Invention

A team of eight postgraduates led by Prof Dong Chengzu, Assistant Professor of Teaching of the Division of Artificial Intelligence, School of Data Science at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, won second prize in the zkWASM Hackathon held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 8 to 10 November 2024.

With the global rise in electric vehicles’ popularity, the demand for lithium-ion batteries has surged, leading to a considerable increase in discarded batteries. The issue of how to efficiently use “retired” batteries has become urgent, and to address this Prof Tang Xiaopeng, Assistant Professor of the Science Unit at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, recently published a groundbreaking research paper titled "Lifespan-based Battery Classification towards Second-life Utilisation", which won the Best Paper Award at the prestigious 2024 IEEE 25th China Conference on System Simulation Technology and its Application (CCSSTA). It was one of only four papers out of 278 submissions to receive recognition.

The device could be used in classrooms as a learning tool, and may even pave the way for more cost-effective consumer product monitoring.

An innovative project titled "Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Navigation, Control, and Communication Integration Technology and Application" (the project) and led by Prof Yuan Weijie, Assistant Professor (Presidential Early Career Scholar) of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies of Lingnan University has recently received the prestigious Platinum Award for Satellite Navigation and Positioning Innovation Application in 2024 from the GNSS and LBS Association of China. This great accolade recognises Prof Yuan’s valuable contribution to advancing technological innovation in China's satellite navigation and positioning service industry. By integrating communication, navigation, and control systems, the project’s comprehensive solution augments the efficiency and precision of UAV technology in the agriculture sector, and addresses critical technical challenges faced by UAVs in smart agriculture.

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used daily in electronic appliances, and with the growing popularity of electric vehicles globally, battery safety has become a mounting concern. The development of battery monitoring and fault diagnosis technologies is therefore crucial. Prof Tang Xiaopeng, Assistant Professor of the Science Unit at Lingnan University, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, and Tongji University, has proposed a small-sample-learning-based, deep learning model to accurately predict the battery electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), making it a low-cost, very efficient and highly accurate battery assessment method. The co-authored paper "Online multi-scenario impedance spectra generation for batteries based on small-sample learning" was recently published in the prestigious international academic journal "Cell Reports Physical Science".

Researchers at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) debuted four projects at the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival (SVIIF) 2024, focusing on healthcare, sustainability, clean energy, and biomedical research. The CityUHK teams achieved outstanding results, winning five awards, including one Semi-Grand Prix and four Gold Medals.

Lingnan University is proud to announce the appointment of illustrious physicist and Nobel laureate, Prof Samuel C.C. Ting, as Honorary Director of the Lingnan University Institute for Advanced Study (LUIAS). Prof Ting was given an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Science, honoris causa) by Lingnan University and visited the campus to host the University Assembly last year, where he lectured on his ongoing space experiments, inspiring the faculty and students alike with his dedication to scientific inquiry and the pursuit of knowledge.

Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research) and Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence of Lingnan University, co-authored the research paper that has received the Best Paper, Chester W. Sall Memorial Awards 2024 from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world's largest technical professional organisation dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. This honour was published in their monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal “IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics”. Only three Best Paper Awards are given each year, and the competition is extremely fierce.

A research team led by Lingnan University's School of Interdisciplinary Studies Assistant Professor Xiao Hang recently devised a “crystal language” that enables artificial intelligence (AI) to create new materials with desired properties (Figure 1). This groundbreaking discovery holds the potential for creating the next revolutionary semiconductor material that makes solar energy abundant and affordable, and opens possibilities for the development of novel superconductors that effortlessly transport clean electricity with zero losses. The findings of this breakthrough research have been published in the prestigious academic journal Nature Communications, which is also the first time Lingnan University scholar published a lead-author paper on the esteemed Nature series.

A significant breakthrough in developing a passive radiative cooling (PRC) material has been announced by researchers at City University of Hong Kong (CityU). The findings have just been published in the prestigious scientific journal Science titled “Hierarchically structured passive radiative cooling ceramic with high solar reflectivity.”

A pivotal breakthrough in battery technology that has profound implications for our energy future has been achieved by a joint-research team led by City University of Hong Kong (CityU).

A research team led by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has achieved a groundbreaking advancement in nanomaterials by successfully developing a highly efficient electrocatalyst which can enhance the generation of hydrogen significantly through electrochemical water splitting.

In this collaborative project between Newcastle University and Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), the team aimed to create a sustainable, cost-effective lower limb prosthetic socket (LLPS) using natural fiber-reinforced composites. The objectives included designing a green LLPS, assessing its environmental impact, and engaging stakeholders. Pineapple Leaf Fiber (PALF) was chosen for sustainability. The project has also inspired worldwide interest in sustainable LLPS development through a press release, receiving inquiries from students at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and a group of 7th graders in the USA.

