zheng et al. A reliability and validity study for Scolioscan: a radiation-free scoliosis assessment system using 3D ultrasound image. Scoliosis and Spinal Disorders (2016) 11:13 [3]Brink et al. A reliability and validity study for different coronal angles using ultrasound imaging in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The Spinal Journal 18(6), 2017.

PolyU and CTM join hands to develop Macau into a smart city for tourists

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Companhia de Telecomunicações de Macau (CTM) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conduct a spatial big data analytics study on the needs and preferences of tourists in Macau with an aim to improving Macau's tourism service and enhancing tourists' experience through innovative services. The MoU was signed by Ms Eunice Cheang, Vice President, Strategic Programs ofCTM and Professor John Shi, Head of PolyU's Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) ina ceremony held on PolyU campus.  "PolyU is devoted to cutting-edge smart city technologies, including spatial big data analytics, smart navigation and positioning, and smart sensing. The University's Laboratory for Smart City and Spatial Big Data Analytics (the Laboratory) aims to develop and transfer these technologies to industry. This collaboration, between an academic institute and industry from Hong Kong and Macau, will not only facilitate the development of smart city in Macau, especially in tourism, but also serves as a testbed for the development of smart cities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA)," Professor John Shi said. The goal for the initial collaborative research program between the two entities is to develop a suite of analytical methods for visually exploring and quantitatively analysing tourist activities and behavioural patterns. This will include Wi-Fi facility optimisation, the development of data-mining algorithm and tools, and the mobile and Wi-Fi users behaviour-based study for the purpose of Macau's urban planning and tourism management enhancement. Backed by the research expertise and facilities of the Laboratory, PolyU will develop machine learning models to analyse data collected through user surveys in predicting user satisfaction in telecommunication facility optimisation and service enhancement. In the meantime, spatio-temporal data mining of tourist activity patterns will be conducted to help identify different types of tourists (such as solo or group travellers; on business or leisure trips) and understand their different needs and preferences. With that, new solutions will be developed to guide them explore Macau and enhance their travel experience. Ms Eunice Cheang said that, at the current era of Internet of Things with the availability of massive data, data analysis is becoming more and more complicated and pressing. With the support of PolyU's advanced models, algorithm and platforms for big data analysis, CTM hopes to identify the trend of smart services that its clients need so as to further promote the smart city development of "Digital Macau". Macau is a popular tourist destination in the region, it attractedmore than 35.8 million visitors in 2018. The available big data in Macau enables PolyU researchers to develop and deliver data-driven smart city solutions for Macau as well as customised solutions for tourists in the city. CTM can better understand the point of interest of different types of tourists according to their origin, traveling frequency, mostly visited places, and stay periods so that they can plan relevant content for different tourist groups. The research will also be helpful in the prediction of tourism trends and its correlation with economy and public policies and the development of intelligent applications capable to providing personalised information for tourists.   *****END****