The 1st edition · Symposium · Hong Kong
Intelligent service roboticsand autonomous systems,across three regions.
JHM-SRAS 2026 brings the robotics and computing departments of Jiangsu, Hong Kong, and Macao onto one campus for eleven days: four building robots, seven presenting what the region has learned.
Students assemble low-cost robotic arms and program them in blocks, then exhibit the working prototypes in the same hall where the papers are presented.
December 14 – 24, 2026 at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR. Hybrid virtual streaming is available for remote member labs.
December 2026
11 days
Workshop · Dec 14–17
Assembly, sensors, block-based programming
Symposium · Dec 18–24
Keynotes, papers, exhibition, lab tours
At a glance
What is being proposed, in figures
Hands-on Training & Engineering Workshop
December 14 – 17, 2026
Block-based programming and custom visual interfaces remove the heavy-coding barrier, so a team can reach a working robot without first learning a text language.
Core Symposium & Cross-Border Exhibition
December 18 – 24, 2026
Keynotes, peer-reviewed presentations, the prototype exhibition, funding matchmaking, and PolyU lab tours, closing with the 2027 alliance cycle.
The programme
Build for four days, then present for seven
The exhibition is not a separate call for demonstrations. It shows the prototypes assembled in the workshop that preceded it, which is why the two components are scheduled back to back.
Day 1–2 · Assembly
Modular hardware assembly
Teams form across the three regions and build the low-cost robotic arm from modular parts. No prior hardware experience is assumed.
Day 3–4 · Software
Software deployment on pre-built simulation cores
Pre-built simulation cores are deployed to each team, and the block-based environment is connected to the arm built in the first two days.
Day 5–6 · Opening & academic tracks
Opening ceremony and Edge AI keynotes
The symposium opens with the alliance institutions on stage, followed by keynote speeches on Edge AI for service robotics.
Day 7–8 · The Tech Exhibition
Student prototype showcase opens
The exhibition floor opens to the working robotic prototypes built during the workshop. Each team demonstrates on its own hardware, not on slides.
Day 9–10 · Synergy & lab tours
Matchmaking for joint funding applications
Structured matchmaking sessions pair investigators across Jiangsu, Hong Kong, and Macao around joint-university funding calls.
Day 11 · Closing
Reflection, awards, and the 2027 cycle
Interactive reflection forums, the awards ceremony for the student prototypes, and strategic goal-setting for the 2027 alliance cycle.
Member universities
Three regions, one alliance
Hong Kong
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHost
- The University of Hong Kong
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Jiangsu Province
- Nanjing University
- Southeast University
- Liaoning Technical UniversityStrategic Regional Academic Partner
Macao
- University of Macau
- Macao University of Science and Technology
Committee
21 members, 11 places
The organising seats and the review of the papers presented on Day 6 are held by a committee assembled from outside the alliance as well as inside it.
Honorary Chair
Prof. Shuai Li
University of Oulu, Finland
Workshop Chair
Prof. Mohammed Aquil Mirza
Dean, Liaoning Technical University, China
Co-Chairs
Dr. Afia Mirza
Senior Consultant Ophthalmologist, India
Publication Co-Chair
Prof. Cong Wu
Liaoning Technical University, China
Liaison and Publicity Chair
Mr. Mohammed Shah Rukh Mirza
The Installers, India
Before December
The same idea, already running in a browser
Component 1 removes the text-coding barrier: a low-cost arm, blocks instead of a language, and a check before the arm moves. HCR is a free simulator built on that idea, so a team can arrive on 14 December having already programmed one.
HCR — Hair-Cutting Robot simulator
A five-joint arm is programmed by dragging blocks; a digital twin replays every move first and refuses anything that would reach the head. No hardware is required, and nothing has to be installed to try it.
- Block-based programming, no text language to learn first
- A twin that checks each move before the arm makes it
- Runs in the browser, and offline as a desktop app
Why it is worth an hour beforehand
Teams arrive from three regions with very different course backgrounds. An hour spent on blocks before travelling means Day 1 can be spent on the hardware rather than on the programming model.
Convened by
An alliance activity, hosted on a Hong Kong campus
150–200 participants are expected: undergraduate and postgraduate student teams, faculty researchers, and cross-border tech innovators.