Projets novateurs réalisés

Physics-Based Simulated Animal Movement Project

The Physics-Based Simulated Animal Movement Project is a 12 month research and development project that explores a physics-based approach to controlling video game characters, focusing on quadruped (four-legged) animals. The intent is for the control of these characters to feel weighted, powered by physics simulations that account for the mass and momentum of the animal and result in dynamic movement over different types of terrain.

Our intern will develop a number of tools to drive movement and special actions, such as jumping, balancing and climbing. They will use a modular approach in their programming that will allow them to then apply these tools to other types of animals, with parameters that can be adjusted to create different kinds of movement.

The movement system developed during the project will serve as the foundation for a video game the partner organization (Mythical Voltage) will develop in the future. As a core feature in a potential game, this movement system can be leveraged to make the project a strong candidate for production funding through grants (Ontario Creates and CMF) as well as from publishers and private investors.

NovusTX Devices – Abia Hasan

NovusTX Devices is a Calgary-based start-up company founded at the University of Calgary working on the development of ultrasound-based neuromodulation therapy. Our group is building a new medical device aimed at treating neurological disorders.
Our team has access to a strong network of research and clinical collaborators that will allow us to deliver an effective device.
This project requires a Business Analyst to help lead the company in our next growth phase by researching different high potential markets for NovusTX Devices to expand into. We will work to create revenue models in the dynamic market of biomedical devices, conduct primary and secondary market research on high potential markets and create engaging slide deck materials that clearly articulate our Value Proposition.

Statistical methods for data generated by biotechnologies

Rapid advancements in biotechnologies made possible novel studies to tackle chronic diseases such as breast cancer, or provide new insights into the role played by gut bacteria in a variety of chronic conditions. Data generated by biotechnologies comes with many analytical challenges: high number of candidate biomarkers measured compared to the number of patients, correlations across biomarkers leading to computational challenges. Computationally efficient and powerful quantitative methods addressing the complexity of new data are needed. With the increasing complexity of study designs within the pharmaceutical and biotechnological research disciplines, the partner organization will gain additional expertise and insight with future statistical analysis tasks.

Ayrton Energy Inc. – Meg Steeves

Current EV charging systems are forecasted to create a strain on the electrical grid system that will require large capital projects to upgrade by utilities and municipalities to manage. This project will be focused on customer discovery and market analysis of an new off-grid EV charging and energy storage system. The resulting data will be integrated into future product development and business strategy. The market research will be specifically used to identify features that key customer demographics need, and what features will be integrated into the engineering design.

Optimizing encoder configuration for real time video transcoding

An advanced video encoder (e.g., HEVC, AVC), has many encoding configuration parameters. Encoding “presets” set the values of certain codec parameters and thus facilitated configuring the encoder. The goal of this project is to develop a computationally efficient learning-based approach to make a run-time decision on the encoder’s optimal preset configuration to achieve the best quality for a given bit rate. Since different presets have different transcoding time for different videos, we will develop a machine learning method to estimate the transcoding time for a video segment based on its content for different presets. We will also predict the Rate-Distortion (R-D) characteristics of the video segment for each preset. This way, without transcoding, we will have quality-bit rate-computation time information about a video segment. We will use the quality-bit rate-computation time information to maximize the quality of the transcoded video segment while maintaining a real time performance.

E-commerce Process Engineer Intern

To enable economic recovery and growth by assisting Alberta small and medium-sized businesses to participate in e-commerce that is designed to meet their needs. ACC has developed a new tool to connect and support employers across a variety of sectors with an innovative e-commerce platform that not only supports SMEs in getting their products or services to market, but also provides the connections, tools and resources businesses need to succeed. This modern business hub will foster businesses to grow their network, access partnerships, receive discounts, find and post jobs, and participate in research opportunities providing insights that support their business. Mitacs student, Logan Travis, will be deeply involved in the development of solutions and the creation of demonstrations that will catch the imagination of Alberta businesses, while being engaged in a work-integrated learning opportunity that delivers the project objective, develops work-relevant skills and supports transition to the labor market.

