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PolyU and Diocesan Girls’ School establish AI Swimtech Laboratory, developing biomechanical training to enhance swimmers’ performance

A team led by Dr Billy SO, core member of the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports) and Assistant Professor of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), is committed to enhancing the performance of swimmers by integrating sports technology with biomechanics. By employing advanced wearable sensors and an underwater camera system, the team captures and analyses data on swimmers’ start jump motion and swimming postures, including body movement and muscle activity, thereby assisting coaches in designing training programmes for athletes. The student swimming team of the Diocesan Girls’ School (DGS) is currently adopting these biomechanical training methods into their routine training with the aim of achieving greater effectiveness. To catalyse joint research in the fields of sports science and technology, PolyU RISports and DGS have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the “PolyU-DGS AI Swimtech Laboratory”. Under the agreement, DGS will provide swimming facilities, where PolyU researchers will install equipment for data collection and will arrange student swimmers to participate in a research trial. This collaboration aims to strengthen research on enhancing elite athletes’ performance and talent identifications by more fully unleashing their potential, thereby maximising athletic performance at school level and nurturing more outstanding swimmers for the local community in the long run. It also aspires to promote STEM education and foster a culture of innovation and technology on campus. Prof. Christopher CHAO, PolyU Vice President (Research and Innovation) remarked, “In recent years, Hong Kong’s ‘flying fishes’ continue to shine on the international stage. The integration of technology in athletic training not only more effectively unlocks their potential, but also helps them achieve notable results. PolyU is committed to the translation of research outcomes and so is delighted to collaborate with Diocesan Girls’ School to enhance their student athletes’ competitiveness. We believe that students can gain valuable immersive learning experiences by participating in research work, which helps cultivate their interest in innovation and technology, as well as develops knowledge in mathematics, science and engineering.” Mrs Stella LAU, Headmistress of DGS stated, “Diocesan Girls’ School, a school with over 160 years of history, has been at the forefront in promoting innovative technology education in recent years. Today, RISports team from PolyU is collaborating with our swimming athletes to put their research achievements in artificial intelligence and biomechanics into practice. Not only will this empower our student athletes to excel in their swimming performance, it will enhance our students’ practical application capabilities in sports science as well as their problem-solving skills using artificial intelligence. This project better equips our students for today’s vast innovation and technology-driven world.” Each subtle movement can be the key to victory in competitive swimming, especially in short course competition. With this in mind, Dr Billy So aspires to develop systematic biomechanical training and explore its effectiveness in enhancing swimmers’ performance. The key findings of his research are as follow: (1) Start jump motion analysis The start jump in swimming demands precise timing, speed and angle of both the jump and entry into the water. The team places patches of a surface electromyography system on athletes’ lower limbs to capture start jump motion. With the use of a reaction time start board and video analytics, the system also provides immediate data on jump reaction, entry angles and speed, to assist swimmers in promptly adjusting their start jump posture. Approximately 30 DGS swimming team students were invited to participate in a six-week training programme, employing this system during 50-metre freestyle swimming practice twice a week for 20 minutes per session. The participants are found to have improved their performance by an average of 0.127 seconds on start jump. By utilising the system to compare and analyse the start jump reaction of participating athletes before and after training, the results show that their average reaction time improved by 0.127 seconds. With the use of surface electromyography system, a reaction time start board and video analytics, the system captures start jump motion with a view to assisting athletes in promptly adjusting their posture. (2) Propulsive force analysis The propulsive force in swimming originates from stroking and kicking, while the stability of core muscles aids in increasing the propulsive force generated from these movements. The team employs an underwater surface electromyography system and a tethered swimming testing system to analyse the propulsive force generated by athletes during swimming. This helps coaches adjust athletes’ techniques and develop suitable training to enhance swimming performance. Approximately 30 student athletes from PolyU and local sports organisations participated in an eight-week muscle training programme focused on core stability. The two systems were then employed to evaluate the athletes’ performance in utilising core muscles during swimming and the propulsive force generated. The results indicate that the average swimming propulsive force generated by the participating athletes increased by about 10%, while their speed in the 50-metre freestyle improved by 0.02 to 0.03 metres per second. Employing an underwater surface electromyography system and tethered swimming testing system helps the team analyse the propulsive force generated by athletes during swimming. This aids coaches in adjusting athletes’ techniques and developing suitable training to enhance swimming performance. (3) Muscle activity analysis The team uses waterproof wearable surface electromyography sensors and an underwater camera system to capture muscle activity of swimmers’ arms, shoulders, legs and trunk during start jumps, strokes and turns in freestyle swimming. The system will be tested in the swimming pool at DGS with the participation of its elite student swimmers. Looking forward, the team will collaborate with PolyU’s Department of Computing to integrate video motion analysis and wearable motion inertial sensors to leverage the collected data in developing a novel artificial intelligence model, thereby further enhancing the accuracy of the system. The team has employed waterproof wearable surface electromyography sensors and an underwater camera system to capture muscle activity of swimmers during freestyle swimming. The graphic shows the muscle activity pattern.

