Mechanical Engineering

Technologies for Studying the Human Past

Faculty of Education, Mechanical Engineering, SIG Projects, The 7th Engineering Inno Show / By

We will undertake two major projects in our SIG. The dual goals are to apply both eXtended Reality (XR) and Machine Learning (ML) to studying the human past with archaeology through an exploration of digital humanities potentialities. We will use XR to collect data and to present these data for education and public engagement to teach everyone about the past through archaeology and archaeological fieldwork. We will use ML to improve our ability to find and study ancient sites of the past.

Design, Build & Fly Team @ 7th Inno Show

Mechanical Engineering, The 7th Engineering Inno Show / By

Design, Build & Fly (DBF) is a regular capstone design project under the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hong Kong. In the past six years, DBF teams from HKU have participated in various competitions around the world.

For this academic year, DBF Team will once again participate in the American Institute of Aeronautics (AIAA) Design/Build/Fly Competition and the British Model Flying Association 2022 University and Schools Flight Challenges. Teams are expected to go through the process of designing, manufacturing prototypes, testing, redesigning and competing with other international teams over the globe.

HKU DBF team has shown passion and capabilities in each of the competitions. Coming to 2023, the team is eager in maintaining high ranking by adopting revolutionary design in our flying mechanism. We get to achieve better results and strive for perfection.

HKU Racing @ 7th Inno Show

Mechanical Engineering, The 7th Engineering Inno Show / By

HKU Racing (HKUR) is an initiative led by dedicated HKU students who intend to compete in the Formula Student UK (FSUK) event in 22/23 and beyond. We design an open cockpit, formula-style race car from the ground up. It is a vehicle that materializes a group of passionate students’ dream of designing their very own race car. Apart from designing the vehicle, we build, fabricate, and drive our design on track to compete with other student teams around the world. With a clear goal of competing in the FSUK event in summer 2023, we have assembled talented students and gained tremendous support from experienced engineers and technical staff within the university and external communities. Three entities at the University of Hong Kong supervise our project, namely the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Tam Wing Fan Innovation Wing under the Faculty of Engineering. Since the faculty’s founding in 1912, it has kept pace with developments in the engineering world and is always at the forefront of engineering research. Aligning with the university’s vision of having more innovative student-led projects, our goal promises excellent potential to nurture a new generation of talented individuals. Our project will provide valuable experience for their future careers.

Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Wearable Self-Powered Electronics Applications

Mechanical Engineering, The 6th Engineering Inno Show / By

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is a new promising energy harvesting technology that can produce electrical energy. A TENG makes use of the coupling effect of triboelectrification to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. This project aims to design and fabricate a wearable TENG that can be mounted on the human body as the electrical power source of electronics. With the aid of energy harvesting technology, a self-powered load-suspended backpack is developed and it can detect shoulder misalignment. Meanwhile, the load suspended system allows the reduction of vertical oscillation during the walking motion.

BREED HKU’s quadruped robot – DoggiE @6th Inno Show

Mechanical Engineering, SIG Projects, The 6th Engineering Inno Show / By

Quadruped robots are envisioned to play an inseparable part of urban operations under the new normal, to perform versatile errands like instant data-retrieval in inaccessible/a multitude of environments, real-time monitoring. Such robots have been heavily researched and developed recently, offering optimal endurance, maneuverability and stability, as demonstrated by models in the market, like ANYmal C and the Alien go robot.

DoggiE aims to become the first industrial-grade quadruped robot developed by HKU, to accomplish accolades of the quadruped robot “Spot” at Boston Dynamics, to supplement task forces during emergencies and shortage of manpower, broadening the range of surveyance, and minimizing injuries/damage to human resources, with less than half of the cost (~300k). It offers versatile functionality, being capable of climbing stairs, implementing computer-vision, object retrieval and self-recovery. We believe establishing the technical basis of DoggiE, enables engaging in partnerships with the government or companies specializing in outdoor robotic solutions.

Design and Build an Intraocular Pressure Controllable Gadget

Mechanical Engineering, The 6th Engineering Inno Show / By

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of irreversible blindness and its diagnosis is often delayed due to its painless symptoms and slow development of loss of eyesight. A gadget is needed to be built to increase intraocular pressure such that the deformation of optic nerve can be studied to facilitate research in the diagnosis of Glaucoma. A goggles-like device was built using TPU by 3D-printing. It exerts force on the eye periphery hence causing pressure build up. It was then tested and it showed successful results during clinical testing.

HKU UAS@5th Inno Show

Mechanical Engineering, SIG Projects, The 5th Engineering Inno Show / By

HKU UAS is an Unmanned Aerial Systems team dedicated to forming a community of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) enthusiasts and its associated systems, consisting of two technical teams: Mechanical Team and Computer Science Team. The team aims to join the AUVSI SUAS international competition, situated in Maryland, U.S.A. The competition requires the team to design a UAS capable of Autonomous Flight, Obstacle Avoidance, Object Detection, Classification and Localization, Mapping, Airdrop and Package Delivery via an Unmanned Ground Vehicle.