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Impact Projects 2021-22

Impact Projects 2021-22

GIVE: A Generic and Intelligent Service for Community Support

Professor Reynold C.K. ChengPrincipal Investigator: Professor Reynold C.K. Cheng (Department of Computer Science)
  Telephone: 2219-4778
  Email: ckcheng@cs.hku.hk
 

Project Objectives:

  • To perform engagement activities for HINCare (e.g. software training classes, social platform development, and online video making) and promote its use in the community;
  • To understand the impact of HINCare through analysis on the data collected from the HINCare system, the heterogeneous information network (HIN), case studies and questionnaire surveys; and
  • To enable students to understand and use technologies to serve the community.

Project Description:

To cultiviate mutual-help culture in Hong Kong, we propose GIVE (or Generic and Intelligent SerVicE for Community Support). This is based on HINCare, our general platform that provides time-credit-based services and intelligent matching of volunteers and elders-in-need for multiple organizations. The GIVE project aims to promote HINCare to different NGOs, through engagement activities such as software training classes, social platform development, and online videos. We will also actively promote HINCare to the government, and private agencies. The impact of HINCare will be evaluated through extensive data analysis and case studies.

Target Deliverables in 2021/22:

  • Installation of HINCare for Collaborators: We will help the administrative staff of the two collaborating NGOs, namely Hans Andersen Club and Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service, to install the HINCare system and set up the user database systems for them;
  • Training for administrative staff: We will conduct training sessions (virtual or face-to-face) for the staff of the two collaborating NGOs for using the web-based management system of HINCare in order to deal with the daily operations and maintenance of user and timebanking information;
  • Training for mobile app users: We will also conduct training sessions for the volunteering helpers and service recipients from the two collaborating NGOs, who will use the mobile app of HINCare, so that they can get familiar with the user interface of the app (e.g., requesting for service or checking timebanking balance);
  • Public seminars: We will conduct virtual and face-to-face seminars to allow the public to understand the GIVE project;
  • Media exposure: We will arrange interviews with newspapers, magazines, and radio stations for promoting the project;
  • Promotion leaflets: We will design leaflets for promoting the GIVE project, and distribute them to potential users, NGOs, and government officials;
  • Develop videos clips: We will develop short videos for introducing the GIVE project, and the basic usage of HINCare, in both English and Chinese versions;
  • Game app: To enable NGOs and users who want to give a “free trial” to HINCare, we will develop a game app, which allows users to act as helpers and service recipient;
  • Innovation Wing Demo: The game app will be demonstrated in the Innovation Wing 2 in the HKU campus for visitors to have a feeling about how HINCare helps to match needs (of service recipients) and expertise (of voluntary helpers);
  • Website development: We will design a website for introducing GIVE, collecting questions and feedback, and a chatbot;
  • Online social platforms: We will make a FaceBook page for GIVE; and
  • Whatsapp stickers: We will create stickers for GIVE, and make them available for downloading in our website and Facebook page.

Keeping Distance

 Dr H.F. TingPrincipal Investigator: Dr H.F. Ting (Department of Computer Science)
 Telephone: 2859-8944
 Email: hfting@cs.hku.hk
 

Project Objectives:

"Social distance" has been an important search term since 2020 [1]. Most countries worldwide have introduced social distancing measures to slow down the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the word “distance” applies to the distance between people, in technology, distance measurement has very wide applications, from gauging nano-scale objects to light-year scale galaxies; from recording the growth of a child to estimating the rate at which the universe expands. People are warned to “keep your distance to stay safe” and “do not touch unless necessary” during the pandemic. How can distances be measured? Can distances be measured without “touching”? How distance measurement can be used to enhance our daily life?  The project aims are

  • To enhance students’ abilities to integrate and apply knowledge and skills in engineering to solve scientific and engineering tasks;
  • To cultivate students’ interest in remote sensing technologies through cross-disciplinary learning activities;
  • To showcase participants’ creativity and enhance communication skills through a public project exhibition, and hence facilitating knowledge exchange; and
  • To introduce to the public the basic to advanced technologies behind this seemingly simple topic of distance measurement.

Project Description:

“Social distancing” is an important term since 2020 because of COVID-19.  Indeed, we can measure “distance” from afar by using remote sensing and other technologies.  In this project, we introduce how these technologies can be used to build distance measurement devices, and demonstrate methods to process, analyse, and visualise sensor data.  By organising STEAM events like talks, workshops and a competition for primary and secondary schools, and by hosting a public repository of online education resources, this project provides a platform to cultivate participants’ interest and creativity, and translate their ideas and knowledge into practical applications.

