A team from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) earned the Merit Award at the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025–2026 competition with their innovative project, the AQUAMIND Coral Planter.

The winning team members include Fan Yichen (BEng CompSc Year 2), Wong Wan Pang (Beng CivE Year 2), Gao Yi (BEng Mech Year 2), and Mak Ka To (BEng Mech Year 2).  The team is guided by Dr. Match Ko from the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

In the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition, the team successfully advanced through the preliminary and semi-final rounds. In the final prototype selection period, they competed against teams from several well-known universities in Hong Kong. Their project, the AQUAMIND Coral Planter, stood out with its innovative underwater robot AI design and diversified functionalities, clearly demonstrating both practicality and problem-solving capability. The team was ultimately awarded the Merit Award.

Award presentation on the stage

(Left to right) Wong Wan Pang, Fan Yichen, Gao Yi, Mak Ka To, Dr. Match Ko