Lingnan University took part in the 3rd Hong Kong International Innovation and Technology Expo (InnoEX) organised by the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau of the HKSAR Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council from 13 to 16 April. This year’s InnoEx theme "Innovate • Automate • Elevate" brought together over 500 leading technology companies and academic institutions from 17 countries and regions worldwide, which focus on cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, low-altitude economy, and robotics. Two student teams led by Prof Pan Fei, Assistant Professor of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Lingnan University, participated in the exhibition with two research projects: "Medical Image Super-Resolution" and "LSTM and Adaptive Rule-Based Fusion Intelligent Customer Service Robot", which emerged as highlights of the event, attracting attention from international enterprises and generating multiple opportunities for collaboration.
"Medical Image Super-Resolution" addresses low-resolution medical imaging in CT and MRI scans. The graduate team from the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, consisting of Wang Song, Ma Yuechi, Mai Shangqing, Chang Zhangqi, Xie Ziyang, and Wang Guoyu, proposed deep learning techniques to improve low-resolution images by integrating dual-channel spatial attention modules into a residual network. This reduces hardware upgrade costs and allows physicians to identify early-stage pathological changes accurately. It was of great interest to many exhibitors.
The other project, “LSTM and Adaptive Rule-Based Fusion Intelligent Customer Service Robot”, developed by another graduate team from the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, was composed of Zhang Zhen, Huang Zewen, and Dai Jinyao, and ingeniously combines deep learning with logical reasoning engines. Its dynamic knowledge graph enables real-time integration of user dialogue data and provides real-time responses. An interactive demonstration area set up at the exhibition booth attracted over 50 visitors for a hands-on experience. Technology enthusiasts and company representatives were full of praise, and the exhibition organisers interviewed the team members.
The two projects were sponsored by the Innovation and Technology Fund of the Innovation and Technology Commission and under the guidance of Prof Pan Fei, the teams completed a full-chain practice spanning algorithm optimisation, prototype development, patent application drafting, and exhibition preparation. The students said, "From the lab to the exhibition stage, we've learned to articulate technological value in business terms."
Mr Robin Chen Hanbin, Manager (Technology Transfer and Business Development) of the Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer at Lingnan University, confirmed the two projects’ industrialisation potential and that InnoEX was an important part of their "industry-academia-research integration" strategy. Lingnan University is continuously accelerating technology transfers, upgrading talent cultivation, and actively expanding their international networks.
Prof Pan Fei concluded "We are transitioning from being technology followers to rule participants, and will use this as a starting point to integrate actively into the global wave of scientific and technological advancement."
