----- The Growth Track of EdUHK's Startup HEKATE Medical
Inside a laboratory at the University of Hong Kong's (HKU) Faculty of Dentistry, third-year student Li peeled off a pair of fog-covered disposable gloves and stared pensively at the red plastic tooth model in his hand. This was already his tenth-plus practice session this week performing access cavity preparation — a fundamental dental procedure requiring precise control of drill force and angle — on this simple resin model.
"But operating on a real patient's tooth feels completely different," Li confided to a classmate. The expensive yet structurally uniform plastic tooth cannot simulate the mechanical transition from the hard enamel to the comparatively softer dentin in a real tooth, nor can it replicate the critical "drop-through" sensation when a drill penetrates the pulp chamber. Data shows that as many as 76% of training models suffer from a serious disconnect with clinical reality, while a single high-fidelity teaching tool capable of genuinely replicating the oral environment can carry a market price exceeding HK$100,000 — a crushing financial burden for dental training institutions.
This imbalance in educational resources is precisely the industry reality that HEKATE Medical Technology founder Yang Ying resolved to change. But rather than pursuing low cost alone, HEKATE chose a harder path: achieving breakthroughs through rigorous technology to redefine the very standard of "simulation," while ensuring that quality education is no longer held hostage by budget constraints.
"Can we enable every student and medical trainee to access a training experience rivalling HK$100,000 equipment — for less than the price of a concert ticket in Hong Kong?" In a meeting room at The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), founder and CEO Yang Ying presented her answer to entrepreneurship mentors at the EdUHK's Centre for Pre-incubation and Outreach (CPO): the MedTrianX Intelligent Dental Simulation Training System.
Yang Ying holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from EdUHK and an undergraduate degree in Applied Economics from Xi'an Jiaotong University. She knows intimately the gap between laboratory technology and commercial viability. "Our project has received tremendous support from the CPO," Yang affirmed. "Many startup teams at EdUHK are able to access a full-chain commercialisation support system here. The Centre has been an enduring and close partner on our entrepreneurial journey — EdUHK has helped me enormously."
Drawing on the team's professional expertise and relentless effort, HEKATE secured a deep collaboration with the HKU's Faculty of Dentistry — ranked second in the world — gaining access to a rich repository of real clinical case data and support from dozens of standardised tooth model datasets.
"Traditional teaching tools are mostly made from a single resin material and cannot reproduce the mechanical differences across the multi-layered structure of a real tooth. The HEKATE team employs high-precision 3D bionic printing technology to precisely simulate the hardness stratification of enamel and dentin — the enamel layer presents a high-hardness modulus while the dentin layer delivers a precise resistance gradient. The 'drop-through' sensation as the drill enters the pulp chamber closely replicates the real clinical experience, breaking through a technical barrier that conventional single-material approaches have long been unable to surmount.
For precision procedures such as implantology and root canal treatment, the system integrates AR (augmented reality) technology to provide real-time visual navigation, while relying on high-fidelity physical models to reproduce the authentic tactile feel and drilling resistance of actual instruments. Students can practise repeatedly in a safe environment to build muscle memory, significantly reducing the risk of errors during their first clinical operations. In addition, the system incorporates a VR virtual laboratory built on real case data from the HKU, paired with an AI assistant that tracks operational trajectories in real time and delivers personalised feedback and adaptive learning pathways — essentially equipping every student with a one-on-one virtual tutor."
"After three rounds of model optimisation, the product fully meets market-launch standards, with simulation fidelity metrics reaching an internationally leading level," said Yang Ying. This technology matrix not only fills the market gap for high-fidelity, affordable training tools, but also leverages process innovation to compress per-unit costs into a highly competitive range. It is understood that the first batch of several dozen customised models was formally delivered to the HKU for testing in February 2026.
"Medical students should not have to bear the risk of clinical errors due to a lack of resources," Yang Ying emphasised. "More than 90% of senior surgical residents report that, early in their careers, insufficient clinical and laboratory training cases left them underprepared before independent practice — they frequently struggled and lacked confidence during clinical procedures. Research shows that technical errors are a significant contributor to post-operative complications, while systematic simulation training can demonstrably reduce complication rates among novice dentists. Through inclusive education, we aim to reduce procedure-related harm caused by inadequate training, in alignment with the broader societal commitment to good health and quality education as Sustainable Development Goals."
As a company with a strong sense of social responsibility, HEKATE has pledged to donate a significant proportion of its profits to grassroots organisations to improve teaching conditions, and to establish scholarships for dental students. This dual pursuit of commercial and social value has earned HEKATE wide recognition in a short space of time. The team has not only attracted focused attention and policy guidance from the Hong Kong Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, but has also claimed consecutive honours including a Top 50 finish in the 2025 "Makers in China" Hong Kong Regional Competition, Third Place in the EdUHK SDG Social Enterprise Challenge, and the Asia Smart Innovation Award — while successfully emerging from a field of nearly four hundred projects in Cyberport's Greater Bay Area Youth Entrepreneurship Programme.
Back at the HEKATE R&D laboratory, the core technical team maintains hands-on oversight of every stage of product calibration. They cross-reference user feedback and test data from the medical faculty with repeated verification of the bionic tooth models' mechanical performance and textural detail, ensuring every production batch meets the exacting standards of medical-grade quality and the ultimate benchmark of tactile fidelity. This space — filled with technical prototypes and ambition — is enabling ever more future dental professionals to hone their skills through a high-quality, affordable simulation system in a safe virtual environment, making the fullest possible preparation for the day they stand chair-side in a dental clinic, guardians of their patients' oral health.
Looking ahead, this is only the beginning. With the first batch of orders now delivered to HKU for testing, the HEKATE team is actively seeking deeper collaborations with more medical schools, vocational training institutions, and government health authorities, to bring this internationally validated training system — certified by one of the world's top medical faculties — to an even broader market. For investors positioning themselves in the smart medical education ecosystem, this represents a rare opportunity combining high growth potential with meaningful social impact. And for every educator who cares about healthcare equity, it may well be the key to breaking down resource barriers and cultivating the next generation of outstanding dentists.
(This project is supported by CPO. For collaboration enquiries, please contact the CPO or the HEKATE team directly.)
Media reports (Simplified Chinese Only)
(從十萬門檻到普惠可及，MedTrianX如何用突破性技術重新定義牙科仿真訓練)
