PolyU Receives Support from Smart Traffic Fund for Two Projects

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has secured funding support for two innovative projects from the Smart Traffic Fund. Total funding of around HK$17.36 million has been granted for these projects which aim to enhance health monitoring of long-span bridges and optimise urban parking management respectively.

Details of the two PolyU projects:

Digital Twin-based Long-span Bridge Health Monitoring

Led by Prof. Yong XIA, Professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the project has secured funding of approximately HK$13.4 million for a duration of 24 months.

The project aims to develop a digital twin-based long-span bridge health monitoring platform. The Tsing Ma Bridge will serve as the testbed for this project, focusing on the development of an automatic traffic monitoring system, a bridge fatigue damage assessment and prediction system, a vehicle-barrier collision monitoring system and a vehicle safety assessment system in high winds. Sensors on the bridges, cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, finite element analysis and Bridge Information Modelling will be integrated into the monitoring platform to enhance the efficiency of the road network and road space, as well as to improve driving safety.

Blockchain-enabled Cyber Physical System for City-wide Parking Management

Led by Dr Yung Po TSANG, Research Assistant Professor of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, the project has received funding support of approximately HK$3.95 million for a duration of 24 months.

The project utilises Web 3.0 and blockchain technology to establish decentralised identity for drivers, enabling intelligent access control to car parks. Additionally, an AI-powered spatiotemporal clustering analysis system will be developed to evaluate the supply of and demand for parking spaces.

Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, said, “PolyU researchers have been contributing to smart traffic development projects, receiving robust support for their ongoing endeavours. We are dedicated to accelerating our research efforts, aiming to improve road and infrastructure safety while enhancing traffic commuting efficiency within our communities. This funding support reaffirms our commitment to advancing technology and conducting innovative research for the betterment of society.”

PolyU has long been committed to the research and application of vehicle-related innovation and technology, with a total of 17 projects receiving grants from the Smart Traffic Fund to-date.