PolyU scientist bestowed Nukiyama Memorial Award for exceptional thermal science and engineering research

Prof. WANG Zuankai, Associate Vice President (Research and Innovation), Kuok Group Professor in Nature-Inspired Engineering and Chair Professor of Nature-Inspired Engineering of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has been bestowed the 2024 Nukiyama Memorial Award by the Heat Transfer Society of Japan for his significant contributions to thermal science and engineering.  The Nukiyama Memorial Award is presented biennially to a distinguished scientist in the field of thermal science and engineering. Prof. WANG has received this honour for his groundbreaking discovery in heat transfer research, which addresses critical scientific questions and tackles enduring technological challenges related to boiling phenomena.  Prof. WANG said, “I am very honored to receive this prestigious award in 2024, after 90 years’ publication of Prof. Nukiyama’s epoch-making work on boiling phenomena. His beautiful boiling curve, known as the Nukiyama Curve, has clarified the physics of boiling phenomena and has become a landmark in heat transfer textbooks today. Our work has fundamentally inhibited the centuries-old Leidenfrost effect, enabling a shift in the Nukiyama Curve and facilitating more efficient boiling heat transfer. These advancements hold immense potential for unlocking a wide array of applications.”  Prof. WANG’s innovation on structured thermal amour (STA) tackled the longstanding challenges posed by the Leidenfrost effect since 1756. His research “Inhibiting the Leidenfrost effect above 1,000°C for sustained thermal cooling,” published in Nature in 2022.  When the temperature exceeds the Leidenfrost point, a continuous vapour layer forms between the solid and the liquid, leading to a reduction in heat transfer due to increased thermal resistance. Finding an efficient method to cool hot surface has been a persistent challenge in the fields of thermal engineering and materials science.  Prof. WANG’s innovated STA strategy holds the potential to enable efficient liquid cooling at extremely high temperature, particularly in fields like aero-engines, space-engines and next generation nuclear reactors. This breakthrough also applies to electronics cooling which suffers from increased heat flux due to device miniaturization. The invention pushes the boundaries of liquid cooling up to over 1,000°C, resulting in significant technological advancements that enhance thermal cooling in nuclear power plants, engines, microelectronic chips and electronics devices. The Nukiyama Memorial Award was established by the Heat Transfer Society of Japan to commemorate remarkable contributions of Prof. Shiro Nukiyama as an outstanding heat transfer scientist. The Society aims to foster scientific and technical communication among researchers from various disciplines including mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, and nuclear engineering, among others.    

