Shenzhen research teams win top honors at Geneva inventions exhibition

Two projects by Shenzhen-linked research teams have secured top awards at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, with one receiving a Gold Medal with the Congratulations of the Jury and another taking a Gold Medal, according to Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (Tsinghua SIGS).

Held in Geneva from March 11 to 15, the exhibition featured about 1,000 inventions from 35 countries and regions, according to organizers and other participating institutions.

The Tsinghua SIGS team, led by Zhang Xiaoping from the Institute of Data and Information, won acclaim for their research on trackside acoustic intelligent diagnosis. Co-developed with Tsinghua University’s School of Software and Beijing Shengpu Technology, the core technology has been integrated into the “Acoustic GearGuard” system, which is currently deployed by Hong Kong’s MTR Corp. to detect early-stage faults in train running gear and other important components.

MTR Corp. said March 18 that its train component monitoring system received the World Intellectual Property Organization’s WIPO National Award for Inventors at the Geneva exhibition. The official exhibition winners’ list names MTR Corp. as the WIPO prize recipient for “Acoustic GearGuard: AI-enhanced acoustic for running gear health & maintenance optimization.”

According to Tsinghua SIGS, the rail-side system captures acoustic signals from moving trains to monitor critical components, including bearings, wheel treads, gearboxes and drive motors. By combining physical modeling of bogies with artificial intelligence algorithms, the technology identifies hidden anomalies such as early-stage wear and micro-damage, helping shift maintenance from reactive repair to predictive maintenance, according to the school. But Reuters could not independently verify the technical performance claims.

Additionally, a team led by Song Jian and Liu Zhenyu, in collaboration with Xuyu Optoelectronics (Shenzhen) Co., Isep in France and Grirem Advanced Materials Co., won a Gold Medal for “LumiSense.” Tsinghua SIGS described the project as an AI-driven, adaptive full-spectrum lighting system that utilizes biosensors to track user location and eye fatigue. The system adjust full-spectrum LED parameters in real-time to provide personalized eye-care lighting, though Reuters was unable to independently verify these claims.

Founded in 1973, the Geneva exhibition is one of the world’s best-known showcases for patented inventions and technological innovation. Organizers of the exhibition describe the Grand Prix as the event’s highest distinction.

Tsinghua SIGS said the Gold Medal with the Congratulations of the Jury awarded to Zhang’s team represents the highest honor within the medal categories and is granted only by unanimous jury approval.