News

Dr Kevin KWOK shares views with SCMP on the development of Hong Kong agriculture and fisheries industries

Dr Kevin KWOK Wing-hin, Associate Director of the Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood), Associate Head and Associate Professor of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, was featured in South China Morning Post, sharing his views on the development of agriculture and fisheries industries in Hong Kong. Dr Kwok shared that RiFood researchers have been thinking of new ways to innovate and coming up with solutions for food sustainability and nutrition. RiFood is working with a hydroponics farm to experiment with adding calcium into vegetables to solve the issue of calcium deficiency among Hong Kong people. He believed that health-conscious consumers do not mind paying more for better nutritional value of food. On the other hand, Dr Kwok said that more young people are starting to see agriculture as a viable career option, and they are more open to apply high-tech farming methods to raise productivity and reduce manpower.  Online coverage: SCMP - https://tinyurl.com/5edy4cp5

Prof. Alex MIHAILIDIS of UToronto delivers a lecture on integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) into elder care services

Prof. Alex MIHAILIDIS, Associate Vice President of International Partnerships at the University of Toronto delivered the 19th PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “The Future of Elder Care: Integrating Large Language Models” on 26 April 2024. The lecture attracted about 100 participants to join in person and captivated an online viewing audience of over 14,100 from different countries and regions to watch the live broadcast on multiple social media platforms, including Bilibili, WeChat, Weibo, YouTube, etc. The lecture commenced with a welcome speech and speaker introduction by Prof. ZHENG Yongping, Director of the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA), followed by an engaging presentation by Prof. Mihailidis. The content materials used in Prof. Mihailidis’s presentation were generated by ChatGPT, while he added the narrative. In his presentation, Prof. Mihailidis first played several videos created by artificial intelligence (AI) to introduce what LLM is, how it can support elderly care services, some drawbacks of using LLM, and its future development. He supplemented that LLMs are advanced AI systems capable of understanding and generating human-like texts, as well as visual outputs and models that can respond to or interact with users. Next, Prof. Mihailidis outlined the specific benefits of using LLMs in elderly care, including the support tools and resources they offer to caregivers. He then delved into the ethical considerations and challenges in LLM design, such as privacy concerns, the risk of over-dependence on technology, and the barriers to technology adoption by older adults and their caregivers. To conclude, Prof. Mihailidis emphasised the role of empathetic and emotionally-intuitive AI in enhancing the quality of life for the elderly and supporting the caregiving ecosystem. Following the presentation was a lively and insightful question-and-answer session moderated by Ir Prof. Zheng. The audience had a fruitful discussion with Prof. Mihailidis. A souvenir was presented by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR, to thank Prof. Mihailidis for his excellent presentation and support to PAIR. Please click here for an online review.  

Dr Dalinda Isabel SANCHEZ VIDAÑA featured in SCMP to share on mindful eating

Dr Dalinda Isabel SANCHEZ VIDAÑA, Member of the Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC) and Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (RS), was recently interviewed by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) to share about mindful eating. “Mindful eating must be regularly practised to see changes. It’s like brushing your teeth: we don’t like to do it when we’re young, but we see the benefits later,” said Dr Sanchez Vidaña. She is delivering the Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training (MB-EAT) programme for university students who have experienced emotional eating. The programme aims to promote participants’ awareness of their own bodily experiences and the emotional triggers of overeating. Online coverage: SCMP - https://polyu.me/4b60b4M (subscription required)

“Father of Asian EV” to deliver distinguished lecture on energy revolution and automotive revolution

