Smart Sensing in Pulmonary Disease Management

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Department of Computer Science and Engineering


PhD Thesis Defence


Title: "Smart Sensing in Pulmonary Disease Management"

By

Mr. Yanbin GONG


Abstract:

Pulmonary diseases such as pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary 
disease (COPD) impose significant social and economic burdens globally, 
affecting millions of patients through frequent hospitalizations while 
diminished quality of life. As conditions that require long-term management, 
pulmonary diseases present an ideal opportunity for smart sensing 
technologies to transform patient care by enabling continuous monitoring 
outside traditional clinical settings. However, implementing these 
technologies faces numerous challenges. This thesis focuses on smart sensing 
solutions for home and community environments, with the aim of detecting 
critical biomarkers and behaviors to facilitate timely interventions and 
rehabilitation monitoring. For pneumonia prevention, we developed systems 
for aspiration detection in stroke patients and created algorithms that 
recognize abnormal lung sounds through automated auscultation. For patients 
with muco-obstructive lung diseases such as COPD, we designed novel sensing 
approaches to identify mucus locations within the airways and to support 
effective secretion clearance to prevent inflammatory exacerbation. To 
detect acute exacerbations of COPD promptly and prevent delays in treatment, 
we developed a remote smartphone-based monitoring system, AECOPDetector. 
Furthermore, we focused on pulmonary rehabilitation by developing a system 
that employs acoustic sensing to evaluate breathing phase and mode, and 
another system using RGB camera monitoring to assess the proper deep 
diaphragmatic breathing technique by measuring both breathing mode and 
volume. Collectively, these contributions aim to advance respiratory care 
beyond clinical settings, enabling personalized interventions and improving 
the quality of life for patients with pulmonary diseases.


Date:                   Thursday, 3 July 2025

Time:                   10:00am - 12:00noon

Venue:                  Room 3494
                        Lifts 25/26

Chairman:               Prof. Howard Cam LUONG (ECE)

Committee Members:      Prof. Qian ZHANG (Supervisor)
                        Prof. Qiong LUO
                        Dr. Xiaomin OUYANG
                        Dr. Jun ZHANG (ECE)
                        Dr. Yuanqing ZHENG (PolyU)