Population ageing is taking place across the world at a faster pace than ever before. Worldwide, one in six people will be 60 years or over by 2030, and the proportion of people aged 60 or above in the global population will rise from 12% in 2015 to 22% by 2050—an almost twofold increase. Hong Kong in particular faces ageing-related challenges. The city ranks first globally in terms of life expectancy, at 82 years for males and 88 years for females. According to the 2021 Population Census, the proportion of elderly persons aged 65 or over in Hong Kong has risen to 20%.
In the emerging field of smart ageing, innovative solutions help older adults live independently with joy, dignity and well-being. In 2021, PolyU established the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA), with a view to shaping the smart future for elderly people in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area (GBA), and beyond.
“Smart ageing can simply mean ‘better ageing’, in that we perform activities like eating, communicating, managing time, sleeping, and exercising in a smarter way. Understanding how to become smarter is also a dimension of smart ageing.”
Prof. Zheng Yongping
Embracing ageing with smarter solutions
Smart ageing brings solutions that can profoundly affect older adults and the community around them. While the term “smart” may seem to entail the use of artificial intelligence for products, services and systems for older adults, this concept of “smart ageing” from a technology perspective is rather narrow. “‘Smart’ can be much broader than technology use,” explained Prof. Zheng Yongping, Director of RISA. “Smart ageing can simply mean ‘better ageing’, in that we perform activities like eating, communicating, managing time, sleeping and exercising in a smarter way. Understanding how to become smarter is also a dimension of smart ageing.”
Traditional attitudes towards ageing often include a negative connotation; “getting older” is associated with loss and deterioration, and “anti-ageing” is thought of as “fighting against the disease of becoming old”. Smart ageing, by contrast, views the process of ageing in a positive light. Ageing is gain, development and human growth. This modern understanding has important implications for members of society on the individual level and the collective level: humans can become smarter as we age, and at the same time, we need smarter solutions as the entire society ages.
Adding a new focus to PolyU ageing research
“RISA is unique in that it covers all relevant areas. RISA is inclusive, interdisciplinary and comprehensive.”
The field of “smart ageing” is inherently an interdisciplinary subject, as it incorporates various dimensions of changes during the ageing process and concerns the relationship between an individual and his/ her surroundings. “We can understand ‘ageing’ as a process which involves different factors that affect or interact with the person, including physical changes (biological functions), intellectual changes (cognitive functions), emotional changes (mental health), environmental changes (environmental obstacles) and sociocultural changes (social and community participation),” said Prof. Zheng. Without smart solutions to counter the unavoidable and natural loss in functions associated with ageing, population ageing can pose structural challenges to the healthcare capacity, social welfare, economy and well-being of society.
PolyU fosters renowned multidisciplinary teams with strong expertise and a research track record in ageing-related topics. The launching of RISA marks the University’s new interdisciplinary approach to ageing research. “PolyU has several well-established bases for ageing-related research and development, like the Institute of Active Ageing (IAA), the Jockey Club Smart Ageing Hub (JCSAH) and the Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation (JCDISI),” said Prof. Zheng. “IAA’s main focus is active ageing. Being ‘active’, such as doing more exercises and communicating more, is one kind of ‘smart’. JCSAH focuses on using smart technology to serve the needs of elderly people and their caregivers. JCDISI’s recent interest is in double ageing, that is, building ageing and population ageing in Hong Kong. RISA, by contrast, is unique in that it covers all relevant areas. RISA is inclusive, interdisciplinary and comprehensive.”
Established in May 2021, RISA is a leading research institute that advances and transfers knowledge on smart ageing, for the benefit of Hong Kong, the nation and the world. “Our mission is to facilitate the establishment and enhancement of interdisciplinary research and development in the area of smart ageing among PolyU members, and to develop RISA into a hub for a cross-sector and cross-boundary smart ageing action network and an alliance for local and international collaborative research partners. We also seek to nurture young talents and researchers as innovative problem solvers and socially responsible global citizens through research in ageing development,” Prof. Zheng explained.