PAIR cordially invites you to join our Distinguished Lecture on 6 May 2024 (Monday) at 2:00pm–3:30pm (Hong Kong time) on PolyU campus. The lecture titled “New Journey of Energy Revolution and Automotive Revolution” will be delivered by Ir Prof. CHAN Ching-chuen, SBS, Distinguished Chair Professor of Electric Vehicles and Smart Energy and Director of the Research Centre for Electric Vehicles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University The keynote speech begins with cultivating science spirit and understanding engineering philosophy, the contribution of science discovery, technology revolution and industry revolution to human civilisation. Then discuss the key issues and challenges of energy revolution and automotive revolution. The automotive revolution is progressing from electrification to intelligent and internet connected. Electric vehicles will interlink mobility, energy and information. The friendly interaction between the vehicles and power grids, as well as the integration of people, vehicles, road and cloud are essential. The key technologies of electric vehicle power train, batteries and internet of vehicles will be discussed. The integration of energy, information, transportation and humanity will be highlighted. Our ultimate goal is the harmonious coexistence between human and nature. Prof. Chan’s major research field includes the philosophy and key technologies of electric vehicles and intelligent energy systems. He published 17 books, over 450 technical papers and holds 10 patents. He is the Distinguished Chair Professor and Director of Research Centre for Electric Vehicles at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Founder of International Academicians Science and Technology Innovation Centre, Visiting Professor of MIT and University of Cambridge as well as Founding President of the World Electric Vehicle Association, and serves as a Senior Consultant to governments, Strategic Adviser and Independent Director of public companies and industries. Prof. Chan is an Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering, U.K., Honorary Fellow of Hungarian Academy of Engineering, Life Fellow of IEEE, Fellow of IET, and Honorary Fellow of HKIE. He holds BSc, MSc, PhD, HonDSc, HonDTech degrees. Prof. Chan won a lot of prestigious awards, including the Royal Academy of Engineering Prince Philip Medal, Chinese Academy of Engineering Guang-Hua Prize, World Federation of Engineering (WFEO) Medal of Engineering Excellence, Silver Bauhinia Star Medal of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, 2022 Touching China Character, Gold Medal of Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, IEEE Transportation Technologies Award and “Father of Asian Electric Vehicles” by Magazine Global View.  Don’t miss the chance to learn from distinguished scholar! Find out more and register at: https://polyu.hk/FGDOh

PAIR researchers shine at International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) won a record-breaking number of accolades at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva (Geneva Inventions Expo). Forty-three PolyU innovations seized a total of 45 accolades, including two Special Prizes, five Gold Medals with Congratulations of the Jury, 18 Gold Medals, 13 Silver Medals and seven Bronze Medals. This achievement underscores the commitment of the PolyU community to embracing research breakthroughs. Among the award-winning projects, 18 of them are led by PAIR researchers. Projects led by PAIR researchers: *In order of prize level and alphabetical order of project names Project Principal Investigator(s) Prize of the Saudi Arabian Delegation;Gold Medal GOOD Vision/Wellsees: Novel Portable Corneal Topographer Prof. KEE Chea-su Head and Professor, School of Optometry and Associate Director of Research Centre for SHARP Vision (RCSV) Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury ProRuka — Novel Prosthetic Hand Controlled by Wireless Sonomyography Prof. ZHENG Yongping Henry G. Leong Professor in Biomedical Engineering, Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Director of Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) Gold Medal 3D Printed Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) Bone Scaffolds Dr ZHAO Xin Associate Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology and Member of Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation (RCMI), Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR) and Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) A Fireproof Solar PV Vacuum-Glazing Wall Panel (FSVG) as Building Insulation Layer Prof. YANG Hongxing Professor, Departmentof Building Environment and Energy Engineering, Management Committee Member of Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and Member of Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE) Flexible Perovskite Solar Modules Based on Surface Reconstruction Technology Prof. YAN Feng Chair Professor of Organic Electronics, Department of Applied Physics, Associate Director of Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR) and Member of Photonics Research Institute (PRI), Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports) FRP-ECC-HSC Composite Column Prof. Ben YOUNG Vice President (Student and Global Affairs), Chair Professor of Steel Structures, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Member of Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) iActive: Intelligent Active-Perspiration Activewear Dr SHOU Dahua Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Advanced Textiles Technologies, Assistant Professor, School of Fashion and Textiles and Member of Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports), Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) and Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) MicroFish: A Lab-on-a-chip for On-site Detection of Microbial Contamination and Pollutants Dr CHUA Song-lin Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology and Member of Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) Mobile Ankle-foot Exoneuromusculoskeleton Dr HU Xiaoling Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Member of Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) and Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports) Multi-Functional High-Power-Density Integrated Onboard Charger for Electric Vehicles Dr LOO Ka-hong Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Assistant Dean (External Engagement), Faculty of Engineering and Member of Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE) Dr LIU Junwei Research Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Member of Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE) Patellar Auto-mobilising Device (PAD) Prof. FU Siu-ngor Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Associate Director of Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports) and Member of Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR) Virtual MRI Contrast Enhancement System for Precise Tumour Detection and Treatment Prof. CAI Jing Associate Dean, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Professor, Department of Health Technology and Informatics and Management Committee Member of Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR) and Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) Silver Medal Invention and Application of Vitamin D Supplement Preparations Prof. WONG Man-sau Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Director of Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation (RCMI), Management Committee Member of Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) and Member of Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) and Research Centre for SHARP Vision (RCSV) Novel Nano-imprinting Technology for Anti-counterfeiting Micro-images and Information Storage Prof. Sandy Suet TO Professor, State Key Laboratory of Ultra-precision Machining Technology, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Member of Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) Dr Lenny Wai-sze YIP Research Assistant Professor, State Key Laboratory of Ultra-precision Machining Technology, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Member of Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) Precision Gene Editing for Enhanced Stem Cell-Retinal Neuron Generation Dr HUANG Chien-ling Associate Professor, Department of Health Technology and Informatics and Management Committee Member of Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) Prof. YIP Shea-ping Head and Chair Professor of Diagnostic Science and Molecular Genetics, Department of Health Technology and Informatics and Associate Director of Research Centre for SHARP Vision (RCSV) Smart Firefighting Robot Dr HUANG Xinyan Associate Professor, Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering and Member of Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) and Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE) Smart Headset featuring Adaptive Noise Filters for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder Dr CHOY Yat Sze Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Member of Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) Bronze Medal Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) Hat to Limit Dementia Progression Dr SETO Sai-wang Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition and Associate Director of Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation (RCMI) Prof. Samuel LO Honorary Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology and Member of Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) and Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation (RCMI)   Further reading: https://polyu.hk/tNLZz   Online coverage: CGTN - https://polyu.me/3Qe7WOa Hong Kong Economic Journal - https://polyu.me/3Jtr3js Headline Daily - https://polyu.me/4aEY9ZN Ta Kung Pao - https://polyu.me/3U6ZzVQ; https://polyu.me/3JuprWQ Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/449S05h; https://polyu.me/4d34SOD HK01 - https://polyu.me/4aGYU4r Dot Dot News - https://polyu.me/3U4G4gx Hong Kong China News Agency - https://polyu.me/3xDC9j6 China News Service - https://polyu.me/4b4jv2s; https://polyu.me/3JuRKEA People’s Daily Overseas Edition - https://polyu.me/4d6Wgqc ifeng.com - https://polyu.me/3JskkX6 BJ News - https://polyu.me/3UqR60N Macau Times - https://polyu.me/3UrUetp Jornal Va Kio - https://polyu.me/3W6sImw World Journal - https://polyu.me/3UbrSSO United Daily News - https://polyu.me/3U6ioZi Jimu News - https://polyu.me/4d9ldkL East Money - https://polyu.me/3xDd2wP Huaxia - https://polyu.me/49LsZhS

