Prof. Yi-Chun Lu Selected as the Top 10 Winners of Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year in Engineering & Technology

Date: 
2020-11-10
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Prof. Yi-Chun Lu from the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering is being selected as one of the top 10 winners of Falling Walls in engineering & technology for her ground-breaking invention of a safe, high-energy, low-cost, and environmentally-friendly battery that serves as a substitute for commercial lithium-ion batteries which are indispensable in our daily lives. She is the only female Asian scientist who has entered the top 10 in this category.

Batteries play a crucial role in our daily lives as they power most of the electronic devices around us. Unfortunately, modern lithium-ion batteries are flammable and toxic, posing safety risks that can harm the development of clean energy. With this in mind, Professor Lu was motivated to find a replacement. She and her team have developed a new battery that replaces the electrolytes in current lithium-ion batteries with a water-based electrolyte system that can reach the same voltage of lithium-ion batteries. It is also non-flammable, non-toxic, and seven times cheaper.

While water-based batteries have been around for many years, they have never been capable of generating sufficient voltage to make them useful. The solution developed by Professor Lu’s team was to adopt a water-soluble polymer called polyethylene glycol (PEG) which is commonly found in many skin care creams, medicine, and food additives. What PEG does is to act as a crowding agent, surrounding water molecules with hydrogen bonds to prevent them from decay due to changes in the water’s hydrogen-bonding structuring. As a result, the battery developed by Professor Lu can successfully expand its capacity to 3.2 volts, making it competitive with the low end of the lithium-ion battery market.

About the Falling Walls Foundation

The Falling Walls Foundation is a non-profit organization supported by the German Ministry for Education and Research. It has been hosting an annual conference since 9 November 2009, the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, that showcases and celebrates the most recent breakthroughs in science and society.

This year, the event was conducted online to bring together outstanding science projects and bright minds globally to inspire a discussion on how science and innovation can contribute to the state of mankind. It celebrates work in 10 scientific, innovation, and humanistic categories.

 

 

 

 

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顛覆創新「跳出框框」 經濟發展新成效

「阿里巴巴」創始人馬雲在剛過去的上海《2020浦東金融峰會》中作主題演講，內容環繞顛覆性創新（Disruptive Innovation）。他以智能手機改變了我們傳統使用電話的習慣，並帶來市場新價值為例子。
 
企業用「ABCD」技術 互聯網主導經濟
 
事實上，互聯網自面世至今，創造了不少顛覆性創新產品，深深改變了人類的生活，例如社交網絡改變了我們在信息溝通、看電視、聽音樂的日常生活文化，無現金支付則改變了我們購物、出行等的模式。這些例子都反映出顛覆性創新為人類帶來的好處，以及對全球社會未來發展的重要性，各國不容忽視。然而，政府若要有效地推行顛覆性創新，必須與時並進，並且顧及現今網絡世代的創新文化。。
Date: 
Monday, November 9, 2020
Media: 
HKET Daily
Media LInk: 
https://is.gd/JhkwkN

港院校三學者奪光華工程科技獎

香港文匯報訊 （記者 姜嘉軒）中國工程院第十三屆「光華工程科技獎」頒獎禮昨日於北京舉行，理大、中大及港大均有學者獲此殊榮。該獎項被視為中國工程科技界最高的獎項，每兩年頒授一次，以表彰在工程科學技術及工程管理領域作出重要貢獻、取得傑出成就的華人工程科技專家。經過嚴謹的評選，今年共有41名科學家從296名合資格候選人當中脫穎而出

Date: 
Monday, November 9, 2020
Media: 
Wen Wei Po
Media LInk: 
http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2020/11/09/a07-1109.pdf

Smartwatches powered by wearers: CUHK researchers aim to harvest energy from human movements

CUHK researchers create compact generator small enough to be embedded in smartwatches, which can harvest energy from movement.
Users can power their own devices just by moving around, eliminating the need to ever remove smartwatches to charge them.
Date: 
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Media: 
SCMP
Media LInk: 
https://is.gd/FYjBcb

MAE Student Received Best Student Paper Award at CASE

Date: 
2020-11-04
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Lidong Yang, a PhD student at the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, has received the Best Student Paper Award at 2020 IEEE International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering (CASE 2020).
 