PolyU invented Borderless Lab 365 creates a new way of remote STEAM learning

A challenge in promoting STEAM learning among students in Hong Kong has been the lack of sufficient laboratory resources. Dr JIM Kwok-lung, Lecturer of the Department of Applied Physics of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and his research team developed a "web-based laboratory platform" for primary and secondary schools.  This web-based remote platform, named Borderless Lab 365, enables school students to independently conduct experiments anytime, anywhere, with computerised control over experimental parameters to minimise errors. This cutting-edge STEAM learning platform has secured a funding support of HK$14 million from the Quality Education Fund e-Learning Ancillary Facilities Programme by the Education Bureau.  Borderless Lab 365 has been implemented in 15 secondary schools, and this funded programme is planned to extend to more than 45 primary and additional secondary schools to support students’ STEAM learning activities. It allows students to access and remotely control numerous laboratory instruments through micro-controllers and sensors, as well as download real-time data for experiment results. Dr Jim said, “My goal is to establish a cross-school network of experiment platform that enables students to share their home-designed science experiments with others across secondary schools. This would diversify the range of science experiments available in each school and reduce development costs simultaneously.” Borderless Lab 365 was originally developed and further enhanced by Dr MAK Chee Leung, a retired Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Physics and his team to deliver higher compatibility in conducting a wider range of disciplinary experiments. The mechanism requires teachers to design the experimental process on the system prior to students making appointments and using any of the laboratory devices. As a result, students gain the ability to explore a wide range of topics, such as interference phenomena, the visible spectrum, and greenhouse gases, which span across the fields of physics, chemistry, and biology. Additionally, teachers can create online assignments for students. In order to provide a STEAM-focused education to a larger number of students, Borderless Lab 365 takes an additional stride by granting users access to designated devices through smartphones. This feature empowers students to conduct simple experiments using the sensors on their phones, enabling them to measure the velocity of sound waves, temperature, and the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) in their surroundings.  Moving forward, the research team aim to enhance the capabilities of Borderless Lab 365 by incorporating virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies into future experiments.  

Sustainable Food System: An Inspiring Afternoon at the Sustainability Lecture Series

Presented by PolyU and the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau, the 5th edition of the Sustainability Lecture Series was held on 31 May (Fri) successfully. With the support of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition and the Research Institute for Future Food, this event focused on the topic of sustainable food systems and was a part of French GourMay Food & Wine Festival, with Michelin-starred chef nicolas boutin joining us! The event attracted a diverse audience, with over a hundred participants joining us both onsite and online. We had the privilege of listening to insightful talks from experts in the food sector, representing academia, business and social innovation backgrounds in both Hong Kong and France. Their expertise shed light on the groundbreaking sustainability initiatives that are shaping the future of our food systems. Prof. Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation), expressed anticipation for PolyU's impactful interdisciplinary research in food sustainability for the benefit of the world. He also encouraged the collaborative efforts of multiple stakeholders towards a more sustainable future. Let's channel this collective passion towards transforming our world into a more sustainable place!

