News

Prof. Vivien LU integrates green radiative cooling coating with photovoltaics for energy saving in buildings

The PolyU Carbon Neutrality Funding Scheme aims to support the application of university research outcomes and to take the campus as a testbed to apply research solutions, with a goal of achieving carbon neutrality on campus and supporting Hong Kong’s goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. With support from the Scheme, Prof. Vivien LU Lin, Member of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE), and Professor of the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering, and her research team, has integrated the solar-driven adaptive radiative cooling (SARC) coating they developed, with bifacial solar photovoltaics (PV) to achieve synergistic enhancement in thermal management and power generation, transforming buildings from energy consumers into energy harvesters. The team is planning to install bifacial PV panels on the rooftops of the under-construction PolyU Kowloon Tong Student Hostel, with new coating applied on the corresponding area under the panels, to enhance power generation while radiatively cooling the buildings. The carbon dots (CDs)-driven photoluminescent radiative cooling nanocoating can be applied to building rooftops and exterior walls. This novel coating can automatically adjust its absorption and emission of solar and thermal radiation in response to changes in environmental temperature or light conditions, helping to mitigate the heat island effect caused by building materials. It uses photoluminescence technology to convert ultraviolet light into visible light, thereby improving the absorption and utilisation of light by PV and increasing its conversion efficiency. Compared to traditional coatings, this novel coating can effectively improve effective daytime solar reflectance from 92.5% to 95%, increase the cooling effect by 10% to 20%, and reduce the temperature by up to 25°C when applied to concrete rooftops. This nanocoating is environmentally friendly, water-soluble, volatile organic compounds (VOCs)-free, and can be produced in various colours, thus demonstrating significant application potential. Press Release: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/media/media-releases/2024/0924_polyu-researchers-unveil-novel-carbon-dots-driven-green-radiative-cooling-coating/ Online coverage: Sing Tao Headline - https://polyu.me/4hofXLG (Chinese only)

PolyU extends partnership with PATA for Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has extended its partnership with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) for another three years (2024–2027) to continue the publication of the Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts reports. The agreement was signed by Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation), and Mr Noor Ahmad HAMID, Chief Executive Officer of PATA.   Prof. SONG Haiyan, Director of the Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCDTT), Mr and Mrs Chan Chak Fu Professor in International Tourism, and Associate Dean and Chair Professor of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management visited the PATA Headquarter on 10 January 2025 to discuss this important collaborative project with Mr Noor Ahmad HAMID.  The two parties agreed to collaborate on the project titled “Further Development of the Tourism Demand Forecasting for Asia Pacific Region (Phase 4)”. The project aims to leverage advanced statistical forecasting techniques, scenario analyses, artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and stakeholder insights to produce comprehensive Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts reports. These reports cover inbound visitors, tourism receipts and departures, providing tourism professionals, businesses and destinations with crucial insights for policymaking, strategic planning and operational management, thus enabling them to navigate evolving demand patterns and make informed decisions in the face of current and future global challenges. Online coverage: Travel Daily News - https://polyu.me/4gUcVip LeMonde - https://polyu.me/4jdiNEN Travel and Tour World - https://polyu.me/40l4C82 TTR Weekly - https://polyu.me/4hgWmwH  

PolyU-invented Mobile Ankle-foot Exoneuromusculoskeleton wins CES 2025 Innovation Award in US

The Mobile Ankle-foot Exoneuromusculoskeleton developed by Prof. HU Xiaoling, Associate Professor of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Co-founder of PolyU startup Thecon Technology (HK) Limited, and her research team, received the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 Innovation Award in the Accessibility and AgeTech category at the CES 2025 held in Las Vegas, United States.  Prof. Hu is a Member of the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) and the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports). The award-winning innovation is a multimodal robot rehabilitation designed for ankle-foot rehabilitation, specifically aimed at improving the motor function and walking ability of stroke patients.  Organised by the Consumer Technology Association, CES is the world’s largest and most influential consumer electronics technology exhibition. This year’s event features over 4,500 global exhibitors, showcasing innovations demonstrating the integration of cutting-edge electronic technology with modern living. Press release: https://polyu.me/4gFquC5 Online coverage: KTSF26 - https://polyu.me/3WaypyT The Sun Daily - https://polyu.me/3C3ukGa Sina HK - https://polyu.me/40uDlRR Hong Kong Economic Times - https://polyu.me/3E4pfxG Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/40cAQSN Hong Kong Commercial Daily - https://polyu.me/403wlda HK01 - https://polyu.me/4jbzgcI Dot Dot News - https://polyu.me/4fNvaVn Hong Kong China News Agency - https://polyu.me/4hc8f7k Forbes - https://polyu.me/3WgK2V6