Target Deliverables in 2021/22:

  • An online platform for exchanging and sharing the knowledge of science and engineering about distance measurement and estimation;
  • Links of the online platform from HKU Engineering Knowledge Exchange Portal;
  • Links of the online platform from HKEdCity and HKACE;
  • Facebook page and group for communication with participants and general public;
  • Instagram page for communication with participants and general public;
  • Students’ innovative projects sharing at the DesignSpark Community Platform;
  • Lecture materials on science of distance measurement;
  • Lecture materials and program codes remote sensing technologies;
  • Circuit schematics, component list, and program code, of a DIY distance measurement device;
  • Learning resources and hints on small scale STEAM activities related to distance measurement;
  • An out-of-the-classroom setting for student interaction and discussion;
  • Organization of Presentation Sessions / Exhibition of “Distance Measurement Innovations” (To showcase participants’ submissions);
  • Organization of a “Award Presentation Ceremony” (To recognize and acknowledge students’ effort and achievement); and
  • Media coverage of the competition and the Knowledge Exchange outcomes

A Smart Platform for Healthcare and Better Living

Dr H.H. CheungPrincipal Investigator: Dr H.H. Cheung  (Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering)
Telephone: 3917-2589
Email: hh.cheung@hku.hk
  

Project Objectives:

This project is aimed at developing a smart platform for healthcare and better living by integrating advanced digital technologies, including Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, cloud-computing (CC), big data analytics (BDA), artificial intelligence (AI) and machining learning (MI). Besides, students would participate in the research and development of the project; the hands-on activities would inspire the students to engage in experiential learning and critical thinking, and hence their innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership abilities would be developed.

Project Description:

This project develops a smart platform that mainly consists of a 3D printed smart customised protective mask, a smart air cleaning and sterilising robot, a mobile application, and a cloud enabled smart system for minimising CVOID-19 virus transmission and better living. Its major impacts are as follows:

  • Enhance personalised protection;
  • Clean and sterilise living areas in an effective and automatic way;
  • Minimise COVID-19 transmission;
  • Minimise environmental pollution;
  • Build a close collaboration with industrial partners to develop innovative solutions for healthcare and better living; and
  • Motivate students to engage in experiential learning and to create innovative smart protective masks.

Target Deliverables in 2021/22:

  • A family of 3D printed smart customised mask prototypes for insulating/preventing dust and viruses;
  • A 3D scanning and modelling system for automatic generation of a 3D CAD model of a face profile;
  • A smart 3D mask profile analytic tool for mining 3D face profile data for generating an optimised mask’s profile of a specific user;
  • An airflow simulation model for studying airflow patterns of customised masks to optimise mask designs;
  • A smart ozone-enabled air cleaning and sterilising robot prototype for killing/inactivating viruses like COVID-19;
  • A mobile application to manage a smart mask, to process and upload the mask sensing data, such temperature, relative humidity (RH), VOC, and CO2, to a cloud-enabled smart system;
  • A cloud-enabled smart system to monitor and manage smart masks and robots, store captured sensor data, perform data analytics, disseminate safe messages to users, and record the users’ geolocations through a mobile app installed on their mobile phones over a communication network, such as 5G; and
  • A machine learning algorithm to help tracking and tracing suspected people and the spread of COVID-19 in community.

Train Sport by AI, Learn AI through Sport

Dr Wilton Fok Principal Investigator: Dr Wilton Fok  (Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering)
 Telephone: 3917-8490
 Email: wtfok@eee.hku.hk
  

Project Objectives:

  • To develop a mobile application (App) for training students to do exercise anytime and anywhere;
  • To promote the use of artificial intelligence and IT technology for sport training;
  • To develop training workshops and learning materials for students to learn AI through sport activities; and
  • To foster students’ interest in learning AI.

Project Description:

This project aims to promote the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in daily life to students, through one of their favorite activities: - sport. It also encourages students to do more sport exercise, especially during the unpredictable class suspension period. Our core technology on human posture analysis will be used as a taster and attraction points to draw schools students attentions. Apart from using the AI apps in this project, they could also learn basic concept of AI and computer vision through the learning tools developed in this project. Promotion video and seminars for teachers and students will be provided. This project will start with 2-3 pilot schools and it is target that this impact project can attract more schools and students to learn AI with Sport and do more sport training by AI.

Target Deliverables in 2021/22:

  • An AI mobile App for coaching students to do sport exercise;
  • Project kick off seminar for all sport teachers in Hong Kong;
  • A video for promoting the use of this mobile AI App;
  • Feedback from users and a study of effectiveness of the AI Sport Apps;
  • Learning materials for students to learn AI through doing sport exercise;
  • Project dissemination seminar; and
  • A project website.