PolyU establishes research centre to advance innovations for grid modernisation

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) today announced the establishment of the Research Centre for Grid Modernisation (RCGM). The Centre aims to foster innovations and applications for modernisation of the power grid and the development of novel electric power systems to support Hong Kong’s and the country’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality and sustainable energy development. The RCGM launch ceremony took place on the PolyU campus, drawing together leaders from 35 government bureaus, quangos, research institutes, professional bodies and industry associations. Representatives from numerous large-scale Hong Kong, Macao and Mainland China enterprises from across various sectors including power and energy, energy management, microelectronics, telecommunications, electrical engineering and railway transportation were also in attendance. Academic leaders, experts and scholars from 26 universities in Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland were also present at the event. Opening remarks were delivered by Mr TSE Chin-wan, Secretary for Environment and Ecology of the HKSAR Government; Prof. SUN Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR Government; and Dr HAO Yingjie, Secretary-General of the China Electricity Council. Mr QIAN Chaoyang, President of China Southern Power Grid Company Limited delivered a keynote speech. They were joined at the ceremony by Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, PolyU President; Prof. Christopher CHAO, PolyU Vice President (Research and Innovation) and Director of the Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology; Ir Alfred SIT Wing-hang, Professor of Practice (Electrical Engineering) and Adjunct Professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of PolyU, Honorary Director of RCGM, former Secretary for Innovation and Technology, and Director of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department of the HKSAR Government; and Prof. CHUNG Chi-yung, Head of the PolyU Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Chair Professor of Power Systems Engineering, and RCGM Director. Together, they extended their congratulations to the University on the establishment of the Centre. Mr Tse Chin-wan said, “Hong Kong strives to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050. The Government has set out four decarbonisation strategies, namely net-zero electricity generation, energy saving and green buildings, green transport and waste reduction, to actively reduce carbon emissions from source. The path to carbon neutrality requires the concerted efforts of the community. I express my warmest congratulations to PolyU for launching the RCGM cum Academician Forum on Intelligent Carbon-neutral Electricity Grid and Cooperation Workshop, bringing together representatives from the academia, industry and government departments, facilitating the valuable exchange of insights enabling cooperative sustainable development in the Greater Bay Area. Let us seize this opportunity to learn more about the collaborative advancement of carbon neutrality and new power systems.” Prof. Sun Dong extended his congratulations on the establishment of RCGM via a video and stated, “The establishment of the PolyU RCGM is not only well-timed but also a crucial leap forward. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the RCGM team. With world-class power systems experts at the helm, I am confident that the Centre will emerge as a cutting-edge R&D hub, paving the way for the realisation of modern grids, smarter cities and, ultimately, more intelligent societies.” Dr Hao Yingjie stated, “The establishment of the PolyU RCGM signifies a concrete step toward developing new power systems. This initiative aims to consolidate industry expertise, foster cooperation throughout upstream and downstream of the industry chain, and support the transition to clean and low-carbon energy. The China Electricity Council will collaborate with PolyU and other tertiary institutions in exploring and promoting the establishment of new regional power systems, thereby facilitating the evolution and enhancement of the power industry and the implementation of new energy systems. Ultimately, this endeavour seeks to accomplish the ‘double carbon’ goal.” Prof. Jin-Guang Teng said in his welcoming remarks, “With the societal need for grid modernisation and PolyU's unwavering commitment to innovation and sustainability, RCGM will serve as an internationally recognised platform to attract and nurture global talents to develop cutting-edge technologies and transfer them to solve the challenges and problems faced by the power and electricity industries. Furthermore, the pioneering work of the Centre will contribute to the development of Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology hub in the Greater Bay Area.” In recent years, the world has witnessed an increase in extreme weather events, unpredictable climate patterns, and the aging of power networks and equipment. These factors have collectively led to a rise in the frequency of major power outages globally. The reliability of global power supply is facing unprecedented challenges, highlighting the urgent need for innovative solutions in current power and energy systems. The pursuit of carbon neutrality has introduced a large number of new devices and systems into the grid, including wind farms, solar farms, energy storage systems and electric vehicles. This massive integration poses significant risks to the reliability and economic operation of today’s power systems. To mitigate these risks, it is imperative to harness emerging technologies across various fields including sensors, 5G/6G communications, microelectronics, AI, big data analytics, robotics and more. These technologies are crucial for modernising power grids and reducing operational risks. RCGM aims to establish an international platform for grid modernisation for exchange and collaboration with academia, industry and governments worldwide. With a mission to build a secure and sustainable energy future for the benefit of all mankind, the Centre is dedicated to pursuing impactful multidisciplinary research and development of secure, sustainable, and affordable power and energy systems. Additionally, it aims to facilitate R&D and knowledge transfer, demonstration, and deployment of cutting-edge electric grid and sustainable energy technologies, and powering future smart and carbon-neutral zones in the Greater Bay Area. Prof. Chung Chi-yung said, “RCGM is strategically located in Hong Kong, an international metropolis with a dense population and many high-rise buildings that requires an exceptionally reliable power supply. This provides an ideal backdrop for R&D, including demonstration, testing and application of innovative technologies in grid modernisation for a smart city of the future. Moreover, the Hong Kong government’s vision of transforming the city into a global hub for innovation and technology is backed by robust funding and policy support. We aim to establish the Centre as a leading global hub for collaborative research and knowledge transfer in electric grid modernisation to enable a secure and sustainable energy supply.” Ir Alfred Sit Wing-hang said, “Modernising our electricity grid to make it more effective in supporting renewable energy and new energy applications is definitely one of the areas that we should examine in our journey towards this goal. As a PolyU alumnus, I am proud that my colleagues are willing to take the lead in setting up this pioneering Research Centre in Hong Kong with the aim of working together with experts from both overseas and the mainland for this important mission, ensuring that it becomes a beacon of innovation and excellence in the field of power systems engineering.” RCGM has garnered staunch support from various organisations and tertiary institutions, serving as the Centre’s inaugural partners. In addition, the Centre has invited five distinguished experts and scholars who have made remarkable contributions to the field of energy and power to join as honorary advisors. These honorary advisors include Prof. ZHOU Xiaoxin and Prof. CHENG Shijie, who are academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as Prof. XUE Yusheng and Prof. YU Yixin, who are academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Furthermore, Prof. C.C. CHAN, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Distinguished Chair Professor of the PolyU Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Director of the Research Centre for Electric Vehicles, also serves as an honorary advisor of RCGM. During the event, RCGM and Shenzhen Auto Electric Power Plant Company Limited announced their partnership in establishing the PolyU-Autosun Joint Laboratory for Sustainable PowerTech Research in Modern Grid. This collaborative effort aims to propel research and development in electric vehicle charging technology, smart microgrids, new energy storage systems and safety and health monitoring systems for power equipment. ***END***   Appendix Partner organisations and institutions of RCGM (sorted by stroke counts of Chinese names): ABB (Hong Kong) Limited The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) NTT Com Asia Limited Hong Kong International Airport China Southern Power Grid Company Limited The Hongkong Electric Company Limited China Southern Power Grid Shenzhen Power Supply Bureau Co., Ltd. The Hong Kong Electrical & Mechanical Contractors' Association Limited New Energy Security Research Center of China Academy of Building Research The Hong Kong Federation of Electrical and Mechanical Contractors Limited China Huadian Hong Kong Company Limited Electrical & Mechanical Services Department of HKSAR Government China Electricity Council MTR Corporation Limited Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering Digital China Holdings Limited China Unicom Global Limited Shenzhen Dark Energy Power Supply Co., Ltd. CLP Power Hong Kong Limited Shenzhen Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone Development Co., Ltd. CHINT Group Co., Ltd. Shenzhen Auto Electric Power Plant Co., Ltd. Analogue Holdings Limited Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park Limited   Siemens Limited China Resources Power Holdings Company Limited The Jardine Engineering Corporation Limited AscenPower Semiconductors Co. Ltd. China Southern Power Grid Digital Grid Research Institute Co., Ltd. Gowin Semiconductor Corporation Schneider Electric (Hong Kong) Limited Guangdong Guangzhou Power Supply Bureau Co., Ltd. REC Engineering Company Limited Macau Electricity Company Limited The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (Electrical Division)     China Three Gorges University Hohai University Shanghai Jiao Tong University Changsha University of Science and Technology Shanghai University of Electric Power Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen) Shandong University Chongqing University Tianjin University The University of Hong Kong Beijing Jiaotong University Zhejiang University Sichuan University Tsinghua University Shihezi University Hunan University Xi’an Jiaotong University Huazhong University of Science and Technology Northeast Electric Power University North China Electric Power University Southeast University South China University of Technology Wuhan University Jinan University Wuhan University of Technology University of Macau

