FLASS’s innovations claim three gold medals at iCAN

At the Sixth International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada (iCAN) held in August 2021, inventions by FLASS’s scholars bagged three gold medals. These awards bolstered FLASS’s solid reputation for research output and innovative technologies. Academics from EdUHK won a total of 10 awards at iCAN, with three gold medals, one silver, one bronze and five special prizes. Seeking real-life changes through the use of our research outputs is an aspiration shared by scholars, researchers and students at FLASS. As a reflection of this aspiration, our scholars will continue to participate in different local, regional and international competitions to spread awareness of our inventions.

The three award-winning innovations submitted by FLASS’s scholars are as follows:

Using augmented reality (AR) technology, VocabGO makes English vocabulary learning fun and easy. It is a mobile application that allows learners to review and apply newly learned words and extend their vocabulary wherever they go. The app contains four interactive learning modes: 1) Find Mode, 2) Go Mode, 3) Explore Mode and 4) Challenge Mode.

The first two modes enable learners to consolidate and apply newly learned words from the English curriculum through games and quizzes by scanning the objects, while the “Explore Mode” provides self-directed learning opportunities for learners to explore, scan and learn new words of their own interest beyond the curriculum. Finally, the “Challenge Mode” allows learners to review words via computer-generated quizzes. In addition, learners can collect “word cards” (words with accompanying pictures) in the app’s “My Collection” tab, and share their word cards in “My Community”.

Principal investigator:

Dr Hung Keung, Associate Professor, Department of Cultural and Creative Arts

Awards: Gold Medal, Best 10 Invention Designs Award

Consisting of a set of audio-tactile Chinese characters, the invention is a multi-sensory learning kit tailor-made for learners with visual impairment. It helps users to understand the structural formation of Chinese characters and appreciate the beauty of traditional Chinese calligraphy through feeling, touching and hearing.

Through touching and feeling the strokes and structures of audio-tactile characters alongside supplementary verbal explanations, users can understand the structure and formation of Chinese characters. Different Chinese characters have different meanings; when two characters are put side by side, a new word with a new meaning is created. When a valid combination of two characters is identified, the audio player built inside the characters will play a recording to explain the meaning, pronunciation and the cultural context of the constituting characters and the new word.

Through the explanation of the cultural context of the characters, learners deepen their understanding of Chinese culture represented by the characters. By trying out different combinations of the characters, users not only learn new Chinese words, but also gain a deeper appreciation for the history and beauty of the language.

Principal investigators:

Professor Jim Chi-yung, Research Chair Professor of Geography & Environmental Science, Department of Social Sciences, and Professor John Lee Chi-kin, Vice President (Academic) and Provost

Co-investigator:

Dr Alice Chow Sin-yin, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Sciences

Awards: Gold Medal, International Special Award

TALE is a project which aims to raise public awareness of urban tree preservation and to cultivate users’ appreciation of life and other species. “TreePortal”, both an online platform and a mobile app, was developed as part of the project to help the public learn about trees. Both the platform and app serve as an educational tool that the public can use to learn about tree ecology under urban stress, and enrich their environmental awareness of urban forests and tree conservation. It also helps users develop a better sense of appreciation for life in various forms. Furthermore, it looks at life education from an environmental perspective through workshops at school and gathering of geo-referenced tree data.

Through “TreePortal”, users can learn about key concepts surrounding visual tree assessments and the skills needed for an accurate assessment. Users can use the app to record and upload tree assessment results and photographs. Through it, users can gather information about trees and even become a tree warden to help the government and other organisations to monitor the health of trees.

Project website: https://tree.eduhk.hk/index.php