Inaugural issue of Innovation Digest is now available

We are pleased to share that PolyU has launched its brand new research newsletter Innovation Digest! The inaugural issue showcases the ground-breaking research work undertaken by PolyU’s academics in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), and highlights eight cutting-edge research studies, including projects led by PAIR researchers. These studies exhibit the breadth and depth of AI research at our university, reflecting our dedication to addressing real-world challenges through technological advancement. Six Research Highlight articles featuring studies by PAIR researchers: Collaborative Edge Computing Enabled AIoT by Prof. CAO Jiannong https://polyu.hk/IbIXJ Bioinspired In-sensor Computing Architectures and Optimisation in Sensory AI Systems by Prof. CHAI Yang https://polyu.hk/TgpPO AI-Driven Topographic Analysis of Asteroids to Support Future Asteroid Exploration and Sampling Missions by Prof. WU Bo https://polyu.hk/mgIkD Smart Adaptation: The Fusion of AI and Robotics for Dynamic Environments by Prof. ZHANG Dan https://polyu.hk/odVdn Machine Learning Accelerates the Synthesis of Novel Catalyst for Green Energy by Prof. NI Meng https://polyu.hk/apQEc Integrating Machine Learning with Total Network Controllability Analysis to Identify Therapeutic Targets for Cancer Treatment by Prof. ZHANG Weixiong https://polyu.hk/qCulR Check out full e-version: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/publications/innovationdigest/

PolyU holds New Year’s Day flag-raising ceremony and University Gallery opening ceremony

PolyU held a flag-raising ceremony and the opening ceremony of the University Gallery on 1 January 2025 on campus. Both ceremonies were graced by Council Chairman Dr LAM Tai-fai, President Prof. TENG Jin-Guang and other management members. Through engaging profiles and exhibits, the University Gallery illustrates the University’s evolution and rich history in the past eight decades. It highlights the University’s endeavours over the years in offering quality education and nurturing future leaders to meet the needs of social and economic development, while also sharing stories of distinguished PolyU researchers including scholars at PAIR who are devoted to translating their research outcomes into innovative solutions to address global challenges, thereby benefiting Hong Kong, the Nation and the world. Come visit now to discover the stories of PAIR researchers and receive an exquisite souvenir while stock lasts! Play the University Gallery video via Facebook. Press release: https://polyu.me/4fEVDo0 Online coverage: Ming Pao Daily News - https://polyu.me/3W0RlQE Ta Kung Pao - https://polyu.me/49XQpT5 Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/3PkdBkK Hong Kong Commercial Daily - https://polyu.me/49YS76E Dot Dot News - https://polyu.me/4fBmhhz Hong Kong China News Agency - https://polyu.me/3DEDmK2  

Prof. BU Siqi develops real-time assessment method for addressing multiple stability problems in power systems

Prof. BU Siqi, Member of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Associate Professor and Associate Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and his colleagues recently published a research paper titled “Real-time Multi-stability Risk Assessment and Visualization of Power Systems: A Graph Neural Network-based Method” in IEEE Transactions on Power Systems. The paper proposed a real-time Multi-stability Risk Assessment (MSRA) method based on a graph neural network (GNN) for addressing multiple stability problems in renewable energy-integrated power systems effectively, including rotor angle (small-disturbance and transient), voltage (short-term and long-term), frequency and converter-driven stability. The team employed a GraphNorm method to tackle the over-smoothing problems and improve the generalisability of GNN. The method proposed by the team can simultaneously and continuously predict the risks of the multiple types of stability based on real-time data, and visualise the stable and unstable operation regions (SURs) based on alpha shapes. The effectiveness of the proposed method was verified in the IEEE 39-bus system, the 179-bus western electricity coordinating council (WECC) system, and the Great Britain (GB) system. Read the full paper: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10819251/metrics#metrics

