We are thrilled to announce that Prof. Shu-Yuen Ron Hui of the HKU Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering has been awarded the J J Thomson Medal from The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), UK, Achievement Medals 2024, for his outstanding contributions to both academia and industry in electronics.
His inventions on the modern planar wireless charging technologies underpin key dimensions of the world’s first wireless charging standard “Qi” which was launched in 2010 by the Wireless Power Consortium and has been used globally for a decade.
All mobile phones from major manufacturers are now Qi-compatible. Wireless charging pads are now commonly used in private homes and public areas such as airports and hotel rooms as well as transportation such as cars and trains.
The Qi standard is being expanded into higher-power applications such as notebook computers, e-bikes, drones, mobile robots and kitchen electrical appliances.
They are available in many international airports, on trains, and since 2017 when Apple Inc. Joined the WPC, all major smartphone manufacturers have offered Qi-compatible smartphones.
The Department extends its heartfelt gratitude to Prof. Shu-Yuen Ron Hui for his significant contributions to the remarkable success.