Body pose estimation using Mocap data acquisition

Recent advances in wearable devices have allowed athletes to monitor some determinant factors of their sport performance. In addition, they can be used to develop real-time 3D avatars of people to compete with them during dynamic activities. Kinetyx recently developed insoles with multiple sensors that can be worn within a shoe while performing many activities. These sensors can monitor the loading and kinematics of individuals during outdoor activities as well as identify the type of activity. Using these insoles added to other body-worn IMUs, we will develop algorithms that can reconstruct the personalized avatars of individuals during these outdoor activities using an artificial intelligence approach. These avatars are finally aimed to be used for several purposes such as real-time feedback to athletes, improving their performance and preventing injuries.

Sensible, and Sprayable Antifouling Coatings

This project aims to develop sprayable coatings to prevent the prevent the attachment of bacteria on tables, door handles and other countertops. This will be obtained by modifying the surface with natural materials (such as vitamin B5 mimicking polymers and cellulose nanocarriers) that can deter bacterial attachment upon contact. The spray coated surfaces will sense the bacterial adhesion on the surface and will undergo color change, indicating the surface fouling and need to reapply the coating on the surface as needed.

R134a replacement in a refrigeration unit of water dispenser

Major efforts have been undertaken to reduce ozone depletion substances (ODS) used in refrigeration systems such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFC). Among them, R134a will be progressively banned from most refrigeration units. The present project focuses on the R134a replacement in a refrigeration unit based on a vapour-compression cycle of a water cooler/dispenser. Water dispenser is a growing market especially in North America. To stay competitive while meeting the various regulations, R134a should be replaced by a more environmentally friendly refrigerant able to provide comparable even higher energetic performances. To achieve that general objective, a subjective multicriteria method will be used to select the best candidate. Then a combined thermodynamic / experimental analysis will be performed to quantify the performance of the refrigeration unit working with the new refrigerant and optimize it. The final prototype should meet the specifications imposed by Energy Star 3.0.

The Winnipeg Boldness Project Accountability Framework

The Winnipeg Boldness Project (“Boldness”) is a social innovation initiative working towards a Bold Goal: Children and families in Point Douglas will experience dramatically improved wellbeing in all aspects of self: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Over the past eight years, the Project’s Accountability Framework has been based on the idea that Boldness’ highest level of accountability is to Point Douglas community residents, families, and their children. This guiding principle is understood at every level of the Project’s governance. This work area involves continued engagement with four Guide Groups: a Parent Guide Group; Research and Evaluation Guide Group; Community Leadership Guide Group; and Traditional Knowledge Keepers Guide Group. In addition to the four Guide Groups, they also have a Stewardship Group and Funders Table for oversight and strategic direction. This Mitacs project, a collaboration between the Winnipeg Boldness project, Social Innovation Canada, and the University of Winnipeg, will explore how accountability and governance based on relationships has contributed to the success of Boldness.

Parallel Operation of Grid-Forming Inverter Systems Considering DC-Side Dynamics

Renewable energy resources such as wind and solar power are often tied to the grid using dc-ac power-electronic converters. Unlike large power plants, these sources of energy have a dispersed nature, i.e., they are comprised on many small units that are operated in parallel to form a large power plant. This project deals with investigating the dynamics of these highly sophisticated, paralleled sources, their modeling, and control interactions. In particular, the project will consider the implications of paralleling and the impact these sources have on the dc side of the converters. Mathematical modeling, detailed computer simulations, and real-time hardware-in-loop setups will be used to approach and solve these issues.

Developing sustainable GFRC cladding panels for resilient buildings

Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) panels are a lightweight cladding panels primarily used as fascia panels in building structures. Concrete when reinforced with fibers is often presented as an environmental improvement on typical concrete. In the wake of the rapidly emerging climate change emergency and to help improve resiliency in our residential buildings, the National Research Council, Canada has introduced guidelines in the National Building Code (2025) for climate-resilient construction to withstand extreme weather events. The local construction industry along with the University of British Columbia
(UBC) sees value to the local construction industry to develop new sustainable building components for resilient infrastructures. This work aims to develop cost-effective and environment-friendly GFRP panels with adequate strength and durability.. The partner organization can utilize the research findings to develop green and durable GFRC panels as a sustainable solution to building projects.