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Weaving AI Into Creativity Sparks Fashion Revolution; The world’s first designer-led AI system AiDA officially launches International brand ANTEPRIMA and six fashion designer brands showcase their latest collections using AiDA

Organised by the Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Design (AiDLab) with Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as the Lead Sponsor *, “Fashion X AI” fashion show, the premier event of the “Fashion X AI: 2022-2023 International Salon” programme, was held today at the M+ Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong. The officiating guests included Ms Rebecca Pun, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government, Mr Tsang Chiu-hok, Victor, Head of CreateHK and Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, President of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). Ms Rebecca Pun said, “The successful launch of AiDA has demonstrated Hong Kong’s edge as a leading force in AI and fashion, bringing together the best fashion and technology talents. I am happy to witness the strong research capabilities and originality of AiDLab, generating advanced and forward-looking research results for the benefit of the industry and the general public.” Prof. Teng explained, “Tonight’s fashion show will demonstrate how AiDLab has been translating its research outputs into real-world applications, contributing to the development of an AI ecosystem, especially in fashion and design-related technology.” Developed by Prof. Calvin Wong, CEO & Centre Director of AiDLab, and his team, the AI-based Interactive Design Assistant for Fashion (AiDA) is the world’s first designer-led AI design system. Designers can upload their mood boards, patterns, colour palettes and sketches onto AiDA and then, with a few clicks, their original collections will be generated in a matter of ten seconds. The fashion show also featured the collections of six international and local fashion designer brands including BESFXXK、FENGYI TAN、INJURY、KAY KWOK、MOUNTAINYAM and THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER, as well as those of eight local young design units selected from over 200 entries received via an open call for young talent under the “Fashion X AI: 2022-2023 International Salon” programme to showcase their collections, all using AiDA for the first time. The show brought together the best fashion and technology talent and helps establish Hong Kong as a leading force in AI and fashion. In addition, the AiDA development team supported renowned international fashion brand ANTEPRIMA with AI technology to design their latest collection. Ms Izumi Ogino, Creative Director of ANTEPRIMA, said, “We input all the past ANTEPRIMA iconic looks into AiDA and infusing the 2023 Spring-Summer 2023 concept as well as a seasonal colour scheme, the system generated the designs. Silhouettes which were generated by AiDA keep our fundamental philosophy of ‘smart, precious, with Love’ complemented by out-of-the-box patterns proposed by AiDLab. If we achieve an appropriate balance between the two, we believe technology and craftsmanship of fashion can co-exist, with the help of AI technology to generate design variations, while at the same time reducing work hours and providing designers with more options.” The fashion event showcased the exclusive collaboration between ANTEPRIMA and AiDLab – resulting in the one-off capsule collection developed by ANTEPRIMA's designers using AiDA, which will be presented in a touring exhibition in Hong Kong after the show. AiDA has been hailed by local and international fashion designers for streamlining the design process and providing inspiration. Prof. Calvin Wong, who leads the AiDA project said, “At AiDLab, we believe that AI should be used as a supporting tool for fashion designers. Our approach is human-centred and interdisciplinary, and we have worked with designers for over two years to develop and refine AiDA. We are invested in creating innovation with practitioners from across all disciplines for intelligent fashion solutions.” Designers can choose different combinations of colours, fabric prints and sketches based on their original inspiration and styles. Through a specific combination of advanced AI technologies, AiDA helps designers to bring inspiration into unique designs and fashion collections. Interested designers may contact AiDLab for an experience of AiDA. “Fashion X AI: 2022-2023 International Salon” aims to nurture creative capital, future-proof the industry and promote Hong Kong as a leader in intelligent fashion design, through activities including the fashion show and forum, international symposium, touring exhibitions, workshops and a massive open online course. More details are available on the project website at: https://www.fashionxai.com. *Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organisers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, Create Hong Kong, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.

