News

Prof. Yang CHAI was elected as 2025 IEEE Fellows

On December 7, 2024, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) announced the list of 2025 IEEE Fellows, with over 120 renowned Chinese scholars selected. Prof. Yang CHAI, the Management Committee member of RI-IWEAR, Associate Dean of Faculty of Science, was selected for his contributions to bioinspired in-sensor computing. IEEE is an international society of electronic technology and information science engineers, founded in 1963. Currently, it has over 460,000 members in more than 190 countries worldwide, with the number of overseas members surpassing that of the United States. IEEE Fellow is a distinction reserved for select IEEE members whose extraordinary accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest are deemed fitting of this prestigious grade elevation. It is recognized as an authoritative honor and important professional achievement in the academic and technological community. Elected members must make significant contributions to the advancement or application of engineering science and technology and bring significant value to society. According to the regulations of society, the number of elected members shall not exceed 0.1% of the total number of IEEE members in that year, and approximately 300 people have been elected each year in the past decade. 2025 IEEE Fellows List: https://www.ieee.org/content/dam/ieee-org/ieee/web/org/about/fellows/fellow-committee/2025-fellows-class-announcement.pdf

RI-IWEAR showcased the innovative achievements at the PolyU Gala Dinner 2024

On December 2, 2024, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) held the PolyU Gala Dinner 2024 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. RI-IWEAR participated in the Interactive Research Showcase and exhibited three important research achievements: Cost-Effective Organic Electrochemical Transistor Biosensor for Non-Invasive Salivary Health Monitoring, an intelligent companion robot (Emo Friend), and a patented knee brace that combines replaceable disposable patches and durable electronic unit (Transparent Knee). The dinner was themed “Unite for Strength, Innovate for Impact”. More than 800 prominent guests attended the PolyU Gala Dinner, including business and community leaders, renowned performers, Council and Court members, alumni, staff, students, and supporters of PolyU. RI-IWEAR team combines various forms such as physical display, guided explanations, and animation demonstration, providing valuable opportunities for visitors to explore cooperation opportunities.  

RI-IWEAR “2024 MRS Fall Conference & Exhibit” video shooting day

On November 13, 2024, the RI-IWEAR team collaborated with the WebsEdge filming team to complete a video shoot at PolyU, which will premiere at the 2024 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit. The RI-IWEAR team exhibited six projects, covering research achievements in three fields. They are “IWEAR System Applications”, “System Integration and Evaluation”, and “Fiber-based and Flexible Devices”.   Prof. Feng YAN, RI-IWEAR Associate Director, Chair Professor of Organic Electronics, introduced “The Biosensors for Health Monitoring”. These biosensors come in various types, such as glucose sensors, uric acid sensors, dopamine sensors, and strain sensors. They can also be used to monitor electrical signals such as ECG, EMG, and EEG on the human body. Prof. YAN proposed that these devices are flexible, lightweight, highly sensitive, and cost-effective, making them suitable for mass production and commercialization.   Subsequently, RI-IWEAR postdoctoral fellow Dr Ying XIONG introduced the “Wearable System with Alternating Cooling and Heating for Sport Recovery”. The system can switch within a temperature range of 5 ℃ -40 ℃ within 10 seconds, with uniform temperature distribution in a large area, and intermittent compression. It is smart, portable and personalized system for fast recovery from exercise, pain relief and increased muscle flexibility.   Dr Su LIU, RI-IWEAR postdoctoral fellow, introduced and demonstrated the “Textile Electronic Interactive System”. This system achieves seamless integration of visual, auditory, tactile perception into fabric structures. It can be used in interactive entertainment, smart homes, healthcare, and other applications.   RI-IWEAR research fellow Dr Ziheng ZHANG introduced “Safe and Eco-friendly Antimicrobial Materials with High Efficiency”. This material is based on polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which are completely biodegradable, non-toxic, and can kill over 99.99% of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, drug-resistant bacteria, novel coronavirus, as well as H1N1 and H3N2 viruses. It can be used as a finishing agent for medical and health products, clothing, and home textiles. Compared with currently commercialized antibacterial agents, this new material has significant advantages in terms of biosafety, biodegradability, stability, low carbon emissions, and cost-effectiveness, which can bring people a greener, healthier, and safer life.   In the afternoon, Prof. Jing CAI, RI-IWEAR Management Committee Member, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences and Professor in the Department of Health Technology and Informatics, shared his “AI-empowered Cancer Radiotherapy” project and conducted a live programming demonstration. Prof. CAI said that his team plans to develop a RadiationDematitis (RD) severity automatic grading system for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) patients after radiotherapy. The system can score images captured by mobile phones in real-time under the drive of artificial intelligence, aiming to apply its unique technology to assist doctors and patients.   Finally, Dr Qiyao HUANG, RI-IWEAR Associate Director Prof. Zijian ZHENG’s research team member, Assistant Professor of School of Fashion and Textiles, introduced the “Wireless ECG Patch” device, which was also demonstrated by the team’s members. This electronic skin is built on a liquid metal fiber mat, which is highly soft, breathable, elastic, conductive, and most importantly, safe and harmless to human skin. By providing continuous monitoring and real-time data, this device enables individuals to actively manage their cardiovascular health more effectively. It can also seamlessly connect with the hospital’s remote monitoring system, allowing healthcare professionals to remotely diagnose and monitor patients' heart health in real-time, and provide timely medical consultation.

