Prof. TAO Xiaoming, Director of the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), in an exclusive interview with Scientific Chinese, looked back on her 30 years’ scientific journey and shared her dedication to the research and development of textile engineering and intelligent wearable systems, as well as her commitment to nurturing next-generation research talents.
Prof. Tao recalled that during the 1990s when she moved from Australia to Hong Kong to join PolyU for a new career, the textile industry was fading away and had difficulty in attracting top talents. To find the way forward for industrial transformation and upgrading, she began researching into smart optical fibre, which combind optical fibre and textile composite materials, with the goal to add vale to the traditional textile industry through utilising advanced, high value-adding technologies. Her pioneering concepts and inventions have propelled the development of smart textile.
In recent years, Prof. Tao seized the research opportunities brought about by the emerging trends in smart wearable products and their application potential in the fields of health and sports. She established RI-IWEAR in 2021 and serves as the Institute’s Director, leading a team of over 200 researchers from different disciplines such as physics, chemistry, materials, textiles and clothing, design, electronics, mechanical engineering, and rehabilitation medicine, to engage in interdisciplinary research. The team combines materials, devices, technologies and theories to develop technologies for “human-machine-environment” interaction. The Institute currently pursues research in three major areas: IWEAR System Applications, System Integration and Evaluation, and Fibre-based and Flexible Devices. The technologies and products developed by the team can be used widely for personal protection and in the fields clinical medicine, public health and many more.
In addition to scientific research, Prof. Tao is enthusiastic about teaching. She said that top talents are vital for any fields to develop well, and at the same time, the society needs to cultivate different talents such as engineers, tech talents, civil servants, and entrepreneurs.
Online coverage:
China Science Communication - https://polyu.me/4ePuBLk (Chinese only)
The Paper - https://polyu.me/4csEU6h (Chinese only)
| Research Units | Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems |
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