Prof. CUI Zhanfeng of Oxford delivers lecture on biomedical engineering

Prof. CUI Zhanfeng, Donald Pollock Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Oxford and Founding Director of Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research, delivered the 18th PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Crosswalk between Engineering, Biology and Medicine” on 23 April 2024. The lecture attracted about 100 participants to join in person and captivated an online viewing audience of over 11,200 from different countries and regions to watch the live broadcast on multiple social media platforms, including YouTube, Weibo, Bilibili, etc. The lecture commenced with a welcome speech and speaker introduction by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR, followed by a presentation by Prof. Cui. He first shared his scientific journey by reminiscing about the old days when he moved abroad to develop an academic career after graduating in China and gradually became a highly successful scientist. Next, he explained the importance of interdisciplinary research and shared how the combination of medical science and engineering enables the development of health technologies such as imaging, keyhole surgery, in vitro diagnostics, in vitro fertilisation, etc. Prof. Cui emphasised that scientists are to “discover” and find out “how a thing happens” whereas engineers are to “create” and “make things happen”. He then gave some advice on how to do well in interdisciplinary research and shared some innovations in microbioreactor and point-of-care testing developed by him and his team which has achieved great success in research commercialisation and made significant contributions to drug discovery and public health. To conclude, Prof. Cui shared that scientific success is based on many factors, including team, facilities, timing, luck, etc., and encouraged the next generation of engineers and scientists to consider a career in biomedical engineering, an exciting and rewarding domain. Following the lecture, a lively and insightful question-and-answer session was moderated by Ir Prof. ZHANG Ming, Director of the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports), Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Chair Professor of Biomechanics. The audience had fruitful discussions with Prof. Cui. Please click here for an online review.  

