HKU’s innovative research novelties excel at 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva
- Written by Media Outreach
HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 9 May 2023 - The University of Hong Kong (HKU) triumphed at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, winning a total of 19 awards, including two special grand prizes Invention & Innovation CAI Award (China Delegation), and Prize of the Delegation of Malaysia. The results were announced on April 28. 
Research teams from Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Science, LKS Faculty of Medicine, and two HKU Inno Laboratories, established under the Hong Kong Government's InnoHK programme, garnered two special grand prizes, one Gold Medal with the Congratulations of the Jury, six Gold Medals, six Silver Medals and four Bronze Medals with their innovations in the event. The Artificial Intelligence MGF Network for Anomalies Detection, developed by Dr Wilton Fok's team from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, was winner of the two grand prizes and a gold medal. The system uses AI to analyse in real time human posture and movements in a video to identify anomaly scenarios such as abuse, drowning, and criminal behaviour. The Programmable Cell Niche Engineering Platform, developed by Professor Barbara Chan's team from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, won a Gold Medal with the Congratulations of the Jury. The system ensures proper cellular functions and results that can enable predictable clinical studies by mimicing the biological environment for cells. HKU has showcased this year a total of 17 research inventions that provide solutions to pressing human problems, spanning diverse areas such as biomedicine, vaccine development, artificial intelligence, and aging. Notably, the Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre and the Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, established by HKU in 2021 under the Hong Kong Government's InnoHK program, have demonstrated exceptional ability in successfully translating their biomedical research achievements into practical applications within a relatively short timeframe. Each have two research inventions selected, including an aptasensor for sepsis diagnosis, a capillary microfluidic platform for point-of-care testing, an interferon-integrated coronavirus vaccine, and NanoComplex vaccine technology. "HKU takes immense pride in the recognition our researchers have received for their innovative research efforts. We are also dedicated to facilitating the transfer of our research findings into tangible applications in the market. Through the powerful synergies generated from our collaborations with global research and industry partners, we strive to facilitate the emergence of pioneering innovations and their transformation into products that improve the well-being of humanity," said Professor Max Shen, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research). Renowned as one of the most distinguished innovation exhibitions in the world, the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (IEIG) is an extraordinary annual global event devoted exclusively to inventions and innovations. Since first participating in the event in 2018, HKU has received a total of 60 awards including 4 prestigious Gold Medals with Congratulations of the Jury and 21 other gold medals. HKU's award-winning inventions in 2023: INVENTION & INNOVATION CAI AWARD (China Delegation) & PRIZE OF THE DELEGATION OF MALAYSIA & GOLD MEDAL Artificial Intelligence MGF Network for Anomalies Detection The invention can be deployed in children's centres, swimming pools, public transport and exhibition centres to detect abnormal behaviours and situations for public safety and security. Using AI to detect human skeletons in a video and analyse their posture and movements, it is able to capture the context information in a long video and address specific portions for detecting multiple anomaly scenarios in real time such as abuse, drowning, terrorist attacks, traffic accidents, fighting and criminal behaviour, more accurately and efficiently. The invention was developed by the research team of Dr Wilton Fok from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong. GOLD MEDALS WITH CONGRATULATIONS OF THE JURY Programmable Cell Niche Engineering Platform One of the reasons many drugs that work in the lab do not work as expected in the clinical trial stage is that scientists grow cells on flat and rigid culture dishes for drug research, which are not biomimetic -- leading to cell responses in lab testing that do not represent what would happen in native tissues of human bodies. The Programmable Cell Niche Engineering Platform mimics the biological environment for cells, which in turn ensures proper cellular functions and results that can enable predictable clinical studies. The multifactorial biochips invented identify the ideal niche for different cell types, equipping scientists with a comprehensive library of individual niche factors to develop optimal culture...
Research teams from Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Science, LKS Faculty of Medicine, and two HKU Inno Laboratories, established under the Hong Kong Government's InnoHK programme, garnered two special grand prizes, one Gold Medal with the Congratulations of the Jury, six Gold Medals, six Silver Medals and four Bronze Medals with their innovations in the event. The Artificial Intelligence MGF Network for Anomalies Detection, developed by Dr Wilton Fok's team from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, was winner of the two grand prizes and a gold medal. The system uses AI to analyse in real time human posture and movements in a video to identify anomaly scenarios such as abuse, drowning, and criminal behaviour. The Programmable Cell Niche Engineering Platform, developed by Professor Barbara Chan's team from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, won a Gold Medal with the Congratulations of the Jury. The system ensures proper cellular functions and results that can enable predictable clinical studies by mimicing the biological environment for cells. HKU has showcased this year a total of 17 research inventions that provide solutions to pressing human problems, spanning diverse areas such as biomedicine, vaccine development, artificial intelligence, and aging. Notably, the Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre and the Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, established by HKU in 2021 under the Hong Kong Government's InnoHK program, have demonstrated exceptional ability in successfully translating their biomedical research achievements into practical applications within a relatively short timeframe. Each have two research inventions selected, including an aptasensor for sepsis diagnosis, a capillary microfluidic platform for point-of-care testing, an interferon-integrated coronavirus vaccine, and NanoComplex vaccine technology. "HKU takes immense pride in the recognition our researchers have received for their innovative research efforts. We are also dedicated to facilitating the transfer of our research findings into tangible applications in the market. Through the powerful synergies generated from our collaborations with global research and industry partners, we strive to facilitate the emergence of pioneering innovations and their transformation into products that improve the well-being of humanity," said Professor Max Shen, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research). Renowned as one of the most distinguished innovation exhibitions in the world, the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (IEIG) is an extraordinary annual global event devoted exclusively to inventions and innovations. Since first participating in the event in 2018, HKU has received a total of 60 awards including 4 prestigious Gold Medals with Congratulations of the Jury and 21 other gold medals. HKU's award-winning inventions in 2023: INVENTION & INNOVATION CAI AWARD (China Delegation) & PRIZE OF THE DELEGATION OF MALAYSIA & GOLD MEDAL Artificial Intelligence MGF Network for Anomalies Detection The invention can be deployed in children's centres, swimming pools, public transport and exhibition centres to detect abnormal behaviours and situations for public safety and security. Using AI to detect human skeletons in a video and analyse their posture and movements, it is able to capture the context information in a long video and address specific portions for detecting multiple anomaly scenarios in real time such as abuse, drowning, terrorist attacks, traffic accidents, fighting and criminal behaviour, more accurately and efficiently. The invention was developed by the research team of Dr Wilton Fok from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong. GOLD MEDALS WITH CONGRATULATIONS OF THE JURY Programmable Cell Niche Engineering Platform One of the reasons many drugs that work in the lab do not work as expected in the clinical trial stage is that scientists grow cells on flat and rigid culture dishes for drug research, which are not biomimetic -- leading to cell responses in lab testing that do not represent what would happen in native tissues of human bodies. The Programmable Cell Niche Engineering Platform mimics the biological environment for cells, which in turn ensures proper cellular functions and results that can enable predictable clinical studies. The multifactorial biochips invented identify the ideal niche for different cell types, equipping scientists with a comprehensive library of individual niche factors to develop optimal culture...