Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) and VTOL fixed-wing UAVs can have a significantly positive societal impact with applications such as urban air taxi, flying ambulance, search and rescue, delivery to remote places (e.g., Canadian north) and medical equipment transport. These applications are challenging in many aspects. One of the biggest challenges is to achieve high […]

We are developing an automated monitoring system to optimize the frequency of septic tank pumps. Septic tanks are used in ~87% of rural communities across Canada; current best practice for maintenance pumping is neither effective nor efficient as it is based on time rather than use. A reliable monitoring system can reduce cost by minimizing […]

In this project, we will analyze and design automated solutions to achieve several repetitive and labour-intensive tasks included in the industrial partner’s electromagnetic component production process, which will help compensate for current and future personnel shortages and enable the expansion of their custom production methods without expanding their facility. The main challenges in this project […]

This project attempts to design an efficient waste heat recovery and thermal management system for air-cooled electric vehicles. The thermal management system will be useful for the small electric vehicles to control the optimal temperature in the cabin and battery bank operating under diverse climatic conditions varying from extremely cold to hot. The successful accomplishment […]

The race to the Internet of things (IoT) paradigm is fueled by leading technological enterprises and governmental institutions for a fast transition into the Fourth Industrial Revolution where machines, sensors and actuators can communicate and process data to enable a more efficient production cycle. To pave the way for the advance in IoT, next-generation wireless […]

The proposed research project concerns the development of optimization tools and sizing methodologies used to assess optimal structural airframe configurations and aerodynamic lines for given business cases. A PDF intern will be in charge of proposing improved optimization strategies, mainly related to composite material, and of adding specific capabilities inside the internally developed sizing tool […]

The integration of new technologies, on both supply and demand sides, with the existing energy infrastructure, is always a challenging ta sk. First, the a mount of energy demand must be predicted to manage the needs of deploying in the future. Second, the predicted energy must be introduced to a simulation tool (e.g., PTDC) to […]

Small plastic particles (microplastics and nanoplastics) are found in oceans, lakes, and rivers. Their effects on organisms and human beings are still unknown. Microplastics and nanoplastics found in the environment will be weathered, coated, and/or fragmented. Yet, the effects of these modifications on microplastic and nanoplastic removal during water treatment are yet to be thoroughly […]

High risk driving, (e.g., speeding, impaired, and distracted driving), is a major contributing factor to most traffic collision fatalities in Canada. An increase in perceived risk of being caught by police for risky driving has been shown to reduce the behaviour. Differences in the commitment to and effectiveness of enforcement is strongly impacted by the […]

3D printing has become a cornerstone technology for prototyping products during product development. However, the process is too slow for even small production runs. Pantheon Design in Vancouver has set out to increase the speed of extrusion printing by a factor of 10. To date, they have achieved a five-fold increase in print speed compared […]

The industrial scale manufacturing automation largely works because of robotic systems which are preprogrammed to reliably carry out the same sequence of steps over and over again. As a result, when scenarios change, or become more complex, robotic systems need to be re-programmed. Moreover, in high value added manufacturing applications, it is impractical to program […]