News

Innovating for the future: From soils to the atmosphere, unveiling the true drivers of ozone pollution

In response to worsening ozone pollution, Prof. Tao WANG, Chair Professor of Atmospheric Environment of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and his research team focus on photochemical air pollution, investigating ozone and fine particulate matter as major air pollutants through laboratory, field, and numerical studies. The research team has quantified emission factors of reactive nitrogen from soils and organic gases from trees, while also assessing chloride emissions from human and oceanic sources. They found that the impacts of soil emissions are often underestimated, while biogenic emissions are frequently overestimated. They also uncovered the role of halogen atoms in polluted air and identified new pathways for organic fine particulate formation. Based on the evidence, they recommend targeted mitigation measures to reduce winter haze in North China and photochemical smog in South China, and to strengthen regional policy frameworks.  

PolyU and Deep Space Exploration Lab jointly launch first national deep space cultural and creative works promotion event, blending aerospace with arts to spark widespread enthusiasm for space exploration

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PolyU welcomes the first delegation from Xinjiang Agricultural University

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) welcomed a delegation from Xinjiang Agricultural University (XJAU) on 11 June, marking the first visit between the two institutions. Both sides engaged in in-depth discussions on talent cultivation, student affairs, and research collaboration, laying a solid foundation for closer future partnership. The XJAU delegation was led by Prof. Xie Shuqing, Secretary of the CPC XJAU Committee, together with Prof. Yang Zhijiang, Director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Office, Prof. Shi Shubing, Dean of the Graduate School, Prof. Wu Penghao, Director of the Science and Technology Department, and Prof. Guo Qingyong, Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. The PolyU representative team was led by Prof. Dong Cheng, Associate Vice President (Knowledge Transfer), along with representatives from Prof. Xia Yong, Associate Dean of Graduate School, Prof. Dai Jiyan, Associate Dean of Students and Professor of the Department of Applied Physics, Prof. Chiou Jiachi,  Associate Head and Associate Professor of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Prof. Zhu Xiaolin, Associate Professor of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, and Prof. Wen Weisong, Assistant Professor of the Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering, highlighting a strong interdisciplinary engagement. During the visit, the delegation explored PolyU’s University Exhibition Gallery, gaining insights into its rich history and societal contributions, and toured the Mass Spectrometer Laboratory of the Life Science Central Laboratory and the University Research Facility in 3D Printing (U3DP), experiencing the University’s state-of-the-art research infrastructure. PolyU looks forward to working closely with XJAU to jointly promote innovation in agricultural technology and interdisciplinary research collaboration, contributing to sustainable development and knowledge exchange.  

Media report: PolyU AI-Powered pipeline robot enhances urban infrastructure safety

Prof. Wallace Lai Wai-lok, Associate Head (Teaching) and Professor of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo‑Informatics at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), was recently featured on the RTHK’s programme, showcasing an AI-powered pipeline inspection robot co-developed with the Water Supplies Department and a technology company. Designed for Hong Kong’s high-density urban environment, the robot is equipped with acoustic sensors, high-definition cameras, and positioning technologies, supported by AI analytics. It is capable of conducting precise inspections in confined, complex underground pipelines, enabling real-time data collection and early fault detection. Prof. Lai highlighted that innovative technologies play a crucial role in strengthening urban infrastructure management and advancing sustainable development. By integrating geo-informatics with intelligent systems, this research represents a significant step towards automated and smart inspection of underground utilities, contributing to safer and more resilient cities.  

PolyU develops smart assistant “AI-Care” that automatically identifies daily tasks and provides guidance to support independent living for visually impaired people

