CUHK Engineering FinTech Applied Research Academy partners with 10×1000 Tech for Inclusion to cultivate FinTech talents

Date: 
2023-05-22
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The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Engineering FinTech Applied Research Academy (CEFAR) partnered with the “10x1000” Tech for Inclusion Programme to launch the world’s first joint course this year, allowing more than 100 foremost students who are enrolled in the Master of Science in Financial Technology programme (MSCFT) to fulfil part of the course requirement after completing certain modules of the “10x1000” online courses. Some students commented that the “10x1000” course is simple and easy to understand. Even if you are not a “Tech Person”, you can be one in the pool after completing it. One of the students had been inspired by the course, adding unique elements to her own NFT products which had achieved an initial success. There were also students who plan to stay in Hong Kong or further develop their career in the Greater Bay Area after graduation.

After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics at a university in Canada, Pan Zhihang (Chris), a student of this course, returned to Hong Kong for development. Chris said “I think the 10x1000 course is not too difficult, as long as you learn more about it. Compared to some online financial technology courses which usually take two to three hours, the 10x1000 videos are relatively short, and you can watch them even during travel. There are some areas in financial technology which our Master programme does not cover, and the 10x1000 course is a very good complement for the programme.”

Another student, Mok Wai Fan (Fanny), who is an entrepreneur, expressed that even if she is not a "Tech Person", she could become a "Tech Person" after completing this course, and the 10x1000 course has helped her a lot. Fanny has been inspired by this course that she had improved her innovative "product" to make it more unique.

“The biggest insight that 10x1000 gave me is the quiz after watching the videos in each module, which allows students to have unlimited attempts, apart from explaining the profound theories in simple ways. People will make mistakes. As for learning process, if we cannot do it once, then try it twice or even three times. As long as one is willing to try, she will definitely achieve 100%,” said Fanny.

Fanny added, “This will give students a sense of satisfaction. I applied this in the promotion of my original NFT products to attract more children or adults with less artistic talent, stimulating their interest in integrating art with technology.” Although the related product is still in the preliminary stage, Fanny revealed “It can be said to be an initial success. At least for the time being, there are already customers who are willing to buy our NFT with $200,000.”

Chris, who is only 27 years old, predicted that he will not start a business within ten years, and emphasized that accumulating working experience is more important. He said “I plan to stay in Hong Kong after graduation and choose to work in finance or financial technology field, such as data analysis. I think Hong Kong, as the window of Mainland China to the outside world, will develop very well in the future. I may also work in the Greater Bay Area, since my family lives in Guangzhou, and it is convenient to travel between these two cities. Those big cities like Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Guangzhou have synergy effects, and thus the prospects of working in Greater Bay Area are good.”

This course is the world's first joint course with a university since the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and Alipay jointly announced the "10x1000 Tech for Inclusion" charity initiative and the launch of the financial technology talent cultivation platform in 2018. This joint course is also an achievement of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between CEFAR and Ant Group in the middle of last year, which aims to cultivate young Fintech talents in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, and promote the establishment and development of Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology center through cross-field collaboration amongst government, industry, academia and research.

Professor Chun Kwong Chan, CEFAR, Faculty of Engineering, CUHK remarked, “Since the signing of MOU in June last year to launch the ‘10×1000’ campus version, after in-depth discussions, the two parties decided to integrate three topics closely related to financial technology, namely the background of financial technology, blockchain applications and artificial intelligence applications as the content of the co-branded course and incorporated the relevant training modules into a core course – ‘Advanced Financial Infrastructure’ of the MSCFT programme taught by me, through which the students can understand how technology supports and changes the development of financial infrastructure.”

Ms. Jennifer Tan, the person in charge of the 10x1000 project, added, "As of the end of last year, the total number of 10x1000 graduates, coming from 92 different countries or regions around the world, has reached 2,808. More than 40 experts and scholars from about 20 countries or regions contributed to the course design and development. Their expertise and experience have enhanced the thinking, knowledge and skills of the learners, thereby equipping them to become a new generation of leaders in the digital economy. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to CUHK for its efforts and cooperation to offer the world's first co-branded course jointly developed by 10x1000 and a higher education institution. Without the support of partners and academic staff from all over the world like CUHK, 10x1000 would not be able to achieve its goal of cultivating hundreds of scientific and technological talents in various places every year.”