Robots at nanometer to millimeter scales have great potential for minimally invasive medicine.  Recent research has shown the capability of microrobots for targeted drug delivery and precise micromanipulation. As magnetic field has intrinsic safety to living organisms and can penetrate tissues, magnetic microrobots have been preferable candidates for biomedical applications. Large-workspace and high-resolution microrobot navigation is essential for microrobotic delivery in endovascular or digestive systems.
 
However, the large-workspace and high-resolution magnetic microrobot navigation is challenging and remains unsolved in the field of magnetic microrobotics. Firstly, strength of magnetic field decreases very fast when increasing the working distance. Secondly, there is contradiction between resolution and field of view (FOV) of a feedback instrument.
 
Under the supervision of Professor Li Zhang, Lidong provide a solution to this challenging problem by designing a new magnetic manipulation system with mobile coils and eye-in-hand feedback for actuation and tracking of microrobots in large workspace. We also develop automation technologies to allow microrobots to navigate in complex environments automatically. The research work paves the way for the automated large-workspace microrobot navigation and related medical applications.
 
The CASE is a flagship automation conference of IEEE Robotics and Automation Society.  The best paper award recognizes the best paper authored primarily by a student and presented by the student at the CASE.  It is supported by his academic family to honor Professor Yu-Chi (Larry) Ho, a Past President of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Council, which later became the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society.
 
 

 

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中文大學工程學院舉辦網上金融科技會議 探討金融科技的變革與發展

由中文大學工程學院主辦，中文大學系統工程與工程管理學系、中文大學金融工程中心、中文大學創新科技中心及中文大學商學院協辦的網上「金融科技會議2020」於今日(2日)舉行，會議是探討金融科技為市場營運所帶來的變革與發展。

Date: 
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Media: 
香港商報
Media LInk: 
https://hkcd.com/content/2020-11/02/content_1226172.html

Effective Energy Harvester Breaking through the Limitation of Battery Life of Smart Watches and Wristbands

Date: 
2020-10-28
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Smart watches and wristbands are becoming more and more popular. Various new functions such as health monitoring, contactless payment, entertainment, living assistance, have been added to these small devices and bring convenience to our daily lives. However, the limited battery life of these devices, due to its critical size, remains a key issue. 
 
To address this issue, a research team led by Prof. Wei-Hsin LIAO, Chairman of the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering (MAE) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), has developed an embedded energy harvester which is very efficient in generating electricity to sustainably power the smart watches and wristbands. 
 
Energy harvesters have been used to power up traditional watches in which mechanical gears are equipped to increase the frequency of human motion and convert mechanical energy to electricity. But these designs have the disadvantage of incompact structure and require precision manufacture. The mechanical friction caused by the gears also leads to significant energy loss and such devices occasionally suffer mechanical failure.
 
Prof. LIAO and his research group on smart materials and energy harvesting tried to replace mechanical gears with electromagnetic components to solve the key issue. Dr. Mingjing CAI, one of the research group members, said, “The low frequency of human motion results in relatively low energy conversion efficiency. We applied a magnetic frequency-up converter to increase the frequency of human motion, which helps the energy harvester to efficiently convert the human motion into electrical energy. With the magnetic frequency-up converter, the output power of the device can be significantly enhanced, achieving more than ten times that of the published devices.” 
 
The research team has proposed a highly compact embedded generator, equipped with a motion capture unit, a magnetic frequency-up converter and a power generation unit, together with coaxial topology. Thanks to the magnetic frequency-up converter, the energy harvester is highly compact and has a very high normalised power density. Although the total volume of the harvester is 5cm3, it can still achieve 1.74mW power output. The power density is ten times that of the existing devices. Benefiting from high power output and power density, the energy harvesting system can be easily embedded in the smart watches and wristbands to provide sustainable power supply. Different from mechanical gears, the magnetic frequency-up converter uses magnetic force for transmission, avoiding the energy loss caused by mechanical friction. Also, magnetic transmission can protect the device from impact. Furthermore, the magnetic frequency-up converter has the advantages of simple structure and low cost, which will help to commercialise the device in the future.