Hong Kong currently has nearly 200,000 visually impaired people. Although white canes and guide dogs can assist with basic mobility, daily tasks such as shopping and taking public transport remain challenging for them. A research team at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed an innovative assistive system, “AI-Care”,which is driven by an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) model. Connecting smart glasses and a mobile application, the system proactively detects surrounding objects and provides voice guidanceto help visually impaired people handle daily tasks independently. The team has partnered with industry collaborator Hillming Smartech Ltd. (HSL) to advance commercialisation, and with the Hong Kong Society for the Blind (HKSB) to launch community trials, aiming to inject new momentum into building an inclusive smart city. The launch ceremony of the AI-Care project was held yesterday (10 June) at the PolyU campus. It was officiated by Prof. the Hon. Kam-fai WONG, Legislative Council Member of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China; Prof. Changwen CHEN, Interim Dean of the PolyU Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences; Prof. Qing LI, Head of the PolyU Department of Computing; alongside Mr Sean FONG, Chief Executive of HKSB; Mr YANG Zhiming, Technical Director of Assistive Technology of the China Culture and Information Service Center of the Visually Handicapped (China Braille Library); Mr Hillming LI, CEO of HSL; and Ms Shirley TSANG, Director of Rehabilitation Services at HKSB. Project leader Prof. Jing LI, Associate Professor of the PolyU Department of Computing and Associate Director of the PolyU Research Institute for Generative AI also attended the event. Addressing the ceremony, Prof. Changwen Chen said, “PolyU is committed to impactful research. We believe the true measure of technological innovation lies not only in how smart our AI becomes, but also in how deeply it empowers those who need it most. By transforming AI from a passive tool into a proactive companion, AI-Care not just advances the development of assistive technology, but also promotes social inclusion.” Mr Sean Fong remarked, “AI-Care empowers people with visual impairments to transcend physical limitations, enabling them to live more independently and participate in society with confidence. Many of HKSB’s service users have already benefited from such innovations, and we are eager to integrate this novel system into our services.” Mr Hillming Li said, “The Government has been a strong advocate for building an accessible city. AI-Care is not only a successful transfer of cutting-edge technology, but also an innovation with a human touch, empowering underserved communities to experience the world more fully and embrace greater opportunities for a richer and more fulfilling life. We hope to further expand its application and even scale this technology across the country.” AI-Care is built upon an advanced AI model that is adapted from cutting-edge Visual Question Answering and Natural Language Processing frameworks specifically for daily shopping scenarios, covering the full workflow from product searching and payment to receipt audit. Breaking away from the passive “question-and-answer” approach of traditional digital assistive tools, it uses smart glasses to capture the user’s perspective, thereby proactively identifying everyday objects. The system then transfers image data to the mobile application for processing and analysis, and generates real-time audio instructions. Smart glasses available on the market mostly target sighted users, relying on visual context and sight-dependent cues, and therefore do not fully meet the unique needs of visually impaired users. AI-Care, on the other hand, adopted rigorous post-training for its AI model using domain-specific data, making its image recognition and voice guidance better aligned with the spatial perception and cognitive needs of visually impaired users, and ensuring precise, actionable guidance. The system completed phased testing in the first quarter of this year, involving 17 visually impaired participants, and achieved an average satisfaction score of 93. The team plans to scale up the trials through continued collaboration with the social welfare sector. The research team demonstrated the current functions of AI-Care at the event. Prof. Jing Li added, “For our team, what we most look forward to is seeing how AI research can truly support independent living for the visually impaired. While current AI models show impressive generic skills, enabling them to understand users’ needs as flexibly and accurately as human assistants, to know how to provide help and to intervene proactively at the right moment remains a major challenge. AI-Care embodies a human-centric approach to technology and marks a major step forward in the development of AI-powered assistive tools.” Supported by HK$5 million in funding from the HKSAR Government’s Innovation and Technology Fund and other industry sponsors, the research team has completed the design of the core AI model and verified the stability of the cloud-based server. The team is currently working to enhance the system’s memory management, optimise the hardware and advance prototyping, with the aim of commercialising the technology and expanding its application.

PolyU develops smart window film to regulate light and humidity, reducing building energy consumption and promoting low-carbon city development

