News

PAIR’s research institutes and research centres attain excellent results in the Environment and Conservation Fund 2021-22 research funding exercise

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has achieved excellent results in the Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF) 2021-22 funding exercise for Environmental Research, Technology Demonstration and Conference Projects. The ECF was set up by the Government in 1994 for funding educational and research projects on environmental and conservation matters. Research and Technology Demonstration Projects awarded by the ECF will contribute in a direct and practical way towards environmental improvement and conservation of the local environment, or promote and encourage adoption of green technologies in Hong Kong. Among the 41 awarded research projects from local UGC-funded universities, PolyU received the highest number of projects awarded and topped the amount of funding granted. In all, the University received a total of HK$10 million in funding from the ECF, supporting 13 research projects ranging from the study of how high purity oxygen could enhance sewage treatment, using remote sensing technology and AI for monitoring oil spills in the sea, producing hydrogen while purifying wastewater simultaneously by solar power, to the development of a smart robot that can pick up and sort litter in difficult terrain automatically.  In which, 10 research projects with the total of HK$8.5 million in funding from the ECF were granted to the following PAIR’s constituent research units:   Project Lead Researcher Funding Amount Related RI/RC Engineering a microbial biosensor for monitoring microplastics pollution Dr CHUA Song Lin Assistant Professor, ABCT HK$499,000 RCDSE Green Conversion of Microalgal Biomass into High Value Products Dr YUNG Ka-fu Associate Professor, ABCT HK$498,000 RISE Optimal design of high performance textile-based solar steam generator by tunable capillary evaporation Dr SHOU Dahua Assistant Professor, ITC HK$485,300 RISE Innovative Bifacial Solar Photovoltaic: from theoretical model to its practical application in Hong Kong Ir Prof. LU Lin Vivien Professor, BEEE HK$494,000 RISE and RISUD World Meteorological Organization (WMO) - Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) VOC Expert Workshop Ir Prof. GUO Hai Professor, CEE HK$500,000 RISUD Study of High Purity Oxygen Aeration for Biological Polishing of Chemical Enhanced Primary Treated Sewage Effluent and Cellulase Production from Sludge Dr LEU Shao Yuan Associate Professor, CEE HK$1,999,800 RISUD and RCRE Recycling yard waste into new-generation biochar adsorbents for CO2 and VOCs removal Prof. Dan TSANG Professor, CEE HK$1,179,557 RCRE Climate-Resilient Planning and Design for Coastal Stormwater Drainage Systems Dr WANG Shuo Assistant Professor, LSGI HK$490,600 RILS A multi-source remote sensing based technique for monitoring oil spills Prof. Charles Man-sing WONG Professor, LSGI HK$1,920,520 RILS Intelligent monitoring and diagnosis platform for second-life battery energy storage systems based on artificial intelligence and internet of things technologies Dr WANG Minghao Research Assistant Professor, EE HK$499,000 RISE Total Funding Amount: HK$8,565,777  

PRI researchers developed optical fibre sensing networks for medical applications

Cochlear implantation surgery is the current standard of care to treat profound sensorineural hearing loss. The quality of hearing restored to a deaf patient vastly depends on accurate positioning of the Electrode Array of the cochlear implant while preserving the delicate cochlear membranes. The research team led by Prof. Tam, Hwa-yaw, Associate Director of the Photonics Research Institute developed optical fibre sensing networks which facilitate medical doctors to monitor and perform surgery. The team developed fabricated novel ZEONEX based polymer optical fibers integrated with these cochlear implants aid in force detection and navigation in real-time during the implantation process. The low stiffness properties of these fibers compared to the widely used glass fibers can be considered as one of the key features that make them excellent candidates for this surgical prosthesis. The ZEONEX based polymeric fibers have also been incorporated in the assessment of femoral fracture recoveries. Femoral fracture is a life-threatening injury where early surgical stabilization is now the standard treatment for this injury to allow mobilization and rehabilitation. The outstanding flexibility of these novel fibers together with biocompatibility and insensitivity towards humidity permit them to be utilized with orthopaedic implants to estimate the recovery of the fractured femurs. This is carried out by observing the strain response of polymer optical fiber sensors to various loading and unloading conditions of the femurs. Please check the link for his interview with a TV programme  :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JED-AmdR10 (Chinese Only)

