On the afternoon of April 8, China’s 42nd Antarctic Expedition team arrived at the terminal of the Chinese Polar Research Base in Shanghai aboard the research vessel Xuelong, which had just docked at the port. Xu Yinhui, a PhD candidate enrolled in the School of Automation at Southeast University (SEU) in 2025 and a member of the expedition, successfully completed his inland scientific research mission and returned home with the team. SEU President Sun Youhong, the academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Vice President Zhong Wenqi, and Liu Shunlin, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Chinese Polar Research Institute, were on hand to congratulate Xu Yinhui and other expedition members on their safe return. They also received a briefing on the participation of SEU and other teams in the 42nd Antarctic Expedition.

Xu noted that during the more than five?month expedition, he faced extreme low temperatures, fierce winds, and complex polar terrain. He deeply felt the power of the “Antarctic Spirit” and the strong teamwork of the inland party. His work focused on intelligent unmanned observation and monitoring in the polar region, and he accomplished two landmark tasks. First, he set up a miniature polar unmanned observation and monitoring station that collects multidimensional data—including vehicle vibration and meteorological information—to support mobile photovoltaic forecasting. He also developed a collaborative optimization and control model for low?altitude multi?energy platforms. Second, using a low?altitude drone equipped with multiple sensors, he surveyed ice and snow surface conditions, obtaining critical data on the distribution of ice crevasses and the geometry of the polar surface topography. In addition, he conducted on?site polar tests of hydrogen?powered low?altitude platforms, providing core support for expedition safety and unmanned systems research, and laying a solid foundation for the construction of polar unmanned observation stations.

“As a young PhD student, I consider it a profoundly meaningful part of my youth to integrate my research deeply into the national polar strategy and to accumulate field data for China’s polar unmanned systems,” Xu said.

President Sun Youhong commended Xu and his fellow team members for upholding the Antarctic Spirit. He urged Xu to systematically summarize his field experience after returning, identify any shortcomings in task implementation, and improve the performance of relevant equipment to lay a solid foundation for future expeditions. Sun emphasized that Antarctic exploration is a cause that requires long?term commitment and must be carried on from generation to generation. He expressed his hope that the SEU team would continue to deepen polar research and contribute even more to the intelligent and green development of China’s Antarctic expeditions.

Officials from the Chinese Polar Research Institute, as well as the President’s Office, the Office of Science, and the School of Automation at SEU, attended the briefing.

Since participating in the construction of the first reliable support platform for the Kunlun Station in Antarctica in 2009, SEU has been committed to core technology research, development, and support services for polar scientific research. It is one of the few domestic institutions with long?term involvement in Antarctic inland expeditions. SEU independently developed the “SEU Polar Energy” smart unmanned energy system for the Taishan Station and its upgraded version, “SEU Polar Energy 2.0,” for the Kunlun Station. In 2023, the university put into operation a 10?kWp unmanned integrated photovoltaic energy system, which has reduced energy consumption by 50%. In 2024, SEU pioneered a collaborative operation and maintenance model that combines traditional diesel power generation with renewable energy generation, enabling remote intelligent monitoring and fault early warning for energy systems at high?altitude Antarctic stations via a digital twin platform. To date, Southeast University has dispatched 11 researchers to participate in Antarctic inland expeditions, supporting key stations including Kunlun, Taishan, and Qinling. The university continues to provide core technical support for China’s Antarctic expeditions in energy supply, intelligent control, and unmanned observation.

Source: SEU News Network

Translated by: Melody Zhang

Proofread by: Leah Li

Edited by: Leah Li