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Another milestone was achieved in the international field of gerontechnology. Yeh-Liang Hsu, Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yuan Ze University, was formally conferred the highest honor in the field, Gerontechnology Grand Master, at the World Congress of the International Society for Gerontechnology (ISG) held in Vancouver in late March 2026. With this distinction, he became the ninth scholar worldwide to receive the prestigious title.
The International Society for Gerontechnology selected only one Gerontechnology Grand Master every two years, and prior to this, only eight leading scholars worldwide had been honored, symbolizing the highest level of achievement in the field. Yeh-Liang Hsu had already been selected at the 14th World Congress held in Frankfurt in 2024, and the 2026 congress specially hosted a Grand Master Celebration Symposium to formally present the award. He noted that being listed alongside previous Grand Masters was a deeply meaningful honor and also represented the responsibility of carrying forward the development of gerontechnology.
The congress also announced that the 16th ISG World Congress (ISG 2028) would be held in Taiwan and was expected to take place at the Taipei International Convention Center. Yeh-Liang Hsu stated that Taiwan’s development in gerontechnology had matured in recent years, and that 2028 would be a crucial opportunity to showcase its applied achievements to the international community. The main theme would focus on “Gerontechnology in Real-World Action,” linking academia and industry to enhance global visibility.
Throughout his academic career at Yuan Ze University, Yeh-Liang Hsu had long been dedicated to gerontechnology and innovative product design. In 2003, he founded the Gerontechnology Research Center, one of the earliest research units in Taiwan to engage in this field. He successfully brought the ISG World Congress to Taipei in 2014 and served as the Congress Chair. Since 2016, he had also served as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Gerontechnology, remaining highly active on the international academic stage.
In terms of academic performance, Yeh-Liang Hsu had been consecutively listed since 2020 on Stanford University’s Top 2% Scientists in the World Lifetime Scientific Impact ranking. In recent years, he had placed particular emphasis on mentoring early-career scholars, encouraging students to serve as first authors on academic papers, thereby demonstrating a strong commitment to academic mentorship and knowledge transmission. His research outcomes had also increasingly shifted toward practical applications, promoting the real-world deployment of gerontechnology products.
With regard to industry–academia collaboration, Yeh-Liang Hsu led a team to establish the startup company World Intelligence Technology, commercializing research outcomes such as smart mattresses. These products had been introduced into more than 40 medical and long-term care institutions across Taiwan, with nearly 5,000 beds in actual use. At the same time, he actively participated in international collaborative projects to expand the cross-border application of gerontechnology.
Beyond his contributions to academia and industry, Yeh-Liang Hsu also participated in government policymaking, including assisting in the compilation of the White Paper on an Aging Society, promoting revisions to subsidy schemes for smart assistive devices, and contributing to action plans for the gerontechnology industry. His involvement played a critical role in shaping Taiwan’s gerontechnology policies and industrial development.
