Prof. Stephen Jia WANG, Professor of the School of Design of PolyU, has won the globally prestigious iF Design Awards 2025.
The ‘EmoFriends’, created by Prof. WANG and his team at the Research Centre for Future (Caring) Mobility, is the first toy to understand a user’s emotional status through touch.
The ‘EmoFriends’, created by Prof. WANG and his team at the Research Centre for Future (Caring) Mobility, is the first toy to understand a user’s emotional status through touch.
The ‘Transparent Knee Guard’ created by Prof. WANG is a lightweight device for knee osteoarthritis rehabilitation and prevention, which can detect knee angle and swelling, and support continuous long-term monitoring.
The ‘Transparent Knee Guard’ created by Prof. WANG is a lightweight device for knee osteoarthritis rehabilitation and prevention, which can detect knee angle and swelling, and support continuous long-term monitoring.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is internationally recognised for its innovative achievements in design research. Two exceptional products developed by Prof. Stephen Jia WANG, Professor of the School of Design of PolyU, along with his team of researchers and students, namely an interactive toy for emotional support and a wearable medical device, have been honoured with the globally prestigious iF Design Awards 2025.
The ‘EmoFriends,’ created by Prof. WANG and his team at the Research Centre for Future (Caring) Mobility, is a modular toolkit that transforms any plush toys into intelligent companion robots using patented "Emosense" technology. It is the first toy to understand a user’s emotional status through touch, precisely monitoring stress. This novel product has also won the Gold Award at Hong Kong Hechathon+ 2025 under the category of Trusted AI and Data Science.
The ‘Transparent Knee Guard,’ another acclaimed project by Prof. WANG, has also been honoured. This lightweight device for knee osteoarthritis rehabilitation and prevention integrates 3D- stretched liquid metal sensors and a skin-friendly SBS fibre mesh. It can detect knee angle and swelling, support continuous long-term monitoring on a daily basis with real-time and cumulative data, and achieve a 93.42% accuracy in recognising knee behaviours.
This innovative design, integrating cutting-edge sensing technology, has also received the prestigious Good Design Award, organised by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and Metropolitan Arts Press. The award has recognised excellence in product, communication, and architectural design for over 70 years.
Prof. WANG’s research focuses on the exploration of new design methods, technology possibilities, and related curriculum development in the field of innovative design. As an experienced interaction and industrial designer, he has contributed to commercial product development, led major research projects, and exhibited his work across Australia, China, and Japan.
In addition, the calendar "Flocks of Type," designed by the marketing team of the School of Design for its 60th anniversary celebration, has won the 2025 iF Design Award for excellence in communication and typography. For more: 'Flocks of type' Shines in the Golden Pin Design Award 2024
Sponsored by the non-profit iF Design Foundation, the iF Design Award is one of the world’s most prestigious design competitions. This year, 131 jurors from 23 countries selected the best and most outstanding designs among almost 11,000 entries from 66 countries, all of which adhered to strict selection criteria.
Source: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design (PolyU Design)
