PolyU innovations garner nine awards at the Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 30 July 2024 – PolyU research teams garnered nine prestigious awards at the 2024 Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival (SVIIF), including a semi-grand prize, two special prizes, five gold medals and one silver medal.

SVIIF was held from 26 to 28 July 2024 in Santa Clara, California. Led by Prof. Christopher CHAO, PolyU Vice President (Research and Innovation), the PolyU research teams and startups showcased their innovations on the international stage, connecting with investors and business partners worldwide to raise the University’s global profile.

This year, PolyU’s award-winning research projects spanned healthcare devices, advanced materials, artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) and sensing technology. Among them, the project “ICU-grade Wireless Breathable Cardiac Electronic Skin” led by Prof. ZHENG Zijian, Chair Professor of Soft Materials and Devices of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, snatched a Semi-grand Prize of SVIIF and a gold medal. This invention provides a seamless, continuous, comfortable, non-invasive and inflammation-free electrocardiogram monitoring solution with ICU-grade accuracy without traditional wired and bulky clinical devices.

Developed by Prof. Joanne Yip, Associate Dean (Industrial Partnership) and Professor of the School of Fashion and Textiles and her team, the project “Development of Intelligent Nighttime Brace with Smart Padding to Treat Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis” was awarded the Prize of the Korea Invention Promotion Association and a gold medal. In addition, the project “3D Printed Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) Bone Scaffolds” led by Prof. ZHAO Xin, Professor of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology and Founder of PolyU academic-led start-up ReNew Biotechnology Limited, received the Prize of the Croatian Union Innovators and a silver medal.

Prof. Christopher Chao is impressed with the great accomplishments of the PolyU award-winning teams and stated, “PolyU’s multiple awards at SVIIF serve as a testament to the increasing international recognition of its research and innovations. The University will continue to uphold its motto ‘To learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind’, advancing the development of science and technology and translation of research outcomes into real-world solutions to address future societal challenges and improve the standard of living globally.”

SVIIF, which is the largest event of its kind in the United States, this year drew participation from approximately 30 countries and regions, representing a wide array of academic institutions, research institutes and enterprises. Supported and attended by multinational corporations, investors and entrepreneurs, the event serves as a crucial platform for inventors and the business community to explore commercialisation opportunities and seek partnerships.

To learn more about these PolyU’s award-winning projects, please refer to the Appendix or visit the website of the PolyU Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship Office.

Project	Principal Investigator(s)	Award(s)
ICU-grade Wireless Breathable Cardiac Electronic Skin	Prof. ZHENG Zijian Chair Professor of Soft Materials and Devices, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology of PolyU; Associate Director, Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems, and University Research Facility in Materials Characterisation and Device Fabrication	Semi-Grand Prize Gold Medal
Development of Intelligent Nighttime Brace with Smart Padding to Treat Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis	Prof. Joanne YIP Associate Dean (Industrial Partnership); Professor, School of Fashion and Textiles of PolyU Prof. Raymond TONG Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Prof. Kenneth M.C. CHEUNG Jessie Ho Professor in Spine Surgery, Chair Professor, The University of Hong Kong; Hospital Chief Executive, The University of Hong Kong – Shenzhen Hospital	Prize of the Korea Invention Promotion Association Gold Medal
3D Printed Triply Periodic Minimal Surface Bone Scaffolds	Prof. ZHAO Xin Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology of PolyU; Founder, ReNew Biotechnology Limited (a PolyU academic-led startup)	Prize of the Croatian Union of Innovators Silver Medal
Thick Glassy Carbon Manufacturing and Physical Property Adjustment through Heat Treatment	Mr YANG Yi PhD Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering of PolyU; Founder, Discarbonery Technology Limited (a PolyU startup)	Gold Medal
Edge AI-empowered Smart Devices and Robotics for AIoT Applications	Prof. CAO Jiannong Dean, PolyU Graduate School; Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor in Data Science; Chair Professor of Distributed and Mobile Computing; Director, Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things, and University Research Facility in Big Data Analytics	Gold Medal
MicroFish: A Lab-on-a-chip for On-site Detection of Microbial Contamination and Pollutants	Dr CHUA Song Lin Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology of PolyU; Co-founder, Microfish Limited (a PolyU academic-led startup) Dr LIU Yang Sylvia GBA Startup Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology of PolyU; Co-founder, Microfish Limited (a PolyU academic-led startup) Dr KHOO Bee Luan Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong	Gold Medal

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