There was a total of 1,741 learners completing the Fintech Foundation Programme or the Fintech Expert Programme under 10x1000 last year, and the number of graduates has increased by more than 63% as compared with 2021. Among them, 115 graduates are Hong Kong locals from various organizations. After completing the Foundation Programme and passing the tests, learners can join the 10x1000 Alumni Association for network building and knowledge exchange with industry mentors and learners worldwide, laying a solid foundation for future career development in related fields.

 

10x1000 Programme Lead Jennifer Tan, Fanny Mok, Chris Pan and Professor Chun Kwong Chan (From L to R)

 

 

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滬港合研兩棲巡航機 盼助普查搜救 水中最高速每秒2米 配全球定位等 成本數千元

香港中文大學與上海同濟大學最新聯合研發一款「水空兩棲巡航器原型機」，無人機既可空中飛行，亦能於水中潛行。巡航器外型如同無人機，充滿電的情况下，可在空中飛行6分鐘，水中巡游40分鐘，目前最深可達水底3米，水中運行最高速度為每秒2米。研發團隊表示，巡航器用途廣泛，未來可應用於海洋生物普查及災難搜救等，預料明年有製成品。

Date: 
Monday, May 15, 2023
Media: 
MingPao Daily
Media LInk: 
https://is.gd/wKJiEf

CUHK announces the invention of an aerial-aquatic hybrid drone

Date: 
2023-05-15
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A research team jointly led by Professor Ben M. Chen from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)’s Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering (MAE) and Professor Jie Chen from Tongji University’s Shanghai Research Institute for Intelligent Autonomous Systems has successfully invented the TJ-FlyingFish, an unprecedented amphibious drone capable of exploring underwater environments. Launched in early February 2023, this remarkable creation is a game-changing tool for a wide range of industries.
 
Can be used for search-and-rescue missions
 
 The TJ-FlyingFish is completely autonomous, requiring no human intervention during its journey. When in flight, all four units face upwards and spin at high speed. Once the drone lands on water, the units rotate to face downwards and spin at a lower speed, pulling the drone beneath the surface. It is equipped with a cross-domain positioning and navigation system, consisting of GPS, an inertial measurement unit, a depth meter and a mini doppler velocity log, which enables autonomous control during its entire amphibious journey. The drone can be used for aerial and aquatic surveys, remote sensing and search-and-rescue operations, among other applications.
 
The design of the TJ-FlyingFish is reminiscent of any other quadcopter, with a central domed body and four arms, each one equipped with a motor or propeller module. However, its design boasts unique elements, with four arms that each have a propulsion unit at the end. These units incorporate a special dual-speed gearbox and can rotate independently to allow optimal air or water movement.
 
Professor Ben Chen said, “For propulsion, the operating range is switched for the different media by the dual-speed propulsion unit, providing sufficient thrust and also ensuring output efficiency. For thruster configuration, thrust vectoring is realised by the rotation of the propulsion unit around the mount arm, enhancing the underwater manoeuvrability.”
 
Dives underwater for about 40 minutes per battery charge
 
 This amphibious drone weighs 1.63 kilograms. It can hover for six minutes in the air or dive underwater for about 40 minutes per battery charge. It can dive to a maximum depth of three metres and move up to two metres per second in water.
 
Professor Ben Chen added, “We are thrilled to unveil the TJ-FlyingFish, which represents a major milestone in our research efforts. We have simplified its structure and reduced its weight to ensure it can operate smoothly in water and sky media. We are excited to see how it will be used in the future.”

Video:

 
 

CUHK’s Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering Professor Ben Chen (Left) and PHD student Liu Xuchen introduce the TJ-FlyingFish.

 

Professor Ben Chen and his research team members.

 

The drone is completely autonomous, requiring no human intervention during its journey.

 

The drone can move up to two metres per second in water.

 

 

 

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CUHK develops wirelessly powered electronic stents for gastric acid reflux treatment: a new non-invasive therapy

Date: 
2023-03-23
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A collaborative research team led by Professor Zhang Li from the Faculty of Engineering, and Professor Philip Chiu Wai-yan and Professor Tony Chan Kai-fung from the Faculty of Medicine (CU Medicine) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has developed wirelessly powered electronic stents for a new electrical stimulation therapy to prevent and potentially cure gastric acid reflux. This collaborative work was published recently in the renowned international research journal Science Advances, and will be highlighted by Nature Reviews Bioengineering in April 2023 issue.
 
