The Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is proud to announce that our PhD student, Mr Wong Ho Yin, supervised by BEEE Associate Professor Dr Huang Xinyan, has won the Bronze Award in the Smart Cities Open Group Division at the Hong Kong Techathon+ 2024.
In January 2024, Mr Wong continuously promoted his fire safety engineering research outcome initiated in the PolyU Maker Fund Programme 2021 to the audience in the Hong Kong Techathon+ 2024. His project, titled 'Smart Building Emergency System,' is an Internet of Things (IoT) system comprising a wireless detectors mesh network and dynamic exit signs. The fire detector system, which utilizes artificial intelligence technology, can significantly reduce the number of false alarms and provide an early warning, while the dynamic exit sign system guides evacuees towards the safest evacuation paths, reducing evacuation time. This project will be a crucial component of the novel smart firefighting technology developed at PolyU (the SureFire Project), and this will be applied to the next generation of smart and resilient buildings that will help Hong Kong achieve the status of the world's leading smart city.
Co-organized by the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks (HKSTP) and local university partners, Hong Kong Techathon this year achieved a historic milestone in terms of scale and participation, with nearly 1,500 local and non-local participants. It showcased the quality of innovative ideas presented and the entrepreneurial spirit demonstrated by all participants. Competing with such a large number of participants, Mr. Wong and his team stood out and won the Bronze Award in the Smart Cities Open Group Division.
The Department of BEEE congratulates Mr Wong Ho Yin and his team on their outstanding achievement and wishes them continued success.