China Institute of Sport Science delegation visited Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems

On November 27, 2024, Mr Xiangchen LI, Director of Smart Sports Innovation Research Center of China Institute of Sport Science (CISS), Ms Yuqin HU from the Graduate Department of CISS, along with Prof. Lei SHI and Prof. Yannis PITSILADIS from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), led a delegation to visit Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR) and were warmly welcomed by RI-IWEAR members.   During the visit, the delegation learned about the latest developments in intelligent wearable systems. They also listened to the introduction of RI-IWEAR’s intelligent textile technologies and innovative products, such as Textile Electronic Interactive System, Wearable System with Alternating Cooling and Heating for Sport Recovery, Customized Compression Stockings and Smart Bionic Morphing Leg Mannequin for Pressure Assessment, Intelligent Gait Detection System, Intelligent Wearable System for Enhancing mobility of people with Parkinson’s Disease (Easypacer), and Safe and Eco-friendly Antimicrobial Materials with High Efficiency.   Both sides had constructive exchanges, and the delegation expressed great interest in the RI-IWEAR’s research projects and saw the potential for cooperation with them. Overall, it successfully facilitated communication between RI-IWAER and CISS, deepened understanding of various achievements, and explored the feasibility of establishing more cooperation between the two sides.

Prof. Yang CHAI awarded the BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize 2024 in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

Prof. Yang CHAI, the Management Committee member of RI-IWEAR, Associate Dean of Faculty of Science, has been awarded the BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize (STIP) 2024 in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. The award aims to recognize Prof. CHAI’s outstanding contributions to AI sensor technology, particularly in the development of disruptive in-sensor computing paradigms for artificial vision sensors, which enable information processing directly within the sensors. Today’s AI heavily relies on digital hardware, which has inherent inefficiency in executing iterative AI algorithms, particularly when processing massive, unstructured sensory data. With the rapid growth of the number of sensor nodes in the Internet of Things, the amount of data generated by sensor terminals has surged, resulting in frequent data transmission between sensors and computing units, which severely limits system performance in terms of energy efficiency, speed, and security. To address the grand challenge of the computational inefficiency at sensory terminals, Prof. CHAI proposed a bioinspired in-sensor computing paradigm that revolutionizes AI computation at the sensor level. This innovation minimizes the need for frequent data transfers to external computing units, enhances computational efficiency, enriches sensor functionalities for Internet of Things applications, and changes the AI computing approach at the sensor level. At the same time, he concretized this in-sensor computing paradigm through hardware implementation for vision sensors, enabling increased efficiency and enhanced functionalities, including improved image recognition, visual adaptation in extremely dim/bright lighting, and agile perception of dynamic motion, etc. This bioinspired in-sensor computing paradigm is highlighted in the US Semiconductor Research Corporation’s Decadal Plan.    

