This project aims to develop and analyze a radial pneumatic propulsive system for vehicular applications in a different size ranging from city-driving short-range vehicles to 40-foot municipal transit and school buses. It is intended to bring the potential investors to Canada out of this project to collaborate with regarding academic and partner organizations.

The use of new technologies, such as Gallium Nitride electronic switches, allows very efficient and compact power converters to be manufactured at reasonable cost. This is particularly interesting in applications such as electric vehicles. This project focuses on developing software simulation models and techniques for deploying these latest high voltage switches, in particular focussing on how they may best be controlled and used in manufacturable products. The next step will be to design complete power control modules for specific applications.

For people with mobility impairments, such as spinal cord injury survivors, rehabilitation and at home care settings come with the possibility of costly, painful pressure ulcers and skin breakdown. Occurring at a high frequency, current practice requires constant vigilance by caretakers and individuals using self-management practices. This injury comes from a prolonged application of pressures, temperatures and humid environments causing the skin to die from a lack of blood flow, usually from situations that an able-bodied person can avoid, but those with mobility impairments cannot.

One crucial difficulty with fast charging lithium-ion battery packs is the possibility of battery capacity deterioration if not properly managed. Fast charging electric vehicles for example, should involve ensuring that each one of the thousands of cells are charged safely and are balanced to all the other cells if the range of the vehicle is to be maintained for several years. The most common way to safely charge and balance cells involves a lot of wasted energy and suboptimal capacity saving methods.

The proposed research project is to design a microfluidic contact lens that will be used to track the fluctuations in intraocular pressure. Intraocular pressure is the primary factor to monitor the progression of glaucoma, which is a chronic disease that leads to permanent vision loss and currently has no cure, making early and frequent testing essential. By utilizing microfluidic channels embedded into a soft contact lens, the changes in corneal curvature can be captured and the intraocular pressure can be determined, as it is directly proportional.

The proposed Mitacs E-Accelerate project aims to develop the application of 3D-printing technique, and facilitate the transformation from conventional fabrication methods to newly developed additive manufacturing technologies for Canadian industrial sectors. One of the main barriers that prevents the wide-spread utilization of 3D-printing technique is the uncertainties in the resultant performance of the as-printed parts. Therefore, this project will focus on the better understanding of the resultant microstructural features and mechanical properties of the 3D-printed metallic components.

Heat exchangers, used in building heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to transfer heat from hot to cold fluids, are designed to operate under ideal conditions. However, in practice operating conditions may vary with ambient temperature or humidity. HVAC system efficiency can be improved significantly if fluid flow rates are adjusted in response to such changes. Armstrong Fluid Technology is a Canadian firm that has developed control systems to adjust the flow through building heat exchangers to maximize their efficiency.

Nondestructive evaluation (NDE) is frequently performed for various manufacturing sectors, but its current practices require human operators to be involved in all aspects of the data collection, transfer and analysis. With the advent of Industry 4.0, NDE technology needs to be upgraded to “NDE 4.0” comprising essential aspects such as automatic and autonomous NDE, interconnectivity for data communication, and real-time data analytics using AI, which cannot be achieved with current technology.

The ability to find fault in engine systems and proactively monitor their progression to remedy the root-cause before it fails is of paramount importance in today's industry safety. An effecting change in current engine monitoring methods will require insight and understanding of the level of robustness and engineering rigour required to maintain safety and airworthiness standards. A model-based fault detection method compares the engine's output data to that of a model running simultaneously.

In this proposal, we intend to answer how infrastructure sensors can be used for autonomous driving. Using infrastructure sensors make automated driving safer, more simplified, and cost effective especially for multiple autonomous vehicles operating in known environments such as large residential/commercial complexes and resorts. Infrastructure sensors replace the main onboard vehicle perception sensors with infrastructure sensors mounted on the side of the road, for example on light posts.