Media Interview: PolyU upgrades Surface Sampling and Packing System for Chang’e-6 Mission

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has actively participated in our Nation's space exploration projects by developing highly sophisticated space instruments for our country. In the latest development, China's Chang'e-6 mission lander have successfully touched down on the far side of the Moon, marking a new chapter in aerospace history. Ta Kung Pao reported that PolyU developed and manufactured the “Surface Sampling and Packing System” for the Chang’e 6 mission. Prof. YUNG Kai-leung, Director of the Research Centre for Deep Space Exploration (RCDSE), introduced these innovations, which include the two samplers, two accompanying high-temperature nearfield cameras, and a primary sealing and packaging system consisting of a sample container and its sealing mechanism.  Building upon the success of Chang'e 5, China's inaugural lunar sample return mission, PolyU has further refined these highly sophisticated space instruments for the Chang'e-6 mission. Full interview with Ta Kung Pao (In Chinese Only)   For more: Prof. YUNG Kai-leung invited to witness launch of Chang’e 6 lunar probe in Hainan PolyU achieves the landmark membership in the International Astronautical Federation as the first education institution in Hong Kong PolyU-made Space Instruments for Lunar Sample Acquisition awarded The Science and Technology Progress Award PolyU’s space instruments contribute to Nation’s first lunar sample return mission PolyU-developed space instruments complete lunar sampling for Chang’e 5