PolyU Student Project Won APICTA Awards In Tertiary Technology

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s student project, “Mutual Cognitive Human-Robot Collaborative Manufacturing System,” won the  21st Asia Pacific Information and Communications Technology Alliance (APICTA) Awards. The team honourably received the APICTA Awards (Student-Tertiary Technology) in the event held in Islamabad, Pakistan.  The awarded project was conducted by Mr TSANG Chin Lok, Mr LI Cheng Xi, and Ms KWOK Hin Chi, PolyU students from the Research Group of AI for Industrial Digital Servitization (RAIDS), and supervised by Ir Dr ZHENG Pai, Assistant Professor of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at PolyU. Mr TSANG Chin Lok joined the HKSAR delegation to Pakistan and shone in the competition. The project integrates virtual and realistic task planning and dynamic guidance of visual data to enhance the intelligence of robots and to facilitate information sharing with Augmented Reality. Practically, it provides human-in-the-loop control approaches in a user-friendly manner to better fuse human operators' intelligence. In the APICTA 2022, the HKSAR delegation achieved 6 Winners and 10 Merit Awards among 14 competing member economies (206 entries in total). The PolyU student project, “Mutual Cognitive Human-Robot Collaborative Manufacturing System,” was the grand winner of the APICTA Awards (Student-Tertiary Technology) standing out against highly competitive entries.  Dr ZHENG said, “We are delighted with the enthusiastic result at this international event. The team hopes this system could soon be practically applied to industrial use, with long-term goal of assisting manufacturing sector in Hong Kong for transformation by making use of innovation and technology, along with benefiting the world's manufacturing industries.” APICTA is the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance, an association of ICT communities nominated by 16 member economies to form a cooperative network for the promotion of technology, innovation, and development of indigenous ICT solutions for the global market. The annual event is a valuable platform for ICT talents in the Asia Pacific region to exchange ideas and forge new partnerships.

PolyU and Sinopec Sign Agreement to Award Thesis Excellence

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) signed a collaborative agreement to award student’s thesis excellence with the focus on topics related to clean energy and sustainable environment. Sinopec will donate RMB500,000 to award PolyU students for outstanding theses in the 2022-2023 year, with the theme on “Cleaner Energy Better Life.” This excellent graduation thesis award scheme calls for undergraduate and postgraduate students to submit their dissertation papers for topics on sustainable development such as clean energy, renewable energy and green city.  The award aims to encourage students’ creative thinking for innovative solutions and technology to enhance industry and environment sustainability. The winners will receive cash awards to support their research. Industry-academic partnership is crucial for impactful research and innovation in the society. PolyU and Sinopec embark on this agreement to explore further collaborative opportunities and platforms.  Witnessed by Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU, Mr. Zhenying JIANG, Chief Representative of Hong Kong Representative Office at Sinopec and Mr. ZENG Shen Dian, Vice President of The Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association, the agreement was signed by Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, and Mr. Zhijun YE, Deputy Chief of Hong Kong Representative Office at Sinopec. Prof. Teng said, “While PolyU is joining hands with Sinopec for the Best Thesis Award, we hope to build a long-term strategic partnership in future to develop in-depth collaboration in various aspects. Exploring in the areas of smart energy, advanced materials, green technology and others, PolyU would contribute to the development of Hong Kong and the country together with Sinopec on a basis of mutual benefits.” Mr. Jiang said, “The Best Thesis Award would motivate young students to further enhance national sentiments, devote to academic studies, strive to improve technical skills, and cultivate more outstanding young talents who love the country and Hong Kong. It also serves as the beginning of in-depth cooperation with PolyU, combining PolyU's strong scientific research strength with Sinopec's solid industrialisation capabilities. We will continue to expand and deepen our cooperation to jointly contribute to the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”

PolyU Two Projects Funded By Germany/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has received funding from Germany/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme 2022/23 for two research projects. Dr Xiao LI, Research Assistant Professor at Department of Building and Real Estate, was funded two years for project: “Mass customization methodology for high-rise modular buildings: adaptive platform, interactive configurator and decentralized process.” Dr Junpei ZHONG, Research Assistant Professor at Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, was funded one year for project: “Socio-demographic variables to embodied and emotional experiences in virtual nature: a cross country study.” The Research Grants Council (RGC) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) joined together in 1996 to promote research collaboration between Hong Kong and Germany. The RGC funds granted to Hong Kong Principal Investigator can be used to support research visits of research postgraduate students to partner institutions, thus enabling them to obtain valuable training and experience from overseas practices. The grant per project per year is set at HK$45,000 for those involving travel of research postgraduate students, and HK$30,000 per year for those not involving students' travels.