As global warming intensifies, window technologies that can automatically regulate indoor light and humidity in response to environmental changes could help reduce building energy consumption and support the development of a low-carbon city. A research team at the International Centre of Urban Energy Nexus (UEX) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed an innovative smart window film that leverages the unique properties of various materials to lower indoor temperatures during the day while absorbing moisture and reducing its transparency at night, thereby enhancing energy efficiency as well as improving indoor comfort and privacy. Antibacterial, durable and cost-effective, this innovative window film is particularly suitable for use in humid regions such as Hong Kong, offering a promising solution for green building development. Known as the “Moisture-responsive and Light-regulating” (MRLR) film, development of the PolyU innovation was led by Prof. YAN Jinyue Jerry, Chair Professor of Energy and Buildings, and Dr LIU Junwei, Research Assistant Professor of the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering at PolyU. The team have revolutionised existing window film designs by adopting a dual-layer structure composed of a hydrophilic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber layer and a transparent polyacrylamide (PAAM) hydrogel with excellent water retention. By leveraging the materials’ water absorption and evaporation characteristics, the film is able to regulate light, heat and humidity simultaneously. Prof. Yan said, “Currently, the industry widely uses ‘thermochromic’ or ‘photochromic’ materials in smart windows to improve thermal management in buildings, but these films often face challenges such as high cost and insufficient durability. The PolyU team has innovated the film design using eco-friendly and low-cost materials to achieve simultaneous regulation of indoor light, heat and humidity, thereby reducing buildings’ reliance on cooling systems. Our film features a simple structure and has strong potential for large-scale production, making it highly promising for sustainable green building applications in the future.” The MRLR film performs different functions in response to day-night environmental changes. During the day, sunlight causes the water stored within the film to evaporate, reducing the amount of solar radiation entering the room and lowering the indoor temperature. At night, when relative humidity rises, the hydrophilic materials in the film absorb moisture from the air, which also lowers the film’s transparency, ultimately reducing indoor humidity with enhanced privacy. Research results showed that the film effectively reduced humidity in a test chamber from 91.73% to 53.76% within six hours at night, while lowering the indoor air temperature by up to 21.1°C during the day, demonstrating remarkable environmental regulation performance. To further evaluate the MRLR film’s energy-saving potential and carbon reduction efficacy, the team established a global model using typical meteorological year data from several major cities. The results indicated that the film could effectively regulate indoor temperatures and reduce seasonal energy demand, offering significant benefits for global energy conservation and emissions reduction. Based on the data from the studied cities, the team estimated that the average annual energy consumption could drop by over 20%, cutting global annual carbon emissions by more than 18kg per square metre. Dr Liu added, “Low-latitude regions usually have a higher demand for air conditioning, making conventional cooling systems a major source of building energy consumption. By providing all-day regulation of light, heat and humidity, the MRLR film is particularly effective for cities in tropical and subtropical regions like Hong Kong.” The team also conducted 300 cycles of moisture adsorption and desorption tests, confirming the film’s excellent durability and stability. Due to the film’s low manufacturing cost, the investment payback period is only one to two months, offering significant economic benefits. Furthermore, experimental observations have confirmed that the film effectively resists bacterial and fungal contamination and maintains dust-repellent properties even after five days of continuous exposure to severely polluted air. The study, titled “Scalable moisture-responsive and light-regulating films for building energy saving and privacy protection”, has been published in the academic journal, Advanced Energy Materials.

PolyU research on cancer therapy conducted by a PhD student team won Grand Prize at the 12th Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of innovation and technology talent. At the 12th Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, PolyU student teams achieved remarkable success, winning a total of nine awards. Among the awardees, a team of PhD students from the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology received the Grand Prize in the Innovation category for their pioneering project on cell modification technology and solid tumour treatment. Miss Rainbow Leung Wing Hei and Dr. Martina Lei Mang Leng, PhD student and graduate from the PolyU Department of Applied Biology and Chemistry, achieved an exceptional performance at the competition. With their research project, “Therapeutic efficacy of peptide-linked chimeric antigen receptor macrophages (pCAR-M) in solid tumors,” the team won the Grand Prize in the Innovation category as well as the First Prize in the Life Sciences category. The project was highly commended by the expert judging panel for its strong technological foundation and broad market potential, underscoring the breakthrough significance of their work. Under the supervision of Prof. Terence Lee Kin-wah, Associate Head and Professor of Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, and Prof. Clarence Wong Tsun-ting, Assistant Professor of the same department, the pCAR-M platform developed by the student team pioneers a peptide-linked system that engineers macrophages rather than T cells. The modification process takes just two hours, and targets can be switched by simply changing the AI-designed peptide, enabling target-agnostic personalised therapy. This platform effectively overcomes the long-standing challenge of solid tumor infiltration that limits many CAR-T therapies. By harnessing macrophages’ natural ability to infiltrate dense tumour stroma, the pCAR‑M platform offers a novel approach to treating solid tumours. This innovation demonstrates four major advantages: (1) macrophages naturally infiltrate solid tumors, overcoming the penetration failure of T cells; (2) the two-hour manufacturing process drastically reduces production time and cost; (3) no significant toxicity has been observed in preclinical models, indicating a strong safety profile; (4) rapid target switching is enabled by replacing the peptide, supporting personalised cancer therapy. Together, these features make pCAR-M a faster, safer, and more accessible cell therapy that targets 92% of malignancies and unlocks the vast solid tumor market. Prof. Lee said, “This achievement comes as our department transitions into the Division of Life Sciences this July. It also aligns with the National 15th Five-Year Plan supporting Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology hub. We look forward to this new chapter and remain committed to advancing life science research and education — contributing to scientific discovery, innovation, and the training of future leaders in the field” Organised by the Hong Kong New Generation Cultural Association, the Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition is an annual flagship event that brings together students from local universities to showcase innovative projects. PolyU students award-winning projects:

Innovating for the future: Designing climate‑resilient and livable cities

As global heatwaves become more frequent, the urban heat island effect is intensifying, making cities increasingly uncomfortable. Higher temperatures reduce outdoor activities while driving up reliance on air conditioning. To address these challenges, Prof. Jianlei Niu, Associate Director of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute and Chair Professor of Building Environment and Energy at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has led the research project “A Healthy and Resilient City with Ubiquitous Outdoor Thermal Comfort Hubs.” The team focuses on creating localised outdoor comfort hubs that enable pleasant outdoor environments even in hot, humid, and densely built cities. The research integrates big data analytics, artificial intelligence, Geographic Information Systems, and Building Information Modelling, supported by advanced modelling and simulation of wind, heat, and moisture. This approach enables self‑optimising urban design and building forms from the early planning stage, facilitating systematic creation of localised comfort environments. This approach supports the creation of healthier, more resilient, and sustainable cities, where outdoor comfort and environmental performance are enhanced through intelligent design.