RI-IWEAR showcased the innovative achievements at the PolyU Inno Tech Open Day × Alumni Homecoming 2024

On October 19, 2024, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) held the InnoTech Open Day × Alumni Homecoming 2024. Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems was invited to attend the Power of Innovation: PAIR Research Impact Exhibition at the Jockey Club Auditorium, showcasing two important research achievements: Wearable System with Alternating Cooling and Heating for Sport Recovery and Safe and Eco-friendly Antimicrobial Materials with High Efficiency. The exhibition amalgamates diverse formats including physical displays, guided explanations, and hands-on experiences, offering invaluable opportunities for staff, students, alumni, innovative entrepreneurs, industry partners, and researchers to explore collaborative prospects. Later that same day, Prof. TAO, the Director of RI-IWEAR, delivered a keynote address at the PolyU PAIR InnoTech Forum. She presented the latest advancements in research and the transformative applications in smart wearables and advanced textile technology, clinical applications in sports medicine and textile engineering, smart wearable robotics, biomimetic elastic fiber devices, and high-performance fiber sportswear, highlighting the innovations and technologies in medical-social collaboration, health and well-being, and artificial intelligence.    

Three RI-IWEAR members conferred Endowed Professorships and Endowed Young Scholars

PolyU held “The 5th Inauguration of Endowed Professorships cum The 2nd Inauguration of Endowed Young Scholars” at the Jockey Club Auditorium on campus on 12 September 2024. It was an occasion to honour distinguished scholars for their remarkable academic and research achievements, and to pay tribute to the University’s philanthropic partners for their support.   The event marked the inauguration of five new Endowed Professorships, four successive Endowed Professorships, five new Endowed Young Scholar positions and one successive Endowed Young Scholar position. Among the 15 appointees, three of them are RI-IWEAR members:     Appointee Endowed Professorship Kuok Group Endowed Professorship in Nature-Inspired Engineering Prof. WANG Zuankai Sir Sze-yuen Chung Endowed Professorship in Renewable Energy Prof. LI Gang Endowed Young Scholars Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Prof. ZHAO Xin    

Prof. Yang CHAI awarded 2024 Falling Walls Winner for energy-efficient innovations in sensory AI systems

