Universities put achievements on display

Over 700 innovation programs developed by 69 universities from China and abroad are on display at the 22nd China International Industry Fair in Shanghai.

The programs include breakthroughs in areas such as fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, industrial automation, advanced equipment, artificial intelligence, robotics, electronic information, medicine, software, environmental protection, new energy and new materials.

The fair has a special zone for universities to show their innovative achievements and contributions to the fight against COVID-19. A total of 29 universities are showcasing 49 anti-pandemic programs.

At the Donghua University booth, there is an eye-catching one-piece protective suit among its 11 programs.

Liu Shuhui, vice president of the university, said the product was developed by a team led by Zhu Meifang, a professor at the university and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Zhu’s team developed a protective material two to three times stronger than ordinary fabrics. The outfit is not only safe, comfortable and durable, but can be used several times after being exposed to cobalt-60 radiation.

The team donated more than 5,000 protective suits to hospitals in Wuhan, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and an organization in the US.

Another team from the university, led by Professor Jin Xiangyu developed a high-quality filter material to meet the demand for masks. The highly breathable material is effective in increasing filtration efficiency. The spunmelt nonwoven technology employed is now used nationwide.

Among the programs presented by Fudan University is a series of books about COVID-19, compiled by a team from Huashan Hospital’s infectious diseases department led by Zhang Wenhong, director of the department and head of Shanghai’s Covid-19 clinical expert team. One of the books is about how to prevent the disease, another how to live healthily amid the pandemic. Other books are introductions to bacteria, the novel coronavirus and infection.

The Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine is showcasing medication developed by researchers and doctors from its affiliated hospitals during the pandemic to treat the disease, help recovery and increase immunity.

Other programs presented at the fair included a naked-eye 3D system developed by a team led by Professor Song Xiaoyan from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology. The screens they created can trace eyesight and automatically ensure users see videos with 3D effects all the time.

According to Song, screens can be made in tailored sizes for different purposes, such as watching movies, education or training. They can also be used in surgery so doctors can clearly see with microscopes. In the future, with 5G technology improved, they are expected to used in remote medical services.

At the Tongji University booth is a road pavement performance measurement system. With cameras and sensors installed on cars, the system can detect damage on and under roads and provide solutions for repair.

“Our project focuses on the problem of low coverage and low frequency of updates of road performance data in China’s wide-area network, especially roads in the countryside,” said Liu Chenglong, a member of the Tongji team.

 Liu, said there are inspection vehicles with laser gear, but such devices are too expensive, while its system is a 10th of the cost. 

The system has been used in more than 10 provinces in China and has inspected over 10,000 kilometers, including on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.