SLINTEC, Monash University Malaysia, and Newcastle University UK and Singapore teamed up for Poseidon: a patented portable water filtration device attachable to a bottle, offering clean drinking water for those lacking access.

A joint research team from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and collaborators recently developed a stable artificial photocatalytic system that is more efficient than natural photosynthesis. The new system mimics a natural chloroplast to convert carbon dioxide in water into methane, a valuable fuel, very efficiently using light. This is a promising discovery, which could contribute to the goal of carbon neutrality.

Doctors at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital have developed lightweight and easy-to-use Parkinson's gloves that can automatically reduce tremors, allowing patients to enjoy social life and reducing side effects from medication and risk from brain surgery.

Cancer metastasis is a major cause of cancer-related death. A research team at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) recently identified a protein that triggers the migration of liver and pancreatic cancer cells and metastasis, and is correlated with shortening the survival time of patients. The research findings were verified by in vitro and in vivo models, supported with clinical data, and are expected to provide a new potential target for cancer therapy.

Existing colour systems, such as RGB and CYMK, are all text-based and require a large range of values to represent different colours, making them difficult to compute and time-consuming to convert. Recently, researchers from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) made a breakthrough by inventing an innovative colour system, called “C235”, based on prime numbers, enabling efficient encoding and effective colour compression. It can unify existing colour systems and has the potential to be applied in various applications, like designing an energy-saving LCD system and colourizing DNA codons.

Lingnan University (LU) in Hong Kong has been putting great emphasis on research and knowledge transfer for social good. Two distinguished LU scholars’ knowledge transfer project “Personalised vocabulary learning system based on artificial intelligence techniques” , an integration of AI techniques and education, was recently awarded the Gold Medal and International Special Award at the 7th International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada (iCAN) 2022, organised by the Toronto International Society of Innovation & Advanced Skills (TISIAS).

A research team co-led by materials scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has recently discovered a new mechanism to increase the strength and ductility of a high-entropy alloy, two properties which normally vary inversely with each other. The findings provide important insights for the future design of strong yet ductile high-entropy alloys and high-entropy ceramics.

Vaccines have become the most important weapon in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, but antibody levels after vaccination decay quickly over time. Therefore, an accurate and affordable antibody rapid test is urgently needed to adjust the revaccination strategy. A research team led by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) recently invented an accurate rapid-testing device that can quantify and display the antibody level as a length of a visual bar, like a mercury thermometer, in as few as 20 minutes, enabling convenient mass screening or individual monitoring of immune protection against COVID-19.

Chula Engineering and Chula Medicine co-invent an innovative device for a rapid and accurate gastrointestinal cancer detection hoping to foster preventive medicine and reduce the number of cancer patients.

The food manufacturing industry could save significant costs by employing a 3D printing solution developed by researchers at International Islamic University Malaysia.

A research team led by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has found that a proteolytic enzyme called membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) plays an important role in the regulatory mechanism of fullness, or satiety, and it could serve as a promising potential drug target for the management of obesity.

The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the use of robots and an urgent need for an advanced human-machine interface (HMI) system that can seamlessly connect users and robots. A research team co-led by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and collaborating institution recently developed an innovative HMI system, which consists of flexible, multi-layered electronic skin and provides both visual and haptic feedback to users. The system can teleoperate the robot to imitate the user's actions to perform complicated tasks. It demonstrates the potential for conducting Covid-19 swab tests and nursing patients with infectious diseases.

A research team led by scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has recently designed a structured thermal armour (STA) that achieves efficient liquid cooling even over 1,000°C, fundamentally solving a 266-year-old challenge presented by the Leidenfrost effect. This breakthrough can be applied in aero and space engines, as well as improve the safety and reliability of next-generation nuclear reactors.

While the Covid-19 pandemic is ongoing, another public health threat, antibiotic resistance, continues unabated. Microbiologists and chemists from two universities in Hong Kong recently made a breakthrough in synthesizing the first vaccine against one of the most deadly antimicrobial resistant pathogens, Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii). The vaccine shows good protection against the superbug in mice, indicating great potential as a vaccine for humans.

Scientists created “elite” antibodies that can beat a broad range of coronavirus strains, including Delta, using a new technique that dramatically speeds up discovering potent antibody candidates.

Researchers at the National Dental Research Institute Singapore (NDRIS) have developed a novel device that aims to limit the spread of aerosols generated during dental procedures, thereby lowering the risk of COVID-19 crosscontamination in the dental setting.

Inspired by a kind of tree leaf, scientists at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) discovered that the spreading direction of different liquids deposited on the same surface can be steered, solving a challenge that has remained for over two centuries. This breakthrough could ignite a new wave of using 3D surface structures for intelligent liquid manipulation with profound implications for various scientific and industrial applications, such as fluidics design and heat transfer enhancement.