Prof. Yang CHAI, the Management Committee member of RI-IWEAR, Associate Dean of Faculty of Science, has been bestowed as the top ten winners of the prestigious Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs Award. This is a recognition of his groundbreaking research on sensory artificial intelligence (AI), which has paved the way for more energy-efficient, low-latency, and memory-optimized systems, enhancing for diverse applications such as mobile devices, IoT sensors and edge computing.   Prof. CHAI has developed novel hardware architectures and optimization techniques, leading the transformation applications in smart cities, autonomous vehicles, and industrial automation. His research has overcome crucial barriers in power consumption, latency and memory within sensory AI systems, demonstrating their potential for application. Furthermore, the in-sensor computing strategy has sparked progress in improving decision-making and situational awareness, strengthening privacy and security, and transforming intelligent automation.   The Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year Award, initiated by the Berlin-based Falling Walls Foundation, to nominate the latest breakthroughs and outstanding science projects worldwide. This year, the high-level jury comprising globally recognized experts in the fields reviewed over 1,000 entries from 52 countries and selected 10 excellent winners in the Engineering & Technology category, who were shortlisted for the Science Breakthrough of the Year 2024 title.   Prof. CHAI said, “The proliferation of data from ubiquitously distributed sensors leads to massive increases in sensory terminals. It is crucial to partially shift computation tasks to the sensory terminals. This transition substantially compresses the collected information and extracts key information, especially for sensor-rich platforms.”   Prof. CHAI’s research clearly defines near-sensor concepts and in-sensor computing paradigms based on the physical distance between sensory and computing units. This classification further divides functions into low-level and high-level processing. His study explores the implementation of near-/in-sensor computing for different physical sensing systems and provide possible solutions for integrating sensing and processing units through advanced manufacturing technologies.   While Prof. CHAI and his team focus on advancing computational hardware for sensory AI systems, the extraordinary capabilities of natural bioinspired sensory systems are a vital research inspiration. By emulating human visual adaptability, which allows accurate object identification under various lighting conditions, the new bioinspired sensors developed by Prof. CHAI’s team offer a solution by directly adapting to different light intensities. The sensors reduce hardware complexity, boost image contrast in varied lighting conditions, thus improving machine vision systems for visual analysis and identification tasks. The work on bioinspired in-sensor vision adaptation was recognized as one of the “Top 10 Hong Kong Innovation Technology News in 2022”.   Inspired by flying insects’ high flicker function frequency (FFF), Prof. CHAI’s research has developed optoelectronic graded neurons that efficiently encode temporal information at sensory terminals, reducing the transfer of abundant vision data of fusing spatiotemporal (spatial and temporal) information in a computation unit. With minimal hardware resource, promising potential applications in autonomous vehicles and surveillance systems.   Prof. CHAI has been invited to express views on the development of in-sensor computing in Nature Podcast. He also demonstrated the latest results to Chief Executive during her visit at PolyU in 2021. The work on in-sensor motion perception has been recognized as one of China Chip10 Science in 2023. This in-sensor computing paradigm is also highlighted in US Semiconductor Research Corporation’s Decadal Plan. These outstanding findings have been published in high-impact journals such as Nature Electronics, Nature Nanotechnology, and have been highlighted in Nature, IEEE Spectrum, and more and are highly cited by research teams worldwide.   Prof. CHAI envisions, “My long-term goal is to develop cutting-edge microelectronic and nano-electronic devices with new functionalities and unprecedented performance. Specifically, we intend to create imaging technology capable of perceiving three-dimensional (3D) depth, four-dimensional (4D) spatial-temporal and multiple spectral (beyond visible light) information. To achieve this, a bioinspired mechanism will be utilized to reduce power consumption and latency.” 

University Grants Committee members visit PolyU

A University Grants Committee (UGC) delegation visited the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Lab (AIR Lab) at the University’s Industrial Centre of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) on 12 September 2024, where they met with university management and faculty members to gain valuable insights into the University’s latest developments. Mr. Tim Lui, Chairman of UGC, was accompanied by 24 UGC members and Secretariat staff. During the visit, Prof. Xiaoming TAO, Vincent and Lily Woo Professor in Textile Technology, Chair Professor of Textile Technology of the School of Fashion and Textiles, and Director of the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems, introduced her research project “Wearable System with Alternating Cooling and Heating for Sport Recovery and Safe” and “Eco-friendly Antimicrobial Materials with High Efficiency”.The fast recovery device COOL-WEAR developed by Prof. Tao’s team aims to help athletes recover more effectively. This technology not only improves the comfort of use, but also achieves personalized recovery plans by regulating the temperature. In addition, the environmentally friendly antibacterial materials have demonstrated its application prospects in both environmental protection and safety.   ***END***  

Prof. Li CHENG elected as Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada for 2024

On 3 September 2024, the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) announced the results of the 2024 fellowship elections. Prof. Li CHENG, a member of RI-IWEAR, Associate Dean of Faculty of Engineering, and Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering, has been bestowed with the title. Prof. CHENG was honored for his contributions in the realms of acoustics, structural vibration, and wave mechanics, acknowledging his accomplishments across the arts, social sciences, and sciences.   Prof. CHENG’s exceptional endeavors in modeling vibro-acoustic systems, manipulating and controlling acoustic/elastic waves, fluid-structure-sound interactions, and structural health monitoring has significantly advanced these fields and resulted in impactful engineering applications. His work not only enhances the depth of scientific research but also contributes to public policy development and societal well-being.