Projets novateurs réalisés

Bistable Electrolyte Systems for Energy Efficient Electrochromic Paneling

The proposed research will help develop wall paneling that can change colour at the push of a button. We will improve the energy efficiency of the paneling by focusing on the ion conducting electrolyte layer that facilitates the colour change. Specifically, we will separate the electrolyte layer from one into three distinct layers. One layer will work in a manner similar to the current design, moving ions into the color changing material to affect the color change. The third layer will contain ions that become reduced in order to balance the change in charge state at the color changing electrode. The middle layer will prevent these layers from mixing in a way that would cause them to discharge, instead allowing only inert counterions to flow between the layers. The research will provide our partner, Trusscore, with a unique product and give them an edge against competitors around the globe.

Experimental investigation of the structural performance of engineered bamboo composites (Dragonwood) in jacking applications.

This research aims at investigating the structural performance of engineered bamboo composites (EBCs), namely Dragonwood, to replace traditional Canadian and tropical hardwoods used in jacking applications. Key mechanical properties and failure modes will be documented. The durability and flammability of all three materials will also be evaluated. Despite the obvious environmental advantages of EBCs (e.g., Dragonwood), its use in structural applications is limited due to the lack of knowledge on its mechanical properties, failure modes, durability, as well as flammability. The research program will provide a comprehensive database on the behaviour and mechanical properties of Dragonwood in comparison to Canadian and tropical hardwoods. The database will allow the partner organization to confidently use the design values derived from experimental tests in their proposed solutions to clients.

Preserving Privacy at Edge Devices

The aim of this project is to develop an application that can proactively protect users from identity theft and create awareness around safe digital practices. For this, we will be developing novel ways of extracting utility out of data and helping users to maintain a least-risk profile score. Most of the computations will be done on edge devices and computations will be prioritized based on value extractions. This research will help to bridge the gap between the accuracy and efficiency of the models to preserve privacy. Testing the models in real case scenarios will give us the pathway to have a mass reach and usability.

Solving the accessibility issues at primary care clinics in Canada by introducing a self scheduling booking application

Accessibility and availability are major factors of an effective health care system. Though Canadians have
free access to medically necessary services, there are accessibility issues at primary care clinics such as
long wait times, language barriers for new immigrants, lack of proper information about clinics and doctors,
and so on. Waiting for a primary healthcare appointment can often impose a physical and emotional
burden on an individual who is in pain or worried about a serious health condition. The only existing
method to book an in-person appointment at a clinic is a phone call which has several hidden pitfalls.
Especially for immigrants and students, there are concerns about the judgmental approach from
receptionist while making an appointment. For this project, we are focusing on improving the accessibility
to the general health clinics/ walk in clinics in Canada by addressing the wait times at the respective
clinics, issues related to the appointment booking system such as technical, psychological, and social
issues and lack of information about reviews of the doctors/clinics. The methodology for this problem
involves user interviews, ethnographic study, literature reviews user surveys and A/B testing. …

Transport parfait d’états quantiques et revitalisation fractionnelle en présence d’interactions avec l’environnement

Les ordinateurs quantiques promettent de réaliser des calculs et des simulations en manipulant l’état quantique de particules. Ainsi, le développement de cette technologie demande de concevoir des systèmes pouvant réaliser ces manipulations. Dans les dernières années, plusieurs modèles ont été proposés pour permettre le déplacement d’états quantiques. D’autres ont aussi été proposés afin de créer un type spécial d’état dit «intriqué».

Ces systèmes ont toutefois été conçu de manière théorique, en assumant qu’ils étaient parfaitement isolés. En d’autres mots, on a étudié leurs propriétés en posant qu’ils n’interagissaient pas avec leur environnement. Or, cet hypothèse est difficile à implémenter en laboratoire. Notre projet vise donc à évaluer à l’aide d’outils mathématiques l’effet qu’aurait des interactions avec l’environnement sur ces systèmes. Cela permettra de vérifier si ce sont des candidats viables pour la réalisation des tâches requises en informatique quantique.

Hybrid Modeling of Chromatographic Systems

Chromatography is the workhorse in biologics manufacturing processes, where its performance significantly contributes to the quality outcomes of the batch, and therefore must be carefully controlled. Process modeling and simulation is the best way to provide control to the process. This proposal aims to develop a hybrid chromatography modeling approach, utilizing state-of-the-art machine learning method, combines both first principal knowledge and data-driven sights to improve the speed and accuracy of chromatography modeling. The partner organization will be able to develop expertise in hybrid chromatography modeling and will be able to use the models to provide insights in process optimization, monitoring and control. The benefits range from significant savings in materials and time to expediting regulatory approval of life-saving vaccines.

