Lingnan University Shatters Records with 13 Awards at 51st Geneva Inventions Expo

Lingnan University has achieved spectacular results at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva with all 13 of the inventions it entered winning awards. This remarkable success includes one Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury, five Gold Medals, three Silver Medals and four Bronze Medals. The number of projects entered and awards received have more than doubled since last year, setting a new record for Lingnan, and confirming the University’s excellence in groundbreaking interdisciplinary research.

This year’s award-winning inventions integrate artificial intelligence (AI) with diverse applications (AI+X), notably AI + Creativity, AI + Humanity, AI + Pedagogy, AI + Sustainability, and AI + Trustability. These span professional domains such as data science, advanced materials, sustainable energy, art technology, and transformative education, fully demonstrating Lingnan’s achievements in interdisciplinary collaboration and human-centric innovation, which ultimately drive positive social impact and enhanced community wellbeing.

Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science at Lingnan University, expressed his delight at the University’s latest important milestone and congratulated all the award-winning teams. He said, “This year, multiple innovative inventions jointly developed by faculty and students’ teams were entered by Lingnan University. By actively breaking traditional disciplinary boundaries under the AI + concept, we have integrated AI into various academic fields, resulting in a series of human-centred research and innovative solutions that respond to societal needs, affirming the University’s mission of ‘Education for Service’. In the face of global technological innovation challenges, Lingnan continues to promote interdisciplinary research, strengthen industry–academia–research collaboration, and transform research into practical applications. At the same time, we seek to equip students with humanistic values to guide technological applications, and make a positive impact on society.”

The research project that received the Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury is “FlexiBot: Make Every Parking Spot a Charging Spot”, developed by a team led by Prof Tang Xiaopeng, Assistant Professor (Presidential Early Career Scholar) of the Division of Science. FlexiBot is an intelligent robot designed to provide wireless charging for electric vehicles in any parking space. The robot automatically locates and moves to the nearest charging point. Its wireless charging module and adapter are compatible with all electric vehicles, offering park-and-charge compatible chargers. The system also features smart scheduling for charging, automatically avoiding peak electricity times to reduce grid load and cost.

A total of five projects have won the Gold Medals, including “SmartCool: Digital Twin AI, Cool Smarter with Human Feedback, Hit Carbon Zero”, developed by a team led by President S. Joe Qin; “BuildGuard: Blockchain Oracle AI for Instant Secure Compliance”, developed by Prof Wu Liupengfei, Assistant Professor of the Division of Industrial Data Science at the School of Data Science; “IDShield: AI Behavioural Fingerprinting for Anonymous Dialogue Decode”, developed by a team led by Prof Shen Jiaxing, Assistant Professor of the Division of Artificial Intelligence of the School of Data Science; “Solid-Safe Lithium Battery: Puncture-Proof, 500Wh/kg, Compatible with All Lines”, developed by a team led by Prof Chen Ze, Assistant Professor of the Wu Jieh Yee School of Interdisciplinary Studies; and “StorySketcher: A Multi-Agent AI System for Child-Led Co-Creative Narratives”, a project developed by Prof Xu Xian, Assistant Professor of the Department of Digital Arts and Creative Industries.

Three projects have won Silver Medals, including “Face Fortress: Adaptive All-In-One AI for Digital ID Safety”, developed by a team led by Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research); “Hydrogel Smart Window: Cool Without Power”, developed by a team led by Prof Chen Xi, Dean of the Wu Jieh Yee School of Interdisciplinary Studies; and “Smarter Traffic, Safer Roads: AIoT and Real-Time GeoAI Innovations for Urban Transport”, a project developed by Prof Paulina Wong Pui-yun, Head and Associate Professor (Presidential Early Career Scholar) of the Division of Science.

Four projects have won the Bronze Medals, including “DynaGuard: The Smart Brain for Dynamic System Monitoring and Diagnostics”, developed by a team led by President S. Joe Qin; “Generative AI Assessment System (GAAS): A Game-Changer for Timely Student Feedback”, developed by a team led by Prof Frankie Lam King-sun, Director of the Teaching and Learning Centre; “TransLab: AI-powered Translation Learning and Evaluation Suite”, a project developed by Prof George Chan Chi-yu, Assistant Professor of Practice of the Department of Translation; and “CineSim: Interactive Cinematography Lab”, a project developed by Dr Tobby Kan Shiu-tao, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Digital Arts and Creative Industries.

The International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, held annually since 1973, is the world’s largest exhibition of innovation and invention. This year’s exhibition features over 1000 inventions from approximately 35 countries and regions.

List of winning projects and introduction

Awards Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury

Project Title FlexiBot: Make Every Parking Spot a Charging Spot

Winning Lingnan Faculty and Staff • Prof Tang Xiaopeng, Assistant Professor, Division of Science
• Mr Wang Fangyu, Senior Research Assistant, Division of Science

Project description FlexiBot is an intelligent robot designed to provide wireless charging for electric vehicles in any parking space. Key Features include Autonomous Mobile Charging, Excellent Compatibility, and Smart Scheduling.

