The Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering (AAE) is proud to announce that its research projects achieved remarkable results at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, held at Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland from 11 to 15 March 2026. The AAE projects in the PolyU delegation successfully clinched two Gold Medals and one Silver Medal. Stairio – Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury The project entitled "Stairio: Automated Staircase Safety Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance Robot with Handrail-affixed Locomotion System" was awarded the Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury. The project was led by Principal Investigator Prof. Li-Ta Hsu, with team members Mr Max Jwo Lem Lee, Mr Chi Leung Chan, Mr Hiu Hei Chong, Ms Luling Yuan, Ms Ruoyu Chen, Mr Yihan Zhang, and Mr Mingxiang Xiao. Stairio is an autonomous robot designed to improve staircase safety and maintenance, addressing the inefficiency and high cost of manual inspections, which often miss critical hazards. Its patented handrail-affixed locomotion system enables stable, continuous navigation across diverse staircase designs without obstructing users. LEO CNAV – Gold Medal The project entitled "LEO CNAV: A Spaceborne Payload for Low-Earth Orbit Communication and Navigation Services" was awarded the Gold Medal. The project was led by Principal Investigators Prof. Chih-Yung Wen and Prof. Bing Xu, with team members Dr Tianqi Wang, Ms Yuxin He, and Mr Zihong Zhou. LEO CNAV is a low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite payload designed for next-generation integrated navigation and communication applications. It integrates a spaceborne GPS/BDS receiver with a navigation and communication signal transmitter to deliver high-precision and reliable positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services. The payload transmits integrated navigation and communication signals, allowing flexible allocation of resources based on mission needs.
AI Drone System for Cleaning Building Exteriors – Silver Medal The project entitled "Safety-assured AI-driven Drone System for Cleaning Building Exteriors" was awarded the Silver Medal. The project was led by Principal Investigator Prof. Weisong Wen, with team members Mr Jiahao Hu, Mr Naigui Xiao, Mr Yingming Chen, Mr Peiwen Yang, and Mr Xiangru Wang. This safety-assured, AI-driven drone system eliminates the high risks and inefficiencies of manual high-rise cleaning. Unlike conventional drones that struggle in dense cities due to signal obstruction, this innovation uses advanced multi-sensor fusion (LiDAR/GNSS/Vision) to achieve centimetre-level precision even in GNSS-denied urban canyons.
| Research Units | Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering |
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