Recently, the iCAN International Final of Innovation and Entrepreneurship was successfully concluded in Hong Kong. The "Vortex Ring Dancer" project team from the School of Mechanical Engineering, after rigorous selection through university, provincial, and national competitions, stood out from 32,144 teams across 1,518 universities in China. Competing against top-tier universities from around the world, including the Technical University of Munich and the University of Hong Kong, the team ultimately won the championship at the international final. This marks a return to the top spot in this international competition for our school, four years after the "Heart of Harmony OS – Integrable Natural Energy Harvesting Patch" project won the international first prize in 2021.

Team Instructors and Members

Award Certificate

In this international final, the "Vortex Ring Dancer" project was instructed by Professor Tao Kai from the School of Mechanical Engineering. The team members spanned multiple schools, including Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, and Physics. Based on the jellyfish robot developed in the research group's earlier stage, the project proposed a novel bionic drive solution. By simulating the contraction movement mechanism of a jellyfish's umbrella-shaped body, they successfully designed a ring-shaped muscle-like bionic actuator, significantly enhancing the robot's locomotion performance and bionic effect.

The robot utilizes hydrogel electrode materials and is equipped with a team-developed electrostatic hydraulic ring-shaped muscle-like actuator. It can efficiently simulate the vortex ring propulsion action of a jellyfish, featuring low power consumption and high concealment, thus providing a new technical pathway for long-term underwater operations. The team also innovatively introduced the concept of "Poké Ball"-inspired encapsulation and airdrop deployment, further expanding its application prospects in fields such as near-sea/deep-sea detection and environmental monitoring.

(1) Jellyfish Robot Prototype (2) PIV Technique Characterizing the "Vortex Wall Effect"

As an internationally influential competition, iCAN has attracted hundreds of thousands of young participants from over 30 countries and regions. The competition consistently upholds the spirit of "Confidence, Persistence, Dream," aiming to promote technological innovation serving society and improving lives, foster industry-university-research integration in前沿领域 (cutting-edge fields) like the Internet of Things and smart hardware, and provide a platform for global youth to showcase and exchange ideas.

This championship not only highlights the solid achievements of the School of Mechanical Engineering in cultivating innovative talents through interdisciplinary approaches but also demonstrates to the world the outstanding capabilities and innovative spirit of its students, who dare to break new ground and lead on the international stage of science and technology.