Gastric acid reflux and the limitations of current therapeutic methods
 
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a gastrointestinal (GI) disorder that is prevalent worldwide. Common symptoms include gastric acid reflux and chest pain, often known as heartburn. GERD is persistent and hard to cure. About 8% of patients need life-long medication, which impairs both their physical and mental health. Apart from medication, current surgical interventions include Nissen fundoplication and magnetic augmentation, which passively enhance the closure of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and require laparoscopic surgery. Alternatively, electrical stimulation of the LES provides a promising strategy to restore the normal functions of the LES without affecting swallowing. However, it needs invasive surgery that is associated with a risk of infection. The heavy surgical burden and potential risks prevent the widespread implementation of implantable electrical stimulation systems. With the increasing prevalence of GERD patients worldwide, there is a strong demand for a less invasive electrical stimulation system to minimise invasive surgery-induced risks and increase the acceptance of electrical stimulation among GERD patients.
 
Eliminating the need for invasive surgery to implant the device and replace batteries  
 
The wirelessly powered electronic stent (E-Stent) designed by the research team has overcome the bottleneck of powering bioelectronic implants and provides a transoral delivery and retrieval strategy for in situ diagnosis and treatment in the gastrointestinal tract. It also has the potential for other non-invasive biomedical applications in organs with a natural orifice.
 
The E-Stent consists of a super elastic clinical esophageal stent as the mechanical skeleton, a liquid metal antenna and an intrinsically stretchable pulse generator. The liquid metal has a low melting temperature of 15.4℃ and high electrical conductivity. Due to its liquid nature at body temperature, the liquid metal antenna is compliant with deformations in the esophagus. In cooperation with a wearable power transfer system designed by the research team, the elastic antenna can harvest sufficient energy for electrical stimulation therapy through deep tissue, even under compression of the esophagus. To further push technology transfer, the research team also exploited a laser engrafting machine for the batch fabrication of stretchable circuits, which improves design flexibility and speeds up production. Its intrinsic stretchability and excellent mechanical properties mean the circuit can provide stable biphasic current stimulation under various extreme deformations.  
 
Professor Philip Chiu Wai-yan, Director of the Chow Yuk Ho Technology Centre for Innovative Medicine, CU Medicine, commented, “The natural orifice procedure via the mouth offers less invasive access to the GI tract, which provides great benefits for diagnosis and surgical interventions. This work offers a bioelectronic platform to regulate GERD by electrical stimulation. We proved our concept in vivo in pig models: that continuous electrical stimulation increased the pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter, suggesting it has the potential to prevent gastric acid in a less invasive way. The next step is to optimise and transform the lab-made prototypes into clinical products. We will continue our close interdisciplinary collaboration to push this work forward and benefit more people.”
 
Professor Zhang Li, Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, added, “In this collaborative work with CU Medicine, we have proposed the E-Stent platform and a transoral delivery strategy to address several key challenges in mucosa-interfacing bioelectronics: for instance, how to wirelessly power bioelectronics inside the body, especially for applications like electrical stimulation that consume a lot of power, and how to design microneedle electrodes to provide efficient, safe electrical stimulation across the mucosa, which is the natural barrier protecting the GI tract. I feel very grateful that our partners from the CU Medicine gave my team and me lots of advice and steadfast support during the collaboration, which has been a critical factor in the success of the research.”
 
Professor Tony Chan Kai-fung, Research Assistant Professor of the Chow Yuk Ho Technology Centre for Innovative Medicine, remarked, “Digital medicine can have a transformative impact on our daily life and demonstrates the clinical potential to integrate other functions. For example, we can integrate pressure sensors and other bio-sensors with the E-Stent for physiological assessment. The data we collect can be used for real-time optimisation of the electrical stimulation, realising personalised treatment. Additionally, the applications of this E-Stent platform are not limited to GERD but also take in other parts in the GI tract and other organs with natural orifices.”
 
The research team is now working closely to integrate new functions with the E-Stent for other applications in the GI tract and to conduct further preclinical studies and clinical evaluations. The team envisions that the development of the E-Stent will provide a promising non-invasive platform offering high efficiency and safety for various physiological assessments and personalised treatments, as well as diverse functions with high clinical value.
 
Appendix
 
Acknowledgement
 
This work is supported by the Research Grants Council (RGC), Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC), the Chow Yuk Ho Technology Centre for Innovative Medicine, and the CUHK T Stone Robotics Institute.
 