PolyU and Zibo Municipal Government signed framework agreement to establish a joint research institute

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Zibo Municipal People’s Government have signed a framework agreement to establish the "PolyU Zibo Technology and Innovation Research Institute" (the Research Institute) and to engage in deep and effective industry-academia-research collaboration. The Research Institute to be established will focus on areas such as nano technology, industrial artificial intelligence and digitalisation, and cultural tourism. Responding to Zibo's economic development and industrial needs, it will carry out technological R&D, tackle core technological challenges, and promote the transformation, application, and sustainable development of research outcomes. The agreement was signed by Prof.  DONG Cheng, Associate Vice President (Mainland Research Advancement) of PolyU, and HU Xiaohong, Vice Mayor of Zibo Municipal People’s Government, on 28 May at the 2024 Shandong-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Conference in Hong Kong. The institute will also undertake the important mission of talent cultivation. Both sides will work together to cultivate a pool of outstanding engineers who are capable of mastering critical technologies of the future and are internationally connected, as well as high-quality, innovative and entrepreneurial talents.

Media Interview: PolyU develops technology for cleaning buildings’ external walls with drones

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is committed to pioneering top-notch technologies for smart city development. Dr WEN Weisong, Assistant Professor of the Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering of PolyU, was interviewed by Ming Pao Daily News to share how to develop a low altitude economy in Hong Kong. Dr Wen and his team have developed a technology that employs drones for cleaning buildings’ external walls. By utilising laser radar and GPS positioning devices, the drone can scan a three-dimensional model of the building's exterior and automatically plan the best cleaning route. He anticipates the potential revenue from this industry could reach HK$300 million a year. Full interview with Ming Pao For more: PolyU Collaborates with Meituan to Develop Vision-aided Positioning System for Parcel Delivery by Drones in Urban Canyons

PolyU Young Innovative Researcher Award fosters new energy for scientific research

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has honoured six young researchers with the Young Innovative Researcher Award (YIRA) 2024. Their research endeavours cover a wide range of areas and bring benefits to materials science, green energy, environmental development, and healthcare through the utilisation of cutting-edge technologies. The research projects of the six awardees encompass various areas, including new materials, green energy, advanced manufacturing, intelligent construction, textile technology, and medical technology. These projects explore the frontiers of knowledge, consider practical applications, and assess their impact on various industries. These projects include the design of a new generation of nano-porous materials to enhance the storage and release of hydrogen, the development of novel computing devices to reduce computational energy consumption in Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT), and the design of a recycling certification to establish a sustainable circular economy. Additionally, the awardees are working on the development of biocompatible smart wearable materials for daily health monitoring, the advancement of high-performance swept lasers for applications in industrial inspection and medical diagnostics, and the exploration of four-dimensional (4D) real-time tumour tracking technology to improve cancer treatment. Prof Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU and Chairman of the YIRA 2024 assessment panel, said, “Congratulations to the six awardees. Their research projects span across disciplines and fields, dedicated to providing solutions to the challenges our world faces today, while showcasing promising prospects. PolyU takes pride in nurturing numerous outstanding scientific talents who are ambitious, dedicated to research, and pursue innovation. Previous awardees have gained international recognition for their excellent research capabilities.” The University is committed to supporting researchers in developing impactful interdisciplinary research and leveraging their expertise to contribute to emerging and future industries. This initiative aligns with the national vision of fostering “New quality productive forces” while simultaneously bolstering the talent pool. For the third consecutive year, the YIRA aims to recognise young researchers under the age of 35 with outstanding research capabilities. Each awardee will receive HKD 500,000 in research funding and a personal cash reward of HKD 20,000. The Young Innovative Researchers 2024 are (in alphabetical order): Awardees Research Focus Description Dr CHEN Jiewei Research Assistant Professor Department of Applied Physics Novel Computing Devices for Low-power Artificial Intelligence of Things Develop novel topological devices with new physical mechanisms in the post-processing units of AIoT to reduce computational energy consumption while minimising unnecessary data transmission by improving intelligent sensing, pre-processing, and information extraction capabilities. Dr CHEN Shaoyu Assistant Professor School of Fashion and Textiles Smart and Recyclable Materials from Supramolecular-Dynamic Covalent Co-Assembly of Stimuli-Responsive Amphiphiles and Biobased Polyelectrolytes Adopt ecological and recyclable approaches to biocompatible and intelligent materials with feedback signals. These materials are designed for use in advanced wearable sensors, textiles, and soft robotics, enabling daily health monitoring and more. Dr GUO Xiaomeng Associate Professor Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies Promoting Usage of Recycled Materials Through Label Design Design recycling certification mechanisms to promote green consumption and motivate enterprises to adopt recycled materials, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of the circular economy. Dr HUANG Dongmei Assistant Professor Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering High performance swept laser and its applications Develop high-performance swept lasers with a high sweep rate, wide sweep range, and long coherence length, as well as accelerate innovation and breakthroughs in their applications, which range from medical diagnostics to industrial detection. Dr LI Tian Assistant Professor Department of Health Technology and Informatics Contrast-Adaptive Real-Time (CART) 4D-MRI Technique via Cascaded Deep Learning for Abdominal Tumour Tracking in MRI-guided Radiotherapy Propose a new real-time 4D tumour tracking solution called CART 4D-MRI to overcome the limitations in imaging speed and quality of current Magnetic Resonance-guided Radiotherapy (MRgRT) techniques. This innovation aims to provide faster and clearer tumour images, facilitating improved treatment for abdominal cancer patients. Dr TIAN Tian Assistant Professor Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Design and development of novel nano-porous materials with enhanced hydrogen storage and delivery capacity Design and synthesize a new generation of nanoporous materials to enhance hydrogen storage and delivery capacities. This will address current technical bottlenecks, such as storage costs and safety risks, and ultimately facilitate the transition to a net-zero society in the long term.  