Thematic and cutting-edge research priorities in ageing
“RISA is structured with five key research themes which centre on the development and exploration of innovative approaches and solutions for different aspects of ageing: smart health, smart intelligence, smart environment, smart society and gerontechnology.”
Currently, RISA comprises over 45 members across 15 academic departments and units at PolyU. “Our members form a multidisciplinary team,” said Prof. Zheng, “with expertise on ageing-related issues ranging from medical conditions (e.g., stroke, dementia, osteoporosis, mobility) to daily activities (e.g., sleep and nutrition), community (e.g., caring, family, society), and living space and technology (e.g., environment and gerontechnology).”
“RISA is structured with five key research themes which centre on the development and exploration of innovative approaches and solutions for different aspects of ageing,” Prof. Zheng continued. “Smart health concerns smart screening, diagnosis, treatment techniques, equipment and interventions for the effective management of the ageing population and mental health. Smart intelligence investigates smart strategies for the maintenance of effective communication and self-management. Smart environment concerns the prevention of progressive chronic illnesses. Smart society studies social engagement and community services. Gerontechnology explores technology offerings for older people and their caregivers.” To engage in this variety of smart ageing research, the Institute makes use of PolyU’s resources, technologies and range of laboratories, including Biomedical Ultrasound & Bioinstrumentation Laboratory, Neurorehabilitation & Neural Engineering Laboratory, Brain Research Laboratory, Gerontechnology Laboratory, and Robotics and Machine Intelligence Laboratory.
Rigorous and diverse research for smart ageing
“Members of RISA have been actively preparing for large external projects that will tackle some of the grand challenges in the field. We conduct extensive externally funded research as a timely response to the needs of older adults and the community.”
In the first year of operation, RISA has built a solid research foundation. “During the 2021/22 cycle, we have internally supported 15 seed projects, published a large number of affiliated journal papers and organised a series of research salons encouraging exchange among local and overseas experts,” Prof. Zheng shared. “We are now in the process of establishing RISA’s Ageing Data Registry System (ADRES), a repository for longitudinal data collected from older adults.” Members of RISA have been actively preparing for large external projects that will tackle some of the grand challenges in the field. RISA members conduct extensive externally funded research as a timely response to the needs of older adults and the community. For example, during the pandemic, Prof. Angela Yeung, Professor and Associate Head (Research) of the School of Nursing, has been working on a commissioned study which aims to promote digital COVID-19-related health literacy via co-creation and evaluation of interventions for ethnic minorities and Chinese people with chronic illnesses in Hong Kong. Prof. Cai Jing, Professor in the Department of Health Technology and Informatics, is working on key technology development and multicentre validation of intelligent radiotherapy for cervical cancer. Mr K. K. Ling, Director of the JCDISI, is leading an initiative to create an intergenerational playground in Hong Kong. Dr Bai Xue, Director of the IAA, is collaborating with community stakeholders to design and implement digital training and immersive extracurricular learning activities for older adults with a view to building intergenerational digital literacy in Hong Kong,” Prof. Zheng explained.
The solutions developed by RISA come in different forms, including technologies, training sessions, services and products; and some have been widely used by the local community. “The Flexible Rehab Robot for Stroke Survivor developed by Theocon, a start-up company established by the team of Dr Hu Xiaoling, Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, is a novel robotic arm that facilitates stroke patients’ self-help upper limb rehabilitation without relying on the help from others. With support from the Incu-Bio Programme of the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation, the team has turned their research and development into life-changing solutions,” Prof. Zheng explained. “The Smart Doll, developed by our members in RISA and JCSAH, is a companion robot for older adults. This gerontechnology solution was very well received by the social service sector during our recent trial. More than 70 non-profit organisations expressed their interest in using the smart dolls in their elderly care service units.”
