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 Prof. Huang Xinyan, has won the Silver Award in the Digital Economy & Smart City Open Group Division at the Hong Kong Techathon+ 2026.
In January 2026, 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+ 2026. His project, titled ‘GABES Smart Fire Management,' is an Internet of Things (IoT) system comprising a wireless detector 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-organised by HKSTP and 15 leading universities and institutions in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Techathon+ encourage innovators to embrace the challenge with innovative vibes! This isn’t just any tech event – it’s a collaborative playground for the brightest minds to come together, share ideas, and push the boundaries of what’s possible. This year, the competition cumulated 7,000+ students and 2,400+ ideas. Competing with such a large number of participants, Mr. Wong and his team stood out and won the Silver Award in the Digital Economy & Smart City Open Group Division.
The Department of BEEE congratulates Mr. Wong Ho Yin and his team on their outstanding achievement and wishes them continued success.