RIAIoT member Dr ZHANG Shuowen recognised as “N²Women Rising Star”

Congratulations to Dr ZHANG Shuowen, Member of the Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT), for being recognised by N2Women (Networking Networking Women) as one of the ten “N²Women 2024 Rising Stars in Computer Networking and Communications”, for her outstanding contributions to solving challenging beamforming and resource allocation optimisation problems in various wireless communication systems. N2Women is a discipline-specific community of researchers in the fields of networking and communications. It encourages diversity and aims at fostering connections among under-represented women in the computing sub-field. Its annual list of rising stars recognises women who have outstanding research outcomes and/or service contributions in the field. Full list: https://n2women.comsoc.org/awards/rising-stars/2024-rising-stars-in-computer-networking-and-communications/

Ir Prof. ZHANG Ming featured in Wen Wei Po on enhancing diving techniques through sports science and technologies research

Ir Prof. ZHANG Ming, Director of the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports), Chair Professor and Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, gave an exclusive interview to Wen Wei Po, sharing how research in sports science and technologies can be used to improve diving techniques, thereby enhancing the safety and success rate of diving. Prof. Zhang, along with his PhD student Ms WANG Xin, former member of the national diving team and the gold medallist in the women’s synchronised 10-metre platform at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is utilising waterproof, wireless, flexible body sensors, cameras, etc., to record data on the impact and pressure experienced by various body parts, including joints and muscles, during the take-off, aerial phase, and entry of a dive, with the aim of determining whether the force can cause injuries, so as to find methods for preventing injuries, and enhancing the difficulty and performance of the divers’ moves. Prof. Zhang candidly stated that this research is still in its preliminary stage, and the team needs to conduct further follow-up basic research to ensure its accuracy. He hopes to eventually establish a digital model of the human body, which can be used to analyse the pressure on various body parts of athletes during the diving process. Online coverage: Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/3BDp63N; https://polyu.me/3ZV2GTt; https://polyu.me/4gSfMYE; https://polyu.me/4gVlTLW

Prof. ZHENG Yongping features in The 21st Century Business Herald on his research journey

Ir Prof. ZHENG Yongping, Director of the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA), Director of the Jockey Club Smart Ageing Hub, Henry G. Leong Professor in Biomedical Engineering and Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering, was interviewed by The 21st Century Business Herald on his journey of research into ultrasound as well as Scolioscan®, the world’s first radiation-free 3D ultrasound scoliosis assessment system developed by his team. Online coverage: The 21st Century Business Herald - https://polyu.me/41NUZRP Sina - https://polyu.me/3BLX2uW NetEase - https://polyu.me/3PffI9s

PolyU awarded Green Tech Fund to develop low-carbon marine self-healing concrete for achieving carbon neutrality

The project titled “Marine self-healing concrete with biomineralization-enhanced construction waste for long-term decarbonization” led by Prof. LI Xiangdong, Director of Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), Dean of Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE), Chair Professor of Environmental Science and Technology, and Ko Jan Ming Professor in Sustainable Urban Development, has been awarded approximately HK$ 6.03 million from the Green Tech Fund for a duration of 24 months. This project focuses on designing and developing low-carbon marine self-healing concrete by incorporating biomineralization-enhanced recycled aggregates (RAs). Marine carbon-capturing bacteria will utilise carbon dioxide (CO2) to accelerate carbonisation and improve RAs, thereby addressing the issue of scarce natural aggregates, reducing CO2 emissions, and achieving the recycling of construction waste. In addition, this microbial concrete structure possesses self-healing properties that enhance its durability, providing a significant advantage in achieving long-term decarbonization and sustainability objectives. Press release: https://polyu.me/3CctkQ2 Online coverage: Hong Kong Economic Times - https://polyu.me/4iMpJbR Hong Kong Commercial Daily - https://polyu.me/3Wh2vBd Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/3PDcYTy