HKUST students’ world-beating “Beluga” remotely operated underwater vehicle had the bene t of input from multicultural team members from 10 different parts of the globe. Creating waves Novel bathing chair for elderly 04 IN FOCUS With the growing challenge of aging populations globally, an innovative “Sit & Shower” chair, speci cally designed to enable seniors to bathe safely, comfortably, and more independently, has been designed and brought to market by Prof Neville Lee, Associate Professor Emeritus, Industrial Engineering and Decision Analytics, and departmental alumni Albert Chan and Jacky Chow, MPhil. The cost-e ective, fully automated bathing chair is equipped with dual shower and toileting functions. An open design makes it easy to get in and out, with angled water jets to avoid splashing and an internal thermometer to ensure the water never gets too hot. In designing the chair, the team carried out extensive research with social workers and frontline caregivers. It can be installed in most bathrooms without modi cation or removing existing ttings and enables elderly people to retain independence in the highly private activity of bathing, Prof Lee said. In addition, the novel shower can save carers’ time by allowing a senior to bathe on their own. More details are available at www.sitnshower.com. Advancing AI and cybersecurity Two new laboratories are keeping HKUST at the cutting edge of the computer eld. Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in December , a joint lab on arti cial intelligence (AI) and computer vision is to be established by HKUST and Megvii, a Beijing-based pioneer in computer vision and deep learning, commonly known as Face++. The lab, led by Prof Long Quan, Computer Science and Engineering, will look into research on AI, computer vision, D reconstruction, and image analysis, recognition and understanding. In addition, Hong Kong’s rst major university Cybersecurity Laboratory, dedicated to research into online security, has been established at HKUST. The lab, directed by Prof Charles Zhang, Computer Science and Engineering, will develop a wide range of methods and tools to ght cyber threats and explore security, privacy, and cryptography issues. The HKUST Robotics Team made an international splash when members of its Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) sub-team became the rst Asian contestant to win the world championship of the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) International ROV Competition (see also P ). The team became Hong Kong’s representative in the global competition in Long Beach, California, a er winning the regional contest. The inaugural MATE International ROV Competition was held in , with HKUST participating for the rst time in . The theme selected for the contest was “Port Cities of the Future” and how to ensure their safety. Contestants had to complete tasks on hyperloop construction, light and water show maintenance, environmental clean-up and risk mitigation underwater within minutes as well as prepare promotional materials, technical and safety reports, and a presentation on their ideas. The HKUST ROV team, comprising engineering undergraduates from di erent disciplines and backgrounds, had to compete against more than other regional contest winners to take the title. Overall, the HKUST Robotics Team received nine accolades in di erent competitions in , including winning the annual Robocon Hong Kong Contest for the eighth time. In the News Designed to help seniors shower independently.
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