From December 3 to 7, 2023, the competition concluded successfully at Tianjin University. Among the fierce competition of 4.21 million projects from 151 countries and regions worldwide, the "Intelligent Firefighting Robot" project team, led by Associate Professor Huang Xinyan from the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and with doctoral student Wang Meng as a core member, stood out in the final and won the gold medal in the postgraduate creative group! As the project incubator, Widemount Dynamics Tech Limited (PolyVentures) witnessed and participated in the journey "from the laboratory to the podium" throughout. This honor is not only the pride of the team but also the best testament to Widemount Dynamics Tech Limited's mission of "empowering safety with technology."

"Intelligent Firefighting Robot": Solving Rescue Pain Points, Empowering Safety with Technology

The award-winning "Intelligent Firefighting Robot" project targets the pain points of high-risk environments in firefighting and rescue scenarios, such as "high temperature, dense smoke, and complex terrain," and has developed intelligent equipment with core functions such as autonomous navigation, thermal imaging detection, and adaptability to multiple scenarios. According to the team, the robot can use lidar and AI algorithms to build an environmental map in real-time, quickly locate trapped people in the fire scene and plan rescue routes, while the temperature sensors and gas detection modules it carries can accurately warn of secondary disaster risks and provide safety guarantees for firefighters. Currently, the project has completed the development of a laboratory prototype and has launched pilot cooperation with fire departments in many places, and in the future, it is expected to be widely used in industrial firefighting, high-rise building rescue, and other scenarios.

Industry-Academia-Research Collaboration: Widemount Dynamics Tech Limited's Acceleration from "Laboratory" to "Market"

Behind this honor lies an innovative ecosystem of deep integration of "academia, industry, and capital."As the guiding teacher, Associate Professor Huang Xinyan has been deeply involved in the field of building environment and energy engineering for more than ten years and has long focused on the development of intelligent equipment in public safety scenarios; doctoral student Wang Meng has been deeply involved in robot control algorithms and environmental perception technology and has published several core papers in top international journals, serving as the "technical brain" of the team. The incubation support from Widemount Dynamics Tech Limited has provided the key thrust for the "last mile" of technology implementation - from prototype optimization to pilot scenario docking, from patent layout to market promotion, the company's team has been involved throughout, making "laboratory results" truly "step out of the ivory tower."

"The name Widemount Dynamics  comes from the meaning of 'connecting mountains and seas,' and we hope to connect safety needs with technology and make innovative achievements benefit a broader range of scenarios," said the person in charge of Widemount Dynamics Tech Limited. "This award not only validates the team's technical strength but also reinforces our original intention of 'focusing on safety and making intelligent equipment with a heart.'"