Building empathy: Acceptability and effectiveness of the In Your Shoes (IYS) app to students

Empathy is important to therapeutic relationships and patient-centred care where patients’ preferences and needs are met. We have developed a web browser app called In Your Shoes (IYS) that runs on any browser and has potential to provide empathy training experiences in any situation requiring perceptual understanding of what others are thinking and feeling. The intervention’s goal is to improve perspective-taking skills and perceptual accuracy (accurate understanding of another person’s thoughts and feelings). Our research purpose is: (a) to capture potential future user feedback from students who use the app and (b) to conduct an evaluation of the app’s impact on student empathy and perceptual understanding. The goal is to seek validation by potential health science student users who use the online training portal app in their own environments.

Implementation of the Asset Proxy for (Non-fungible token) NFT Paradigm

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are cryptographic assets on a blockchain with unique identification codes and metadata that distinguish them from each other. Due to its vast usability in different industries, such as gaming, real estate, and art, many professionals believe it will be the future of trading. However, like any other new technology, it has issues that need to be addressed. Issues like potential inconsistency between on-chain and off-chain data, lack of a mechanism for identifying asset owners and making them fully accountable, and simultaneous on-chain double-spending issues. This project is aimed to address mentioned issues and provide a safer platform for NFT trading and asset tokenization. This project is part of the Lab2Market program, which provides a commercial opportunity to utilize the final product.

Equipment reliability analysis software development based on operational and environmental conditions

With the abundance of data in the current era of the industrial revolution, it would be essential to have software with offline data security features to perform data-based analysis of equipment life by identifying the factors affecting equipment failure, which leads to the loss of production. Therefore, this project aims to develop software that can identify the equipment’s health state based on reliability analysis considering the critical factors. The software will first use historical failure data to determine the essential factors influencing the performance or deterioration of the equipment and later use them to provide more accurate reliability predictions. The developed software would be simple and easy to use, won’t require much human effort from maintenance staff to input data, and later could be integrated with the available sensor using some data acquisition system in a safer environment.

Knowledge, awareness, and uptake of new Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines

Being physically active is associated with many health benefits. To help guide people on how much activity they need for optimal health, the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology developed new Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for all age groups. Specifically, this work will look at assessment, awareness, and uptake of the new guidelines as it relates to Canadians, their families, and their health care providers. Research from many different groups will be brought together and presented to researchers, parents, teachers, and practitioners with the hopes of raising awareness of the new guidelines. This work will aim to produce a scientific paper, a conference presentation, and help to inform the process to update future guidelines.

Impact du comportement hydraulique et des choix de modélisation sur l’optimisation de la surveillance de la qualité de l’eau dans le réseau de distribution (secteur Québec Centre, Ville de Québec)

Ce projet vise à comprendre l’impact du comportement hydraulique du réseau de distribution sur l’optimisation de la surveillance routinière de la qualité de l’eau. La modélisation hydraulique est fondamentale pour comprendre le mouvement de l’eau dans les conduites et la façon dont la qualité de l’eau se dégrade tout long la ville. Ce projet montrera à quel point la surveillance de la qualité de l’eau (points d’échantillonnage) doit être dynamique afin de réduire le risque pour la santé publique lié à une mauvaise qualité de l’eau. Le projet fournira également des informations sur l’impact saisonnier du comportement hydraulique sur la surveillance de la qualité de l’eau, ce qui permettra mieux cibler les dépenses financières municipales associées à la surveillance.

Développement d’un outil d’annotation semi-automatique pour la segmentation sémantique

Les modèles d’apprentissage profonds ont révolutionné la vision par ordinateur. Cependant, ils requièrent une forte quantité de données annotées avec précision afin de pouvoir convenablement « apprendre » à résoudre une tâche donnée. En particulier, la segmentation sémantique, consistant à prédire la classe sémantique de chacun des pixels présents dans une image, est une tâche centrale en vision par ordinateur et est utilisée dans plusieurs industries critiques (incluant l’imagerie médicale, les voitures autonomes etc..).
Cependant, obtenir des annotations de qualité pour entrainer les modèles d’apprentissage à résoudre cette tâche requiert des efforts humains et financiers considérables. Par exemple, segmenter tous les organes présents dans toutes les coupes 2D d’un scanner de patient peut prendre jusqu’à une heure pour un expert radiologue, et ainsi coûter plusieurs centaines de dollars. Par conséquent, automatiser le processus d’annotation afin de le rendre plus efficace et moins fastidieux pour l’annotateur est un enjeu majeur de démocratisation de l’IA. Afin d’adresser ce challenge, nous nous proposons de développer une interface graphique permettant de réaliser des annotations de manière semi-automatisée.