The full text of the research paper can be found at:
Wirelessly powered deformable electronic stent for noninvasive electrical stimulation of lower esophageal sphincter
Video source: Wirelessly powered deformable electronic stent for noninvasive electrical stimulation of lower esophageal sphincter, Science Advances, Vol. 9, Issue 10, ade8622, 2023
 

CUHK has developed wirelessly powered electronic stents for a new electrical stimulation therapy to prevent and potentially cure gastric acid reflux. (From left) Professor Tony Chan Kai-fung, Research Assistant Professor of the Chow Yuk Ho Technology Centre for Innovative Medicine, CU Medicine; Professor Zhang Li, Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering; Professor Philip Chiu Wai-yan, Director of the Chow Yuk Ho Technology Centre for Innovative Medicine.

The wirelessly powered electronic stent (E-Stent).

Wearable power transfer system.

 

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中大研無創式植入軟管治療胃酸倒流 冀兩年後展開臨床測試

中文大學最近研發出治療胃酸倒流的新方法，以無創方式植入軟管入病人食道，控制開合，期望兩年後展開臨床測試。
 
不少人受胃酸倒流困擾，原因之一是食道括約肌功能失調或退化，令胃酸容易倒流進入食道。
 
現時主要透過藥物或做手術，增強括約肌的閉合，不過根據以往研究，長期服藥會引致不同的後遺症，包括增加患胃癌風險。而傳統手術需要全身麻醉，亦有機會復發。
 
Date: 
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Media: 
TVB News
Media LInk: 
https://news.tvb.com/tc/local/641adfb4e82f8082bec3239b

中大研無線電子支架　電激控制食道　無創醫胃酸倒流

俗稱胃酸倒流的「胃食管反流病」於全球十分普遍，且難以治愈，常出現胃灼熱的情況，約8%的患者需終生服藥，另可通過入侵性手術等方式改善病情，但沉重手術費、感染風險而未廣泛應用。香港中文大學工程學院團隊最近研發無線供電的電子支架，可利用電刺激預防及治療胃酸倒流。研究詳情已於國際著名學術期刊《Science Advances》等發表
 
Date: 
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Media: 
On.CC
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https://is.gd/3dAu1P

中大首創防胃酸倒流無線供電電子支架　控制下食管括約肌閉合改善胃酸倒流

胃食管反流病（又稱胃酸倒流）在全球上十分普遍，而且難以治療，約有8%的患者需要終生服藥，而最新且有效的植入式電刺激系統亦因為屬於入侵性手術，加上沉重的手街費用和潛在風險難以廣泛應用。因此香港中文大學工程學院及醫學院領導的研究團隊研發出一種無線供電的電子支架，可利用電刺激預防及治療胃酸倒流，為患者提供全新且無創的治療方法

Date: 
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Media: 
HKET Daily
Media LInk: 
https://is.gd/AVAPi6
Name: 
ZHU Keren
Title ( post ): 
Research Assistant Professor
Department: 
Computer Science and Engineering
email: 
kerenzhu [at] cse.cuhk.edu.hk
phone: 
3943 8397
website: 
https://www.cse.cuhk.edu.hk/people/faculty/keren-zhu/
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朱可人
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Z
Name: 
GU Jinwei
Title ( post ): 
Associate Professor
Department: 
Computer Science and Engineering
email: 
jwgu [at] cse.cuhk.edu.hk
phone: 
3943 8418
website: 
https://www.cse.cuhk.edu.hk/people/faculty/jinwei-gu/
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顧金偉
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Engineering scholar named Best Innopreneur Award by Federation of Hong Kong Industries

Date: 
2023-02-15
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Congratulations to Prof. Leo Jiaya Jia from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering for being awarded the Best Innopreneur Award by the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, in recognition of his significant contribution to advanced development of computer vision and machine learning technology, focusing specifically on image/video understanding.
 
The Hong Kong Innopreneur Awards (the Awards) were first launched in 2022 with the aim of endorsing and honouring forward-looking and promising startup founders on an individual basis. They have attained breakthrough innovation in their businesses and are committed to bringing positive impacts to the community and society.
 
The Awards not only commend the remarkable achievement made by the entrepreneurs, but also serve as a significant motivation for industry players, driving the entrepreneurial spirit and encouraging quality talents to be future industrial leaders who support Hong Kong’s development into an international I&T hub.
 

Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Professor Dong SUN (left) presents the Best Innopreneur Award to Professor Jia at the inaugural award presentation ceremony held on 14 February 2023.

 

 

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