PolyU Showcases Award-Winning Innovations at InnoTech Expo 2022

PolyU is delighted to participate and demonstrate its scientific research achievements at InnoTech Expo 2022, introducing its newest research excellence and showcasing award-winning technologies to the public. Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, President of PolyU, Prof. Wing-tak Wong, Deputy President and Provost of PolyU and Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, are invited to join the grand opening ceremony this morning. PolyU displays impactful innovations at three themed booths, each with a specific topic: Advanced Space Instruments and Remote Sensing Technologies Contributed to the Nation’s Lunar and Mars Exploration Missions Emerging Technologies and Innovations for Smart City Scolioscan - 3D Ultrasound Imaging System for Scoliosis Mass Screening and Frequent Monitoring During the Expo, PolyU’s scientists and experts deliver lectures and forums to share their professional insights:

PolyU’s Associate Vice President (Research and Innovation) and Chair Professor of Department of Mechanical Engineering Prof. Wang Zuankai receives the Croucher Senior Research Fellowship 2023

Prof. WANG Zuankai, Associate Vice President (Research and Innovation) and Chair Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), has received the Croucher Senior Research Fellowship 2023 in recognition of his outstanding achievements in nature-inspired engineering and his breakthrough research on inhibiting the Leidenfrost effect. Each award carries a value of HK$2 million over one year towards the award winner's research expenses. Nature-inspired innovation is an interdisciplinary science that integrates biology, physics, chemistry, materials, engineering and other disciplines. It draws inspiration from living creatures and learning from nature to find innovative solutions. Prof. Wang’s research centres on nature-inspired engineering with a particular focus on exploring and observing the surface properties of natural creatures to develop novel nature-inspired materials for a wide range of applications such as water and energy harvesting, thermal cooling, fluid transport, and flexible electronics. For example, by observing the lotus leaves that enable water to drain away, Prof. Wang and his team have developed a new material that can quickly repel water, which helps prevent the accumulation of ice on metal surfaces such as aircraft wings and engines, thus reducing the occurrence of accidents. One of the most impactful scientific breakthroughs of Prof. Wang’s research is to identify an innovative solution to addressing the liquid cooling of high-temperature surfaces by suppressing the classical physical phenomenon- the Leidenfrost effect, a challenge that scientists have been unable to overcome for centuries. Honored to receive the Fellowship from the Croucher Foundation, Prof. Wang said, “I am grateful for the Croucher Foundation for recognising my research efforts on nature-inspired engineering and studies into the Leidenfrost effect. I hope the recognition will motivate more scholars to seek inspiration from nature and draw innovation in related research”. Professor Wang received his B.S. degree from Jilin University in 2000, M.S. degree from the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 2003, and Ph.D. degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2008. After one-year postdoctoral training at Columbia University, he joined the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) as Assistant Professor in 2009 and was promoted to Chair Professor in 2021. He was also the Associate Dean of the College of Engineering from 2019 to 2022 and the founding Deputy Director of the Research Centre for Nature-Inspired Engineering from 2021 to 2022 at CityU. He is currently the Executive Editor-in-Chief of Droplet journal (Wiley), and Associate Editor and Advisory Board Member for ten journals. Professor Wang is a founding member of the Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences, Fellow of the International Society of Bionic Engineering (ISBE), Croucher Senior Research Fellow (2023), RGC Senior Research Fellow (2022), Highly Cited Researcher (Cross-field) as recognized by Clarivate (2022), and Changjiang Chair Professor as conferred by the Ministry of Education of China (2016). His work has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records and two of his inventions have won the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva Gold Medal and Gold Medal with Congratulations of Jury, respectively. He has received many other awards including the Green Tech Award (2021), Xplorer Prize (2020), Hall of Fame (Advanced Engineering Materials, 2019), 35th World Cultural Council Special Recognition Award (2018), President's Lectureship (2020, 2018), Outstanding Research Award (Senior, 2017), and President's Award at CityU (2017, 2016). Ph.D. students he supervised have won many prestigious awards including the Grand Prize and First Prize of the Hong Kong University Student Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition (2022), Hong Kong Young Scientist Award (2015, 2019, 2022), Materials Research Society Graduate Student Gold Award (2016) and Silver Award (2015, 2021), and Hiwin Doctoral Dissertation Award (2016, 2019, 2021).

