CUHK Robotics Open Day and Collaboration Agreement Signing Ceremony with HKSTP, Lenovo and HKCLR

(Hong Kong, 27 July, 2023) - The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)’s T Stone Robotics Institute (CURI) joined hands with Hong Kong Science and Technology Park Corporation (HKSTP) to organise the CUHK Robotics Open Day at HKSTP today (27 July), showcasing its leading innovations to the public. HKSTP, Lenovo Group and CUHK’s Hong Kong Centre for Logistics Robotics (HKCLR) also signed a collaboration agreement to co-incubate young talents in robotics and AI technologies. The event aims to strengthen the University’s cooperation with the government, industry, investment and academic sectors, and enhance Hong Kong’s innovation and technological development. It is also part of the celebrations marking CUHK’s 60^th anniversary.

Officiating guests at the opening ceremony include Professor John Chai, Council Chairman of CUHK, Ms Lillian Cheong, Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Mr Albert Wong, Chief Executive Officer of HKSTP, Dr Zhong Yueyang, Director of T Stone Group Limited, Professor Sham Mai-har, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, and Professor Liu Yunhui, Director of CURI and HKCLR.

CUHK Council Chairman Professor John Chai thanked the T Stone Group Limited for the establishment of the T Stone Robotics Institute, and the HKSTP for co-hosting this meaningful event with CUHK, creating an excellent opportunity to share sweet fruits of the research endeavours of the talented CUHK community with its valued partners and supporters.

Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Ms Lillian Cheong said that the government will be launching later this year the “Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme” in a scale of 10 billion Hong Kong dollars.  She looked forward to working with CUHK to accelerate the pace of technology transfer and commercialisation of world-class R&D outcomes including cutting-edge robotics technologies. 

CUHK Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Sham Mai-har stated that CUHK is a leading robotics pioneer and keeps pushing the boundaries of technological advancement. The Robotics Open Day is an amazing opportunity for CUHK to showcase and celebrate its incredible work, and for the public and the industry to witness and be inspired by robotics’ endless possibilities.

On the same day, HKSTP, Lenovo Group and HKCLR signed a collaboration agreement to cultivate and incubate the next generation of young scholars and entrepreneurs, and help them bring transformative breakthroughs to the world through robotics and AI technologies. Mr Albert Wong, Chief Executive Officer of HKSTP, Mr Michael Xue, Investment Director of Lenovo Capital Group and Incubator Group, and Professor Liu Yunhui, Director of HKCLR, signed the agreement on behalf of the three parties.

Mr Albert Wong, Chief Executive Officer of HKSTP, said that the collaboration is another example of their collective long-term mission to accelerate translation of great research into commercial success, and promote Hong Kong I&T and innovation talent.

Professor Liu Yunhui, Director of CURI and HKCLR said that since the CURI and HKCLR’s establishment, they have trained many post-doctoral researchers and started up eight robotics companies, two of them have become global leaders in their respective fields. By organising the Open Day, they wanted to showcase their latest research outputs and explore collaboration with industry and venture capitals in research and commercialisation.

Professor George He, Senior Vice President of Lenovo Group and President of Lenovo Capital and Incubator Group, highlighted Lenovo’s long-standing cooperation with Hong Kong’s academic institutions. It will leverage its global industrial resources and work with CUHK and HKSTP to support the commercialisation of research outcomes in the robotics field and contribute to the development of Hong Kong as an international I&T hub.

CUHK showcased more than 30 cutting-edge robotics innovations during the open day. Major projects include the UAS and AI Technologies for Autonomous Built Asset Inspection and Management developed by Professor Chen Benmei, Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering; the Microrobotic Platform for Endovascular Intervention, which uses a nanorobot swarm and a magnetic actuation system, developed by Professor Zhang Li, Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering; Quadrupedal Robots: A New Last-mile Delivery Solution, featuring the robot Sirius, developed by Professor Liu Yunhui, Director of CURI and HKCLR, for efficient and stable delivery of packages; and TransCam 3D: World’s First 3D Camera with the Ability to Reconstruct Transparent Objects, developed by DepthVision Limited. Also at the exhibition are novel projects from the CUHK Robotics Team, start-up companies and InnoHK.

Photo 3-5: The guests of honour visit the exhibition booths of CUHK's robotic innovations.