Awards Gold Medal

Project Title SmartCool: Digital Twin AI, Cool Smarter with Human Feedback, Hit Carbon Zero

Project description An AI-driven air conditioning management system that optimises performance through the integration of predictive algorithms and RL-MPC control technology. It features desk-side smart feedback and load forecasting for energy saving.

Awards Gold Medal

Project Title BuildGuard: Blockchain Oracle AI for Instant Secure Compliance

Project description Acts like a tamper-proof inspector for remote manufacturing using AI and secure blockchain data feeds for real-time compliance audits.

Awards Gold Medal

Project Title IDShield: AI Behavioural Fingerprinting for Anonymous Dialogue Decode

Project description Designed to detect and remove behavioural signals that could lead to re-identification in AI platforms, ensuring privacy compliance.

Awards Gold Medal

Project Title Solid-Safe Lithium Battery: Puncture-Proof, 500Wh/kg, Compatible with All Lines

Project description An innovative all-solid-state lithium battery without flammable electrolytes, offering high energy density and enhanced safety for drones and electric vehicles.

Awards Silver Medal

Project Title Face Fortress: Adaptive All-In-One AI for Digital ID Safety

Project description Integrates deepfake detection and image quality filtering into a single verification pipeline for high-security scenarios.

Lingnan University achieves outstanding results at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, winning 13 awards, more than twice as many as last year.

“Face Fortress: Adaptive All-In-One AI for Digital ID Safety”, developed by a team led by Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research) (right), wins a Silver Medal.

“FlexiBot: Make Every Parking Spot a Charging Spot” wins a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury. The project was developed with the participation of Mr Wang Fangyu, Senior Research Assistant of the Division of Science at Lingnan University.

“SmartCool: Digital Twin AI, Cool Smarter with Human Feedback, Hit Carbon Zero” wins a Gold Medal. Shown in the photo is Dr Liu Yiren, Postdoctoral Fellow of the Division of Industrial Data Science at the School of Data Science, who contributed to the project led by President S. Joe Qin.

Hong Kong’s universities have once again demonstrated academic strength on the international stage. The latest 2026 ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects shows that at least 90 subjects across Hong Kong’s universities have entered the global top 50, with 21 subjects ranking among the world’s top 10. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) claimed the top spot globally in two subjects: Transportation Science & Technology and Hospitality & Tourism Management. The University of Hong Kong (HKU), The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) all made it into the global top 10 for Education, underscoring the city’s overall strength in the field.

The University of Hong Kong, Photo source: reference image

HKU’s Education subject ranked second globally in this year’s ranking, its highest-ever position, while retaining its place as the top in Asia. Professor Yang Rui, Dean of the Faculty of Education at HKU, expressed his delight at the achievement. He noted that it fully reflects the collective efforts of faculty members in conducting high-level research and publishing in leading international academic journals, as well as the Faculty’s close partnerships with research collaborators worldwide, which continue to expand the reach and impact of its work. “I am deeply grateful to our Faculty members for their commitment to advancing educational knowledge and promoting the exchange and application of these outcomes worldwide,” he said.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Photo source: reference image

PolyU delivered the most outstanding performance in this ranking, with 23 subjects entering the global top 50, the highest number among all Hong Kong institutions. Six of its subjects ranked in the global top 10. In addition to the two subjects that topped the world, these include Management (global 2nd), Civil Engineering (global 3rd), Energy Science & Engineering (global 4th), and Mechanical Engineering (global 10th), spanning multiple traditional strengths in engineering and management.

The City University of Hong Kong, Photo source: reference image

City University of Hong Kong (CityU) had 44 subjects ranked this year, two more than last year. Twenty-two subjects entered the global top 50, with four subjects- Library & Information Science, Metallurgical Engineering, Energy Science & Engineering, and Public Administration- making it into the global top 10. Furthermore, CityU ranked first in Hong Kong in 10 subjects, including Library & Information Science, Business Administration, and Veterinary Sciences, leading other local institutions in multiple areas.

The Lingnan University, Photo source: reference image

Lingnan University had eight subjects ranked this year, a nearly twofold increase from three last year. Five subjects, including Computer Science & Engineering and Electrical & Electronic Engineering, appeared on the list for the first time. Its Artificial Intelligence subject, newly listed last year, jumped dramatically in the rankings and entered the global top 100 for the first time, placing in the 76–100 band. Professor Qin Si Zhao, President of Lingnan University, said the results reflect growing international recognition of the University’s academic and research work. “Lingnan will review the ranking results and their assessment indicators, using them as a reference to further consolidate our ‘Liberal Arts + Technology’ development direction,” he said.

Photo source: shanghairanking.com

The ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects is released by ShanghaiRanking, a higher education evaluation agency. It covers 57 subjects across five major fields: Natural Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences, and Social Sciences. The ranking uses international academic indicators to assess the performance of higher education institutions worldwide in each subject, evaluating five categories: World-Class Faculty, World-Class Research Output, High-Quality Research, Research Impact, and International Collaboration. This year’s ranking assessed over 3,000 universities globally, with more than 2,000 institutions from about 96 countries and regions appearing on the lists.