Research team members Prof. Wei-Hsin LIAO (right) and Dr. Mingjing CAI (left)

 

The team has produced a miniature energy harvester while maintaining sufficient electricity output to power smart watches

 

 

 

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Media Release

CUHK Faculty of Engineering Holds Virtual Financial Technology Conference 2020

Date: 
2020-11-02
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The Faculty of Engineering, CUHK hosted the virtual “2020 CUHK Conference on Financial Technology (FinTech)” today (2 November), solely sponsored by Hang Seng Bank, and with the support from the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, the Centre for Financial Engineering (CFE), the Centre for Innovation and Technology (CINTEC), and CUHK Business School. The conference titled “How FinTech is Transforming Organisations – Theory and Practice” attracted hundreds of registrations from industry practitioners, academicians, researchers, government officials and regulators to review the impact of FinTech on organisations, and discuss the theory and practice behind it. 
 
The conference was officiated at by Professor Rocky S. TUAN, Vice-Chancellor and President, CUHK, Mr. Joseph CHAN, JP, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, Ms. Rebecca PUN, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Professor Martin D.F. WONG, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, CUHK, Professor Lin ZHOU, Dean, CUHK Business School, and Mrs. Eunice CHAN, Chief Operating Officer, Hang Seng Bank Ltd. Wide ranging topics, including artificial intelligence (AI), biometrics, crypto assets, cybersecurity, decentralised finance, FinTech in banking, machine learning, new career opportunities, regulatory technology (RegTech) and tokenization were covered in the conference. 
 
Professor Rocky S. TUAN remarked in his opening speech, “This conference is a part of the FinTech education series of the Hong Kong FinTech Week 2020 organised by InvestHK. It is also the fourth annual FinTech Conference organised by CUHK. We hope that through this conference, the University can continue to strengthen our educational exchanges and cooperation with industry, and explore new opportunities in the application of FinTech. At CUHK, we are committed to developing FinTech talents in people who will ultimately empower the local financial industry and sustain Hong Kong’s status as an international financial hub. We pioneered the provision of bachelor’s and master’s degrees in FinTech in Hong Kong through two innovative and multi-disciplinary programmes offered by the Faculty of Engineering. In this endeavour, support from the Government and industries is of paramount importance.”
 
Professor Martin D. F. WONG said, “Today marks the official establishment of the CUHK Engineering FinTech Applied Research Academy, building upon the many applied research projects successfully undertaken by our MSc FinTech students who have been working closely with industry sponsors from banks and technology companies. The Academy is expected to expand the current collaboration with industry and to elevate our efforts in developing a larger pool of FinTech talents for Hong Kong.”
 
Professor Lin ZHOU said, “With rapid technological advancements and greater demand for FinTech talents in the future, CUHK business school is committed to training the next generation of business leaders with modern managerial skills and knowledge that are suitable for high-tech industries.  We look forward to working closely with the Faculty of Engineering and leading corporations to create the most cutting-edge educational programme.”
 
Mr. Joseph CHAN, JP, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau said, “The Government will continue to adopt a multi-pronged approach in promoting and supporting FinTech adoption, and provide a clear regulatory environment, while at the same time inviting funding and encouraging talent for the FinTech ecosystem, so as to ensure the sector thrives with manageable risks.” 
 
Ms. Rebecca PUN, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, said, “Hong Kong’s FinTech community has been flourishing. We have been providing an environment conducive to the development of the FinTech ecosystem through facilitation, funding, talent and technology.”
 
Mrs. Eunice CHAN, Chief Operating Officer, Hang Seng Bank Ltd., stated, “FinTech is playing a pivotal role in transforming the banking industry. As a local market leader, Hang Seng is actively participating in various FinTech initiatives. We are delighted to have partnered with CUHK on various projects to support the development of young FinTech talent in our city and we look forward to more collaborations in the future, which include supporting research projects and offering scholarships and internships to CUHK students.”
 