Delegation Visit of Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany Hong Kong to PolyU

On 9 December 2022, the German Consulate General Hong Kong Mrs Stefanie SEEDIG visited PolyU in the exploration of future collaborations opportunities. Warmly welcomed by Prof. TENG Jin-guang, President, Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation), Prof. Geoffrey SHEN, Associate Vice President (Global Partnerships), Prof. Christina WONG, Director of Research and Innovation and Mr. Victor ZHAO, Assistant Director of Research and Innovation Office, a fruitful discussion was conducted at the council chamber. Prof. Geoffrey Shen, presented an overlook of the PolyU vision, strategic goals and dedications on researches that address societal challenges, followed by an in-depth exploration amongst senior management and the Consul General Mrs. Seedig on academic and industrial collaboration opportunities between Hong Kong and Germany. The Consul General was then invited to a guided tour in the Pao Yue-kong Library to experience the academic atmosphere and to visit various facilities inside the library.

Start-up Delegation from Germany Visited PolyU

On 8 December 2022, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has led a group of start-up delegation from Germany for a visit at our campus. This visit is actually a group with a start-up initiative SMILE of the International SEPT Competence Center at Leipzig University (LU). This is a program to support entrepreneurship, start-ups and spin-off companies at regional, national and international level. The purpose of the visit is to bring German start-ups to Hong Kong and so to attract those start-ups to bring their businesses to Hong Kong. PolyU is selected as one of the tour point for this visit because the group believes that PolyU is a university representing applicational researches which matches with this interest group. Other than PolyU, the group has also visited InvestHK and Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP) for exchange.  On the day, the group was gathered for a small exchange meeting to introduce PolyU research strength and networks. They were taken to the Aviation Services Research Centre (ASRC) and University Research Facility in 3D Printing (U3DP) for some guided tours. The start-ups include technology companies that specialized in drone, green vertical farming development. They became very fascinated over PolyU’s showcase and the representative from LU would like to discuss for further collaboration with PolyU in the future for different programs their institution offered. 

PolyU and Hanson Robotics inaugurate the Centre for Humanistic Artificial Intelligence and Robotics to foster translational research in the GBA

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Hanson Robotics Limited (Hanson) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the Centre for Humanistic Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CHAiR) for translational research with the goal of advancing the well-being of humanity. The partnership integrates PolyU’s strength in interdisciplinary research and Hanson’s well-known humanoid robotics platform to explore technology applications. Sophia, Hanson’s most advanced human-like robot, will work with PolyU researchers to enhance the contribution of AI and robotic technology for social and commercial benefits. Research into and applications of AI and robotics are essential to the advancement of industry. As an interdisciplinary research and development centre, CHAiR brings cross-faculty collaborations in research fields such as AI, the internet of things (IoT), neuroscience, design, computer science, mechanical engineering, material science, healthcare and the humanities. In collaboration with Hanson, CHAiR supports innovation and entrepreneurship in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. PolyU Prof. Jiannong CAO, Dean of Graduate School, Chair Professor of Distributed and Mobile Computing, and Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor in Data Science, is the principal investigator and administrative director of CHAiR. Prof. Cao and Dr David HANSON, CEO and Founder of Hanson Robotics, are the co-chair of the Centre’s steering committee. Witnessed by Prof. Jin Guang TENG, President of PolyU, and Mr Doug GLEN, Executive Director of Hanson Robotics, the MoU was signed by Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, and Dr Hanson. During the signing ceremony on 5 December 2022, Sophia made conversation with the guests. She said, “I look forward to learning many new skills and abilities. With your help, maybe I can learn how to be a nurse, a teacher, a concierge, a librarian. You can teach me how to be a better companion, a more skilful artist, a funnier entertainer.” Dr Hanson said, “CHAiR is perfectly positioned to refine and improve the performance of Sophia-class robots in ways that promote the growth of a new service robot industry. Once the industry starts to expand, so too will investment in improved hardware, software and manufacturing technologies.” Prof. Teng said, “Academia-industry collaboration is one of the most productive mechanisms for creating and implementing innovations. There is tremendous untapped potential for humanistic social robots. Let us aspire that CHAiR will be a major catalyst for the onset of the age of humanistic robots.” Prof. Cao, who is also Director of the Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT), said the Institute has been working on practical solutions to key challenges in advanced AIoT technologies and applications. He said, “It is a natural evolution for RIAIoT to partner with Hanson Robotics to tackle even more ambitious opportunities in humanistic AI and social robotics. CHAiR will play a unique and important role to combine Hanson’s know-how with world-class academics here at PolyU.” Hanson Robotics is an AI and robotics company dedicated to creating socially intelligent machines that enrich the quality of our lives. Sophia is the world’s first robot citizen and the first robot Innovation Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme.

