HK’s first powerful nanogenerator with ultrahigh power density showcased at CityU STEM Carnival cum Student Project Exhibition 2023

 

“The exhibition is a highlighted activity under the Talent Hub, and we are committed to nurturing engineering talent through this platform,” said Professor Shek Chan-hung, Advisor of Bright Future Engineering Talent Hub and Professor of Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, at the closing ceremony of the event.

He also thanked Dr Roy Chung Chi-ping, the co-founder and Non-Executive Director of Techtronic Industries Company Limited, and the Bright Future Charitable Foundation for generously supporting the launch of the Bright Future Engineering Talent Hub and the vision for promoting engineering education in Hong Kong.

 

One of the featured projects at the exhibition was a first for Hong Kong: the Powerful Nanogenerator with Ultrahigh Power Density led by Professor Steven Wang from Department of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Energy and Environment at CityU. This invention has set a record for the high-power output of similar nanogenerators as it can generate over 1,000 volts of electricity.

In response to global warming and increasing energy demand, the CityU research team has designed a small and easy-to-install wind turbine for highways and tunnels. Given Hong Kong’s busy traffic situation, the device can exploit the wind flow caused by moving vehicles while the fan blades of the wind turbine can be adjusted to match any changes in wind behaviour as well as to ensure safety and optimise the collection of wind power.

The device can be applied in daily life, too. It can be installed on the floor in schools or shopping malls or on roads. The pressure generated when people walk on the floor or when vehicles move on the road can be used to generate power. The CityU team says it is exploring opportunities to place the devices on floors in local institutions to increase the production of renewable energy, adding that they hope the technology can be expanded to other countries.

In addition, the CityU Underwater Robotics team (UR team), which recently secured 4th place at the 2023 MATE ROV World Championship in the US, exhibited its underwater robots at the event. The UR team had competed in finals held in the US after securing a place at the Hong Kong Regional Contest of the MATE International ROV Competition. The CityU UR team was one of two universities from Hong Kong to join the final competition against 62 other teams from around the world. It won 4th place this year, the team’s highest position since 2016 when the team first joined the competition. The team said the underwater robot was highly versatile and could be used in different scenarios, for example in rescue work and underwater maintenance.