FLASS scholars bag 16 awards, including five gold medals, at iCAN 2022
From left to right: Professor Chetwyn Chan Che-hin, Vice President (Research and Development); Professor Rudolf Wu Shiu-sun, Advisor (Environmental Science) at the Department of Science and Environmental Studies; Dr Leung Chi-hin, Assistant Professor at the Department of Cultural and Creative Arts (CCA); and Professor Stephen Chow Cheuk-fai, Director of Knowledge Transfer. Professor Rudolf Wu and Dr Leung take this photo with their iCAN 2022 award certificates.
The outstanding research results of faculty members belonging to the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (FLASS) have been recognised internationally once again. At the Seventh International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada (iCAN) in 2022, inventions by our researchers claimed a total of 16 awards, including five gold medals, one silver medal, three grand awards and seven special prizes.
Professor Rudolf Wu Shiu-sun
Field validation for our new generation of dissolved oxygen (DO) sensors: replaceable DO sensing film.
Two of the faculty’s inventions received the Best Invention Awards, including “A New Generation of Dissolved Oxygen Sensor Using Replaceable Photo-sensing Film”, which was granted the Top 10 Best Invention Award. The invention was developed by Professor Rudolf Wu Shiu-sun, Advisor (Environmental Science) at the Department of Science and Environmental Studies (SES), and his team. It is a novel device that detects and sends out a permanent record of dissolved oxygen levels using replaceable photo-sensing film. It overcomes the prolonged difficulties of monitoring marine pollution over large bodies of water.
An EdTech invention “e-Orch” developed by Dr Leung Chi-hin, Assistant Professor at the Department of Cultural and Creative Arts (CCA), was given the Top 20 Best Invention Award. The “e-Orch” system consists of an app and cloud-based software specifically designed for music performance and composition. Integrated with the patented Grid Notation, virtual instruments and AI music generator, the invention makes music education accessible and inclusive.
Congratulating the winners from FLASS, Professor Chetwyn Chan Che-hin, Vice President (Research and Development), said, “The award-winning innovations cover educational technology, marine conservation, art tech, green construction material, and more. Such achievements reflect the broadening scope of our research and knowledge transfer. It is encouraging to see that some of our inventions have been successfully licensed or patented, and are creating a positive impact on society.” He encourages FLASS scholars to continue to forge knowledge transfer collaborations with different sectors.
Professor Li Wai-keung, Dean of FLASS, said, “I want to express my heartfelt appreciation for the innovative spirit demonstrated by our FLASS scholars. Innovation knows no limits or barriers. The faculty will continue to facilitate the process of turning knowledge into inventions that bring real benefits to humanity and make the world a better place to live in.”
iCAN is an international competition that was launched in 2016. This year, the competition received 650 applications from 81 countries and regions. FLASS’s awarding-winning projects are as follows:
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Project name |
Principal Investigator
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Descriptions |
Award(s) |
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A New Generation of Dissolved Oxygen Sensor Using Replaceable Photo-sensing Film |
Professor Rudolf Wu Shiu-sun at SES |
A novel device that detects and keeps a permanent record of dissolved oxygen (DO) levels using replaceable photosensing film. It is unaffected by biofouling, thus providing cost-effective DO monitoring over large bodies of water. |
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Reimagining Music Learning with e-Orch |
Dr Leung Chi-hin at CCA |
A system that consists of an app and cloud-based software specifically designed for musical performance and composition. Integrated with the patented Grid Notation, virtual instruments and AI music generator, the invention makes music education accessible and inclusive. |
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Upcycling Waste Residuals into Value-added Eco-coasters: From Environmental Facilities to Tables |
Dr Tsang Yiu-fai at SES |
An invention that makes use of waste residue such as sewage sludge, bottom ash, and fly ash collected from different local environmental facilities to produce eco-coasters. This superior houseware can be customised with 3D printing technology. |
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Advanced Tai Chi Experience: An Integration of Novel Typefaces and AR Technology |
Dr Hung Keung at CCA |
A novel Tai Chi learning platform that offers practitioners of all ages a new-fangled and immersive experience of traditional cultural heritage. Integrated with augmented reality (AR) technology, a 3D animated Chinese Tai Chi compound typeface system, Tai Chi theory, and gamified exercise, it attracts newcomers and allows practitioners to memorise the steps and patterns effectively. |
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UNISON: Unpaired Cross-lingual Image Captioning |
Professor Philip Yu Leung-ho at the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology |
An innovative AI system that generates cross-lingual (English to Chinese) image captions without relying on any paired caption corpus. The system consists of two phases: (i) a cross-lingual auto-encoding process and (ii) cross-modal unsupervised feature mapping, which can perform real-time image-to-text conversion. |
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Smart hands: Are you sure? |
Dr Peggy Or Pui-lai at the Department of Health and Physical Education |
An interactive mobile application embedded with an AI feedback mechanism, AR exercises and case scenarios. The application aims to educate the public on the importance of hand hygiene. |
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