With Hang Seng Bank well established as a leading innovator in the banking industry in Hong Kong, senior executives from the Bank shared their insights into and views on how FinTech is transforming financial organisations and reshaping the future of wealth management. Scholars from CUHK and other speakers, including representatives from the technology and legal sectors as well as the financial sector regulatory authorities, also shared their knowledge and gave their opinions on the application and development of FinTech in the current market and in the future.
 
Other guest speakers included Professor Seen-Meng CHEW, Assistant Dean (External Engagement), CUHK Business School, Professor Wing-Cheong LAU, Associate Professor, Department of Information Engineering, CUHK, Professor Sherman Sze-Ming CHOW, Associate Professor, Department of Information Engineering, CUHK, Professor Darwin CHOI, Associate Professor, Department of Finance, CUHK, Professor Griffin Wenxi JIANG, Assistant Professor, Department of Finance, CUHK,  Mr. Herman CHENG, Head of Digital Banking, Hang Seng Bank Ltd., Ms. Rosita LEE, Head of Investment Products and Advisory Business, Hang Seng Bank Ltd., Mr. Nike KONG, Chief Information Officer, Hang Seng Bank Ltd., Ms. May WONG, Head of Communications and Corporate Sustainability, Hang Seng Bank Ltd., Dr. Lucas HUI, Chief Technology Officer, ASTRI, Mr. Adam WIELOWIEYSKI, Managing Director, Head of Collaborative Intelligence & Analytics, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, Ms. Frankie TAM, International Technology Lawyer, Eversheds Sutherland, Dr. Florian M. SPIEGL, Co-Founder & COO, FinFabrik, Mr. Chris LEUNG, Cognitive/AI Practice Leader, Hong Kong, IBM Services, and Mr. Philip YU, Lead Solution Engineer, Tableau. Other speakers also gave their views during the two panel discussion sessions on Digitisation of Financial Services in Asia and Application Programming Interface (API) in Hong Kong. In addition, a number of demonstrations were made in the conference, including FinTecubator, a FinTech incubator programme initiated by Hang Seng Bank, and a customer behavioural analysis project by CUHK FinTech students.
From left: Professor Martin D.F. WONG, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, CUHK, Mrs. Eunice CHAN, Chief Operating Officer, Hang Seng Bank Ltd., , Professor Lin ZHOU, Dean, CUHK Business School, Professor Rocky S. TUAN, Vice-Chancellor and President, CUHK, Mr. Joseph CHAN, JP, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, Ms. Rebecca PUN, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Prof. Benny Chung-ying ZEE, Director, Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer Services
 
A group photo of the officiating guests, organizing committee and representatives of Hang Seng Bank Ltd
 
A number of demonstrations are presented in the conference
 
 

 

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中大團隊研發「人體動能」發電裝置　智能手錶或可永久免充電

智能手錶和手環日漸普及，但電池耐用程度較低，用家不時需要充電。香港中文大學機械與自動化工程學系系主任廖維新，帶領其研究團隊，花近十年研發出可以將人體動能轉換為電力的裝置。用家戴手錶正常活動，裝置可產出足夠電能供日常使用，將來有望為智能手錶和手環提供用之不盡的電力，免卻用家天天充電的煩惱。團隊正與鐘錶製作公司商討合作，最快半年內或會有好消息。

Date: 
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Media: 
HK01
Media LInk: 
https://is.gd/8ukQAp

中大研採集裝置 「永續」智能錶電力

智能手錶及手環雖方便，但如忘記充電，電力秏盡時亦無所用。
 
為做到永續電力，中大機械與自動化工程學系主任廖維新花近10年研究出「高效電力採集裝置」，可用於智能手錶及手環，只要用家戴上手錶正常活動，裝置就可產生足夠的電能供全日所需。目前廖維新正與瑞士和中國的鐘錶製作公司接洽，希望未來在其產品中使用他的發明，有望半年內有所進展。
 
Date: 
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Media: 
HKET Daily
Media LInk: 
https://is.gd/H7u48h

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