RILS Director shares views on issue of land subsidence

Prof. DING Xiaoli, Director of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) and Chair Professor of Geomatics in the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, was interviewed by the journal Nature and BBC World Service’s programme “Newshour”, to share his views on issue of land subsidence. Prof. DING pointed out that subsidence is a problem in many parts of the world. He said that, in cities such as Macao and Hong Kong where no groundwater is used, subsidence mainly comes from consolidation — downward movement as a result of soil being compressed — after land reclamation. A paper recently published in Science suggested that some 16% of the mapped area of China’s major cities is sinking rapidly, and one in ten residents of China’s coastal cities could be living below sea level within a century. Prof. Ding said that the study provides an interesting snapshot of the situation in China, and crucially links the issue to the populations affected. Online coverage: Nature - https://polyu.me/4b2VFE5 BBC World Service - https://polyu.me/3xKqaQY (45:05 - 49:05) (registration required) Jandan - https://polyu.me/3U8hueF

Prof. ZHANG Ming introduces RISports at international conference on competitive sports biomechanics

Prof. ZHANG Ming, Director of the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports) and Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, attended the 2024 International Competitive Sports Biomechanics Forum cum the 23rd National Sports Biomechanics Academic Exchange Conference held 20–21 April 2024 in Beijing. At the Forum, Prof. Zhang gave a presentation to introduce how RISports can make sports more interesting, more rewarding and safer through scientific and technological research. In addition, experts and scholars joining the Forum shared their latest research on sports biomechanics and studies on sports biomechanics for improving adolescent health. Online coverage: Sina -https://shorturl.at/r5WUB

Rehab and biomed engineering expert to deliver distinguished lecture on forefront elder care technologies

PAIR cordially invites you to join our Distinguished Lecture on 26 April 2024 (Friday) at 10:30am–12:00nn (Hong Kong time) on the PolyU campus. The lecture titled “The future of elder care: Integrating large language models” will be delivered by Prof. Alex MIHAILIDIS, Associate Vice President for International Partnerships and Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupation at the University of Toronto, Canada. Prof. Mihailidis is currently the Chairman of the International Advisory Committee of the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. As the global population ages, the burden on elderly care infrastructure increases, exacerbated by workforce shortages and financial constraints. In this lecture, Prof. Mihailidis will explore the potential of integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) into elder care services, addressing the growing demand and associated challenges in this sector. LLMs, exemplified by advanced AI systems like ChatGPT, offer innovative solutions to these issues through their ability to understand and generate human-like text, enabling enhanced social interactions, improved safety through real-time monitoring, and increased accessibility of information for the elderly. Prof. Mihailidis holds the position of Associate Vice President for International Partnerships at the University of Toronto, in addition to being the Scientific Director of the AGE-WELL Network of Centres of Excellence. His work primarily involves developing new technologies and services for the elderly. He also serves as a Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Biomedical Engineering, and holds a cross appointment in the Department of Computer Science at the University. With a research career spanning 17 years, Prof. Mihailidis has made significant contributions to the field of technology for older adults, with over 200 publications including journal papers, conference papers, and abstracts. He is also an active member of the rehabilitation engineering profession, having served as the Past-President for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA). In 2014, he was honoured as a Fellow of RESNA, one of the highest recognitions in this field of research and practice. In 2021, he was named a Fellow in the Canadian Academy of Health Science (CAHS) for his contributions to the health and well-being of older Canadians. Don’t miss the chance to learn from distinguished scholar! Find out more and register at: https://polyu.hk/tzHzn

PolyU studies impacts of urban industrial land expansion on economic growth and carbon dioxide emission

A research by Prof. WENG Qihao, Associate Director of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS), Member of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI) and Chair Professor of Geomatics and Artificial Intelligence, and his research team, titled “Unequal impacts of urban industrial land expansion on economic growth and carbon dioxide emissions” was recently published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. The team used satellite data and machine learning to map industrial land at 30 m resolution in ten countries with substantial industrial value-added, and analysed the impact of industrial land expansion on economic growth and emissions in 216 subnational regions from 2000 to 2019. They found that industrial land expansion was the leading factor for economic growth and emissions in developing regions, contributing 31% and 55%, respectively. Conversely, developed regions showed a diminished impact (8% and 3%, respectively), with a shift towards other economic growth drivers like education. The findings encourage developing regions to consider the adverse effects of climate change during industrial land expansion and that developed regions prioritise human capital investment over further land expansion. Read the full article: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01375-x