Professor from HKUST (GZ) Granted Innovation Science and Technology Award for Founding an Unmanned Vehicle Company
Good news is coming up from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) (hereinafter referred to as HKUST (GZ))! On November 5, the Second Development Forum of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area – Linghang 9+2 and Award Ceremony was held in Hong Kong. Shenzhen Unity Drive Innovation Technology Co., Ltd (UDI), founded by Prof. Liu Ming, Acting Head of Robotics and Autonomous Systems (ROAS) Thrust at the Systems Hub of HKUST (GZ), and Prof. Wang Lujia from the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering of HKUST, was awarded the “Best Innovation Science and Technology Award in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area”. It is learned that the award also goes to companies, including Huawei, Xiaomi and SenseTime.
Prof. Wang Lujia (second from left) receives the award on behalf of the project team of Systems Hub, HKUST (GZ)
Prof. Liu Ming is a renowned scholar in the field of robotics and currently serves as Acting Head of the Robotics and Autonomous Systems (ROAS) Thrust at the Systems Hub of HKUST (GZ), a tenured professor at both the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at HKUST, Director of the Intelligent Autonomous Driving Center and Director of the Robotics and Multi-perception Laboratory (RAM-LAB) at HKUST, and Senior Member at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He has published more than 200 academic papers on robotics with over 6,500 citations and an h-index of 43. In 2021, he was ranked 68th among the world’s most influential roboticists by AI2000.
Prof. Wang Lujia graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and finished her post-doctoral study at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). She is Executive Director of the Intelligent Autonomous Driving Center and Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering of HKUST. She developed the world’s first cloud robot system in 2012 and published more than 100 related papers, earning her a significant influence in the robot and unmanned driving industry.
In the past five years, a research team led by Prof, Liu Ming has won 15 grand awards or nominations, including the Best Paper Award for IEEE International Conference, Wu Wenjun Award for Artificial Intelligence Science and Technology (known as “the highest award for AI science and technology in China”), and IEEE IROS Outstanding Youth Award (the first Chinese winner of this award). In the past three years, he has presided over more than 30 scientific research projects in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong as a leader, with total funding of more than 80 million Hong Kong dollars. He has obtained general projects fundings from Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Bureau etc. for four consecutive years. He was the chair of the IEEE International Conference on Real-time Computing and Robotics and the International Conference on Computer Vision.
On October 30, 2017, Prof. Ming Liu, together with a research team of teachers and students from the Robotics Institute of HKUST, successfully developed Hong Kong’s first unmanned car with a variety of innovative features. In 2018, UDI was officially founded. The company combines laser radar, vision and three-dimensional data processing algorithms with deep learning and multi-sensor fusion to provide overall solutions of L3 and L4 unmanned systems covering the vehicle, software, hardware, and algorithms. At present, UDI has formed a partnership with leading enterprises, including Foxconn, Huawei, and SF Express, focusing on creating mass-produced unmanned vehicles with safe and reliable performance.
“This award represents a high recognition of the industry-university-research transformation achievements by HKUST. With the support of the broad industrial chain of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, we believe unmanned vehicles will provide more convenience to human life and boost the development of smart logistics in the era of Industry 4.0,” Prof. Liu Ming said.