XU Ziyi, a Year 4 undergraduate from the Division of Integrative Systems and Design (ISD), has been named Champion at the 2026 Kerry Holdings Limited Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Award, standing out from more than 600 UROP projects across the previous two academic years. 

His exceptional research project, titled "Imminent Hand Motion Prediction for Adaptive Smartphone UI with Zero-permission Sensors", was supervised by Prof. SHAO Qijia, Assistant Professor in the ISD. This project develops an AI-driven framework that utilizes zero-permission inertial signals to predict imminent hand motions and enable real time adaptive smartphone interfaces. By modeling hand dynamics, the lightweight 0.27 MB on-device model anticipates tap intentions and touch locations 300 ms in advance with 83% positional accuracy. As it relies entirely on physical motion signals rather than screen content, the system ensures user privacy and energy efficiency, paving the way for real-time and adaptive user interfaces during one-handed phone use.

This recognition highlights Ziyi's dedication to advancing research in his field and shows the innovative spirit and academic excellence of ISD students.

Congratulations to Ziyi on this incredible achievement!