PolyU research finds improving AI large language models helps better align with human brain activity

With generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) transforming the social interaction landscape in recent years, large language models (LLMs), which use deep-learning algorithms to train GenAI platforms to process language, have been put in the spotlight. A recent study by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) found that LLMs perform more like the human brain when being trained in more similar ways as humans process language, which has brought important insights to brain studies and the development of AI models. Current large language models (LLMs) mostly rely on a single type of pretraining - contextual word prediction. This simple learning strategy has achieved surprising success when combined with massive training data and model parameters, as shown by popular LLMs such as ChatGPT. Recent studies also suggest that word prediction in LLMs can serve as a plausible model for how humans process language. However, humans do not simply predict the next word but also integrate high-level information in natural language comprehension. A research team led by Prof. LI Ping, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Sin Wai Kin Foundation Professor in Humanities and Technology at PolyU, has investigated the next sentence prediction (NSP) task, which simulates one central process of discourse-level comprehension in the human brain to evaluate if a pair of sentences is coherent, into model pretraining and examined the correlation between the model’s data and brain activation. The study has been recently published in the academic journal Sciences Advances. The research team trained two models, one with NSP enhancement and the other without, both also learned word prediction. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected from people reading connected sentences or disconnected sentences. The research team examined how closely the patterns from each model matched up with the brain patterns from the fMRI brain data. It was clear that training with NSP provided benefits. The model with NSP matched human brain activity in multiple areas much better than the model trained only on word prediction. Its mechanism also nicely maps onto established neural models of human discourse comprehension. The results gave new insights into how our brains process full discourse such as conversations. For example, parts of the right side of the brain, not just the left, helped understand longer discourse. The model trained with NSP could also better predict how fast someone read - showing that simulating discourse comprehension through NSP helped AI understand humans better. Recent LLMs, including ChatGPT, have relied on vastly increasing the training data and model size to achieve better performance. Prof. Li Ping said, “There are limitations in just relying on such scaling. Advances should also be aimed at making the models more efficient, relying on less rather than more data. Our findings suggest that diverse learning tasks such as NSP can improve LLMs to be more human-like and potentially closer to human intelligence.” He added, “More importantly, the findings show how neurocognitive researchers can leverage LLMs to study higher-level language mechanisms of our brain. They also promote interaction and collaboration between researchers in the fields of AI and neurocognition, which will lead to future studies on AI-informed brain studies as well as brain-inspired AI.”