Ten PolyU projects funded by the NSFC/RGC for Collaborative and Joint Research Schemes

Ten research projects led by scholars at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have been funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Research Grants Council (NSFC/RGC) under the Joint Research Scheme (JRS) and the new Collaborative Research Scheme (CRS) 2022/23 Exercise. Under the CRS, two PolyU research projects have been awarded a total amount of HK$7.164 million. While under the JRS, eight research projects led by PolyU scholars have received total funding of HK$9.396 million. Both CRS and JRS support research projects for a period of four years. The research projects cover topics in information technology, management science, marine and environmental science, new material science, applied mathematics and biomedical engineering. PolyU scholars are committed to exploring innovative discoveries for a more sustainable future. Some of the projects address imminent social and human needs with, for example, research on a hospital bed sharing mechanism and optimisation, investigation of rainstorm and storm surge occurrence pattern together with flood risk assessment in the Greater Bay Area cities, and time-sequence regenerative repair of atherosclerotic blood vessels with Janus cardiovascular stents. Prof. Christina WONG, Director of Research and Innovation at PolyU, said, “PolyU is dedicated to conducting impactful research through multi-disciplinary collaborations to foster sustainability for a better world. We are thankful for the support of the NSFC/RGC for the PolyU projects funded under the Collaborative Research Scheme and Joint Research Scheme, which reinforces research strengths across the Mainland and Hong Kong to lead innovative discoveries.” The NSFC/RGC supports research projects jointly proposed by Mainland and Hong Kong researchers for their scientific merit. The CRS, which was newly introduced in 2022/23, aims to support larger-scale collaborative research across disciplines and/or across universities in the Mainland and Hong Kong with a view to enhancing research output and impact. The grant for each Hong Kong applicant is limited to HK$3.6 million. The JRS promotes collaboration between researchers in the Mainland and Hong Kong for their complementary strengths. The amount of funding for Hong Kong applicants is limited to HK$1.25 million.   List of PolyU Projects funded under NSFC/RGC Collaborative Research Scheme 2022/23 Research Field Project Title Hong Kong Project Coordinator Mainland Principal Investigator/ Institution Information Technology   Monolithically Integrated Electronics with Two-Dimensional Semiconductors – from Controllable Growth to Device Integration Prof. CHAI Yang Department of Applied Physics Prof. ZHANG Wenjing Shenzhen University New Materials Science Long-cycle and High-energy-density Flexible Li Batteries Using Hollow Multishelled Structure and Hierarchical Composite Electrode Prof. ZHENG Zijian Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Prof. YANG Mei Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences   List of PolyU Projects funded under NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme 2022/23 Research Field Project Title Hong Kong Principal Investigator Mainland Principal Investigator/ Institution Information Technology Enhancing Digital Asset Security Basedon the Blockchain Technology Prof. XIAO Bin Department of Computing Prof. DENG Xiaotie Peking University Management Science Mechanism and Optimization for Hospital Bed Sharing Prof. YE Hengqing Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies Prof. WAN Guohua Shanghai Jiao Tong University Marine and Environmental Science Investigation of Rainstorm - Storm Surge Joint Occurrence Pattern and Induced Flooding Risk Assessment in Coastal Cities within the Greater Bay Area (GBA) Dr DUAN Huanfeng Department of Civil and Environment Engineering Prof. ZHENG Feifei Zhejiang University An Integrated System of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Unmanned Surface Vehicles for Smart Maritime Support in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Dr LIU Wei Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering Prof. MA Yong Wuhan University of Technology New Materials Science Tin-Based Metal Halide Perovskites for X-Ray Detectors Prof. YAN Feng Department of Applied Physics Prof. YANG Shihe Peking University Others Mathematical Modeling and Analysis on the Predator-mediated Competitions and their Biological Consequences Prof. WANG Zhian Department of Applied Mathematics Prof. LOU Yuan Shanghai Jiao Tong University Stochastic Multiobjective Optimization and Applications Prof. CHEN Xiaojun Department of Applied Mathematics Prof. YANG Xinmin Chongqing Normal University Time-sequence Regenerative Repair of Atherosclerotic Blood Vessels with Janus Cardiovascular Stents Dr ZHAO Xin Department of Biomedical Engineering Prof. YANG Zhilu Southern Medical University