Recently, the Science and Technology Department of Henan Province announced the “Public Notice of Proposed Projects for the 2024 Henan Provincial Key Research Program” and the “Notice Regarding the Signing of Project Contracts and Subsequent Management of the 2024 Henan Provincial Key Research Program”. The university has been granted funding for two key provincial research projects, placing us among the top institutions of our kind in terms of project approvals. Over the past two years, the university has been awarded a total of four key research projects with a combined funding of 5.5 million yuan.

One of the awarded projects, “Development and Demonstration of an Autonomous Intelligent Tea-Picking Robot System”, led by Professor Xing Shule from the School of Energy Engineering, received a grant of 1.40 million yuan. This project addresses the challenges associated with manual tea picking, such as high labor intensity, low efficiency, and the inability of existing mechanical harvesters to perform selective picking, resulting in high breakage rates, inconsistent tea quality, and inadequacy for harvesting high-quality tea. Through research on the mechanical structure of autonomous tea-picking robots, tea leaf feature recognition, and sensing and control systems, the project aims to develop an autonomous intelligent tea-picking robot system. This system will enhance the picking quality and efficiency of high-quality tea, paving the way for the development and application of intelligent and autonomous tea-picking robots.

The research team led by Professor Liu Xinyu from the School of Intelligent Manufacturing has been awarded a grant of 1.1 million yuan for their key research and development project titled “Development and Industrialization of Key Technologies for Neural Injury Motor Rehabilitation Based on Brain-Computer Interface”. Focusing on patients with lower limb dysfunction, the project aims to develop a self-closed-loop feedback motor function rehabilitation device utilizing brain-computer interface and feedback training technology. This innovative approach will transform traditional passive rehabilitation, relying heavily on therapists or mechanical assistance, into active rehabilitation with patient-initiated engagement. The implementation of this project holds significant implications for the rehabilitation of patients with lower limb dysfunction.

The university has consistently prioritized innovation in industry-university-research collaboration and the translation of scientific and technological achievements. We have implemented a series of policies to encourage and support our research teams, senior professors, and young scholars to engage in deep cooperation with renowned universities, research institutions, and leading enterprises both domestically and internationally. This commitment aims to tackle key technological challenges at the forefront of disciplines and industry development, promoting the multi-dimensional application and transformation of scientific and technological achievements. This recent approval of the key research and development project by Henan Province is a testament to the initial success of the university’s exploration in organized scientific research and stimulating innovation. This achievement serves as a positive example and is expected to foster a new wave of high-quality research outcomes, continuously propelling the high-quality development of the University.

(Written by: Fang Qiancheng, Reviewed by: Liu Wenfu)