Two PolyU projects awarded JC STEM Early Career Research Fellowship for Translation and Application

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is committed to nurture young researchers by fostering novel insights and providing support to drive innovative research. Two PolyU projects have been awarded the JC STEM Early Career Research Fellowship for Translation and Application, with a total grant of HK$5.72 million. The fellowships offer young talents the opportunity to gain hands‑on experience in technology commercialisation and to expand their networks with industry partners and research end users. The two awarded projects exemplify PolyU’s strengths in advancing cutting‑edge research with strong translational potential. They offer innovative solutions that bridge academic discovery and industry application, enabling the selected STEM post-doctoral researchers to lay a solid foundation for turning scientific breakthroughs into impactful applications. Led and supervised by Prof. NI Meng, Associate Dean of Faculty of Construction and Environment, Head of Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering, and Chair Professor of Energy Science and Technology, the project titled “Additive Manufacturing of Ultra-lightweight Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Electrolysis Cells for Vehicles, Portable Devices, Low-altitude Aircraft, and Aerospace Applications” has received HK$2.861 million for a duration of 48 months. This project aims to integrate 3D solid oxide cells (3D-SOCs) made by additive manufacturing to form compact and lightweight 3D-SOC stacks for vehicles, portable, and aerospace applications, through structural optimisation, process refinement, and material design.  Led and supervised by Prof. LUO Xiapu Daniel, Associate Dean (Research) of Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, and Professor of Department of Computing, the project titled “Next-Generation Program Analysis Techniques for Proactive Web Application Security Lifecycle Management” has received HK$2.861 million for a duration of 48 months. This project aims to transform how we secure our digital world, spanning from large-scale cloud services to ubiquitous smart home devices. Currently, identifying and remediating software vulnerabilities remains a largely manual and time-consuming process, leaving critical systems exposed to malicious actors for extended periods. To address this challenge, the team will develop an intelligent, automated framework that proactively uncovers hidden vulnerabilities before adversaries can exploit them. Crucially, this system will go beyond detection. It will automatically assess the real-world exploitability and severity of each flaw, and harness AI-driven techniques to rapidly synthesize security patches that generalise across diverse applications, enabling the remediation of similar weaknesses at scale. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has established the JC STEM Early Career Research Fellowship for Translation and Application as a strategic initiative to nurture a pool of promising STEM postdoctoral researchers who aspire to translate scientific research into industry applications. The Research Grants Council (RGC) is a partner organisation of this Fellowship.  

PolyU and Tencent Cloud Join Forces for 'Tencent Cloud AI Voyage' to Drive Enterprise Globalization

We are thrilled to have successfully concluded the “Tencent Cloud AI Voyage” at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). This event brought together visionary industry leaders and world-class researchers to explore the next frontier of AI and its industrial applications. Prof. Zheng Zijian, Vice President (Knowledge Transfer) of PolyU, and Ms. Freda Xu, Vice President of Tencent Cloud CSIG Marketing, opened the event by highlighting Hong Kong’s role as a strategic springboard. Prof. Zheng aptly noted: “Hong Kong is a premium platform for Mainland enterprises to go global. Leveraging its strengths in artificial intelligence, applied research, and cross-regional networks, PolyU is uniquely positioned to support Chinese enterprises in their overseas expansion through scientific research, talent development, and industry collaboration.” Expert Insights on the AI Frontier:  •  Vertical AI: Prof. Zhang Chengqi challenged us to rethink the opportunities and hurdles of Large Language Models (LLMs) in specialized industries.  •  Autonomous Agents: Prof. Cheng Ran shared practical solutions for "self-evolving agents" navigating complex, real-world scenarios.  •  Business Innovation: Prof. Yao Dai explored how AI is redefining growth paradigms and marketing strategies in the digital age. The delegation also went to visit PolyU’s 3D Printing Lab and Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Laboratory, witnessing firsthand how robotics and additive manufacturing are being commercialized in healthcare and industry. At PolyU, we remain committed to fostering stronger academia-industry collaboration, empowering Chinese enterprises to advance further and more steadily on the global stage through world-class research and innovation.