Scolioscan for radiation-free scoliosis assessment
In recent years, Prof. Zheng and his team have attained remarkable success in their contribution to scoliosis assessment. A progressive condition of lateral curvature of the human spine, scoliosis is common among older adults and adolescents. Prof. Zheng’s invention of Scolioscan, a 3D ultrasound imaging system, has made scoliosis assessment safe and radiation-free. “X-ray diagnosis of scoliosis increases the risk of cancer among scoliosis patients by 480%, twenty-five years after treatment. Our research team has developed a novel 3D optical tracking method to capture the movements of a wireless ultrasound probe and thus obtain real-time ultrasound images of musculoskeletal tissues. We have also developed a programme for volume reconstruction, visualisation, segmentation and measurement. Scolioscan enables accurate mass screening for scoliosis in places such as schools, and frequent monitoring of scoliosis progression to reduce the number of severe cases as well as the X-ray dosage,” explained Prof. Zheng. In addition to assessing scoliosis for children, Scolioscan can also be used for the assessment of spinal deformity among elderly people.
The team’s continuous work on an ultra-portal version of the system has led to Scolioscan Air. This palm-sized scanning probe, in Prof. Zheng’s words, “brings service to patients anytime, anywhere, instead of asking them to come to a clinic or hospital.” Scolioscan is now installed in healthcare centres in Hong Kong, Macau, China, the Netherlands, Italy and Australia. The invention has received a number of prestigious awards, including the Gold Medal with the Congratulations of Jury in the 47th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, Switzerland, as well as the Special Merit Award from the Romanian Association for Alternative Technologies Sibiu, Romania. Prof. Zheng was also recognised with an individual award under the PolyU President’s Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Knowledge Transfer.
Looking back while moving forward
“I am happy to see that some of our developments have been commercialised by start-up companies, and the products can be used to help people in need, while also providing job opportunities for university graduates.”
In October 2022, Prof. Zheng was among the top 2% of the most-cited scientists globally, according to a report published by Standard University. Since he joined PolyU in the late 1990s, his tireless efforts have led to more than 50 patents, 290 papers in peer-reviewed journals, 7 book chapters, 2 books titled Measurement of Soft Tissue Elasticity In Vivo: Techniques and Applications and Sonomyography: Dynamic and Functional Assessment of Muscle Using Ultrasound Imaging, and numerous successfully commercialised technologies. Looking back on his accomplishments, including research outputs, awards and important roles in professional associations, Prof. Zheng finds deeper meaning in the social value of his developments than in the honours and recognitions. “Research outputs and awards are just the intermediate process,” he emphasised. “I am happy to see that some of our developments have been commercialised by start-up companies, and the products can be used to help people in need while also providing job opportunities for university graduates.”
“I received an email from a mother who was very concerned about the use of X-rays on her 2-year-old daughter, who was affected by scoliosis,” said Prof. Zheng as he recounted special moments in his research journey. “The girl then began to have frequent check-ups by Scolioscan, which we installed in Beijing. I realised that our innovation can really help people in need.”
As a leading researcher in biomedical engineering, Prof. Zheng sees the growing popularity of artificial intelligence in the healthcare and medical fields and anticipates the emergence of new technologies. “The field of biomedical ultrasound, which is my main research area, will have more and more application-specific and easy-to-use devices, including those for assessing the health of elderly people, such as ultrasound for stroke risk assessment and for early dementia diagnosis.”
The foundation of RISA has been successfully built during the Institute’s first year, and further significant outcomes and impacts are expected from the second year onwards. “RISA members will prepare more large grant proposals, continue to host knowledge exchange events in the form of symposia, seminars and research salons, develop the ADRES based on the first batch of data collected, and explore the establishment of gerontech start-ups,” Prof. Zheng shared. The sheer amount of work necessitates teamwork among diverse experts who share a common goal, promoting interdisciplinary collaborations in ageing areas among RISA members and beyond. “I wish to encourage colleagues to collaborate with experts from different fields to reach goals that cannot be attained by a single person working in isolation; as well as to nurture young talents. By doing so, we can achieve something that is really useful for people in need,” Prof. Zheng continued. When he was asked about activities that he hoped to pursue beyond research in the coming years, Prof. Zheng’s response reflected his exemplary attitude as a “smart citizen”: “I read a lot, including technical and non-technical articles. I hope to do more exercises for my own smart ageing.”