RI-IWEAR and PRI researchers developed retina-like sensors give machines better vision

Inspired by the human retina, Dr Chai Yang and his research teams at RI-IWEAR and PRI developed devices that can perceive objects in a light-intensity range substantially wider than that of state-of-the-art sensors based on silicon. Such instruments could improve the efficiency and reduce the complexity of machine-vision technology. The research achievement has been published in Nature Electronics and selected as the “Research Highlights” in Nature journal. Please click the following links for details: Nature Electronics: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41928-022-00713-1 Nature’s Research Highlights: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00360-8

PAIR's members honoured with the President’s Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Knowledge Transfer 2021 of PolyU

Congratulations to the following research team leaders and team members from PAIR’s Research Institutes and Research Centres for honoured with the President’s Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Knowledge Transfer 2021 of PolyU! Category Project Leader and Members Related RIs/RCs Individual Awards in Knowledge Transfer: Industry Prof. Bo Wu RCDSE Ir Prof. Yongping Zheng RISA     Team Awards in Knowledge Transfer: Industry Prof. Tam Hwa-yaw Ir Dr Lee Kang Kuen Dr S.Y.M. Liu Dr Stephen Cho Mr David H.Y. Au PRI   Prof. Tao Xiaoming Prof. Xu Bingang Dr Hua Tao RI-IWEAR Prof. To Chi-ho Prof. Carly S.Y. Lam Dr Dennis Tse Yan-yin RCSV Ir Prof. Wang Shengwei Prof. Xiao Fu Dr H.X. Li Dr Shan Kui RISE Ir Prof. K.L. Yung Mr Ko Sui Man Mr Sam C.W. Lam Dr Kwan Folk Year Mr Chan Chi Leung Dr James Foster Mr Tang Jing Jung Ms Nicole Chan Chi-wa Mr Eno Ho-yat Lam Mr Michael Lok Ching-ho Mr Sky Tam Ms Joanne Wong Mr Choi Sheung Wai Ir Dr Robert W.M. Tam Mr Kong Kang Hoi Ir Juliana M.Y. Tam Mr Chan Kwan Yau Mr Chang Ka Ho Mr Cheung Cheuk Kin Mr Dragon Li Yan-lung Mr Wan Chan Tong Mr Yu Tin Lun Mr Tang Wing Lok Mr Wan Chin Ting Billy Mr Ho Yiu Cheong Mr So Kin Tak Mr Chan Chi Keung Mr Man Chan RCDSE            

PAIR's members won the Faculty/School Awards 2021 in Knowledge Transfer of PolyU

Congratulations to the following award recipients of the Faculty/School Awards 2021 in Knowledge Transfer of PolyU! Category Faculty/School Sub-category Project Leader and Team Members Related RIs/RCs Individual Awards FAST Industry Prof. L. Li RI-IWEAR FAST Dr Liu Rong Sally RI-IWEAR FB Industry Dr Yong Jimmy Jin RiFood and RIAIoT FCE Industry Prof. Bo Wu RCDSE FENG Industry Ir Prof. Yongping Zheng RISA SD Society Ir Prof. Kin Wai Michael Siu RISUD Team Awards FCE Society Prof. John W.Z. Shi Dr Zhang Anshu Dr Zhang Min SCRI FENG Industry Prof. Tam Hwa-yaw Ir Dr Lee Kang Kuen Dr S.Y.M. Liu Dr Stephen Cho Mr David H.Y. Au PRI Ir Prof. K.L. Yung Mr Ko Sui Man Mr Sam C.W. Lam Dr Kwan Folk Year Mr Chan Chi Leung Dr James Foster Mr Tang Jing Jung Ms Nicole Chan Chi-wa Mr Eno Ho-yat Lam Mr Michael Lok Ching-ho Mr Sky Tam Ms Joanne Wong Mr Choi Sheung Wai Ir Dr Robert W.M. Tam Mr Kong Kang Hoi Ir Juliana M.Y. Tam Mr Chan Kwan Yau Mr Chang Ka Ho Mr Cheung Cheuk Kin Mr Dragon Li Yan-lung Mr Wan Chan Tong Mr Yu Tin Lun Mr Tang Wing Lok Mr Wan Chin Ting Billy Mr Ho Yiu Cheong Mr So Kin Tak Mr Chan Chi Keung Mr Man Chan RCDSE FHSS Industry Prof. To Chi-ho Prof. Carly S.Y. Lam Dr Dennis Tse Yan-yin RCSV

