Congratulations to SU Shiying, a Year 4 student in the BA (Hons) in Media Design and Immersive Technology (2025/26), on winning the Merit Prize (Innovation Category) at the 12th Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition! The project is supervised by Dr. Dina Ding, Assistant Professor in the Department of Journalism and Communication, HKSYU.

Her creative work titled “ExploreChameleon – A screenless Bionic Natural Exploration Device for Children”《趣探龍---基於仿生交互與無屏技術的兒童智能自然探索儀》, is a smart bionic exploration device designed specifically for children aged 6 to 12. Addressing three major challenges screen dependency, a lack of connection with nature, and rising rates of myopia, the product features a chameleon-inspired bionic design and a screen-free design philosophy. At its core, it integrates edge AI (NPU) technology, enabling the offline identification of thousands of species and guiding scientific observation through a personalised voice assistant. Its unique “asynchronous dual-eye” design features a ToF rangefinder in the right eye to help determine the size of objects, while the LCoS projector in the left eye supports nighttime parent and child review sessions. The device’s exterior is clad in temperature-sensitive, colour-changing material, giving the product a sense of interactive vitality. The project aims to use technology to guide children back to nature, protecting their eyesight while bridging gaps in family education and rebuilding the connection between humans and nature.

For more information on the Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, please check out: https://www.hkchallengeplus.com/