Disney joins forces with HKUST School of Engineering to Support “Inventions for the Community”

Building on the success of the first "Disney-HKUST Grant for Technology and Well-Being" in 2016, The Walt Disney Company (Hong Kong) ("Disney") once again joins forces with HKUST School of Engineering to encourage creative inventions designed to give back to the local community in Hong Kong. This year, Disney has committed to fund the development of the creative yet affordable projects that aim to enhance the daily lives of physically challenged individuals and improve the health and well-being of the general public.  

To help the project teams of final-year students draw inspiration for their "Inventions for the Community," Kelly Willis, Creative Development Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering from Hong Kong Disneyland and Belle Cheng, Creative Manager, Disney Consumer Products, shared with them how Disney builds on the company's legacy of storytelling to pioneer new forms of entertainment and new products. During the course of developing the prototypes, the project teams also received feedback and mentoring from a Walt Disney Imagineer via one-on-one coaching sessions.  

The three distinguished projects that embrace the spirit of "Star Wars" have been selected:

#1: A soft robotic hand that is inspired by Luke Skywalker's mechanical hand installed to replace the damaged organic arm after his duel with Darth Vader on Cloud City. This safe and cost-effective soft robotic hand could potentially replace conventional prosthetics and enhance human interaction. 

#2: The brain-computer interface (BCI) for wheelchair control is a system used to simulate the ubiquitous power in the Star Wars – the "force" – to control and manipulate objects. With the BCI system, users suffering from mobility impairments can control their wheelchair simply with the power of their mind.

#3: The gas sensor system is developed with an aim to help people improve their living in crowded cities in real world similar to the impoverished places in Star War such as Tatooine. This low-cost gas sensor system for H. pylori bacteria detection is designed to diagnose people infected with Helicobacter pylori in developing countries such as Cambodia.

Meet the grant recipients and learn more about their funded projects:

#1: Soft Robotic Hand (https://youtu.be/B4SkMHB5caw) [Transcript]

#2: Brain-Computer Interface for Wheelchair Control (https://youtu.be/T4LBag1NzhI) [Transcript]

#3: Gas Sensor for H. pylori Bacteria Detection (https://youtu.be/m94gJU2E4U4) [Transcript]

"Disney is committed to strengthening the community and inspiring others to think creatively," said Kerwin Lo, General Manager, The Walt Disney Company Hong Kong.  "By providing the HKUST students with tools and resources, we enable them to harness their creativity and come up with ideas that could potentially enhance the lives of people in the community and shape our collective future."

"We are very grateful for Disney's support. The grant offers a precious learning experience for our students, not only inspiring their innovative thinking for solutions, but also encouraging them to create value from knowledge for the betterment of society. The school will continue to fulfill the vision of providing holistic education to nurture global citizens and future leaders," said Professor Tim Kwang Ting Cheng, Dean of Engineering, HKUST.

"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" will hit the theaters this December.

Team of “Soft Robotic Hand” (From left) Pako YAM, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering, HKUST Darren LAM, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering, HKUST Prof Kai TANG, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, HKUST Rayan ARMANI, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering and General Business Management, HKUST Harry GU, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering and General Business Management, HKUST
Team of “Soft Robotic Hand” (From left) Pako YAM, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering, HKUST Darren LAM, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering, HKUST Prof Kai TANG, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, HKUST Rayan ARMANI, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering and General Business Management, HKUST Harry GU, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering and General Business Management, HKUST
Team of “Soft Robotic Hand” (From left) Pako YAM, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering, HKUST Darren LAM, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering, HKUST Prof Kai TANG, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, HKUST Rayan ARMANI, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering and General Business Management, HKUST Harry GU, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering and General Business Management, HKUST
Team of “Soft Robotic Hand” (From left) Pako YAM, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering, HKUST Darren LAM, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering, HKUST Prof Kai TANG, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, HKUST Rayan ARMANI, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering and General Business Management, HKUST Harry GU, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering and General Business Management, HKUST
Team of “Gas Sensor for H. pylori Bacteria Detection” (From left) Prof Yi-Kuen LEE, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, HKUST Akshay RANJIT, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering, HKUST Paige PEI, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering, HKUST Louis LIU, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering, HKUST Parth KAPUR, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering, HKUST Prof Ying CHAU, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, HKUST
Team of “Gas Sensor for H. pylori Bacteria Detection” (From left) Prof Yi-Kuen LEE, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, HKUST Akshay RANJIT, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering, HKUST Paige PEI, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering, HKUST Louis LIU, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering, HKUST Parth KAPUR, Year 4 Student in Mechanical Engineering, HKUST Prof Ying CHAU, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, HKUST

About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (www.ust.hk) is a world-class research university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science.  HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking.  HKUST attained the highest proportion of internationally excellent research work in the Research Assessment Exercise 2014 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee, and is ranked as the world’s best young university in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2019.  Its graduates were ranked 16th worldwide and top in Greater China in Global University Employability Survey 2018.

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