RISUD's director receives Clair C. Patterson Award for outstanding achievements in environmental geochemistry

Professor Xiang-dong LI, Dean of Faculty of Construction and Environment and Director of Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), was honoured with the Clair C. Patterson Award 2022 in recognition of his innovative and dynamic work in environmental geochemistry, including research in the fields of regional contamination, urban air PM2.5 pollution, and the origin and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. The Clair C. Patterson Award is presented to only one recipient annually by the Geochemical Society for an innovative breakthrough in environmental geochemistry of fundamental significance within the last decade, particularly in service to society. Congratulations to Prof. Li ! Please click here for more details.

RCRE: The interdisciplinary solid waste recycling research centre for carbon neutrality technology and policy

The Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) is PAIR's constiutuent research unit for cutting-edge technology and policy research in solid waste recycling issues, a critical area in achieving carbon neutrality to tackle climate change. RCRE will focus its efforts on four research directions, including policy and society, environmental and economic impact, waste-to-resource technology, as well as recycling and sustainable construction. Let's click this link to check out the vision, research directions and mission of this newly established Research Centre!  

PolyU develops seamless urban navigation system

Professor Chen Wu, PolyU’s Associate Director of Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things and Head of Department of Land Surveying and Geo- Informatics, led a research team to develop a Seamless Urban Navigation System. Applying this novel system, the positioning accuracy is within 10 metres for smartphones. To achieve high precision positioning, researchers integrated measurements provided by multiple GNSSs - China’s BeiDou, the US’s GPS, Europe’s Galileo and Russia’s GLONASS.  The system also won a Silver Medal in the Special Edition 2021 Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days - Virtual Event and a Hong Kong Smart City Award (Smart Mobility Category) in 2018. Please click here to view more detail about the report.  

New far infrared fibre with great potential for functional and healthcare textiles developed

Prof. Lilly Li, a member of Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems and PolyU’s Institute of Textiles and Clothing, has developed a new way of producing fibres that can absorb and emit far-infrared (FIR) radiation more efficiently than conventional methods. The novel technology can be used to produce high-quality, functional apparel and healthcare products. Unlike the traditional method, Prof. Li’s innovative approach is chemical-free. It is more eco-friendly and cost-effective than the traditional one. It works by modifying the structure of the cross-section of man-made fibres from a conventional circular shape to a triangular one, which is significantly better at both FIR absorption and emission.   The innovation has won Prof. Li a Gold Medal and a Special Merit Award (the Best International Invention, National Research Council of Thailand) at the 47th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva 2019 and a Gold Award at the 4th China (Shanghai) International Exhibition of Invention and Innovation 2021.    Please click here to view more detail about the report.

Monitoring medical conditions from inside the body with optical fibre microsensors

Professor Tam Hwa-yaw, Associate Director of Photonics Research Institute, Chair Professor of Photonics and Head of PolyU’s Department of Electrical Engineering, has led a research team to develop novel fibre optic microsensors, which can be implanted into people’s bodies to enable more accurate medical surveillance for surgery and treatment. The research team used an advanced plastic material, ZEONEX, to develop the microsensors, while they also added a ‘side hole’ inside the optical fibres to enhance their sensitivity. Named the “Side Hole Polymer Optical Fibre Sensors”, the microsensors are biocompatible, supple and extremely sensitive to very small pressure changes inside human bodies. It can be made as small as a few micrometres and their sensitivity to pressure is 20 times that of traditional optical fibre sensors. Also, as the microsensors are humidity insensitive, shatter-resistant, chemically inert and biocompatible, they can potentially be used for a broader range of medical applications. The “Side Hole Polymer Optical Fibre Sensors” research findings were published in 2021 in US-based The Optical Society’s Optics Letters. Some of the applications jointly developed with other universities have already been granted patents. Please click here to view more detail about the report.