There is massive growth in the area of smart cities (e.g. sensors in streetlights), smart cars, and “smart people” (sensors on people, e.g. wearable computing). In some cities like San Diego, there are cameras and microphones in nearly every streetlight in the downtown core area. Most cars made now have one or more cameras in […]

Within their ergonomics process, automotive manufacturers rely heavily on computer simulation technology, specifically “Jack” (Siemens PLM, Plano, TX). Advancements to “Jack” provide users the ability to create workstations, yet much time is required to produce a single simulation. This 3-year industrial collaboration will reduce the time necessary for their completion and, improve on the accuracy […]

The proposed project seeks to develop biocomposite technology and products for the auto manufacturing industries. Eight graduate students under the supervision of Dr. Mohini Sain, will work on manufacturing processes, mechanical characterization and development of molds for various types of bio-composites which have direct application in auto-industries and can act as substitute for fossil fuel […]

Considering the soot-free burning characteristics of DME/OME fuel, highly diluted intake charge can be introduced in order to realize ultra-low nitrogen oxides emissions. However, the ignition process of the highly diluted fuel/air mixture is difficult, and an unstable ignition process is detrimental to fuel efficiency and engine performance. In this project, innovative ignition systems including […]

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), a form of cellulose, shows a lot of promise in the development of sustainable materials thanks to its unique properties such as high performance, large surface area, is readily available, renewable, and biodegradable. Early methods to synthesize CNC have not been very successful. In order to isolate CNC, to make them ready […]

We can deal with the daunting challenges of depleting fossil fuels as-well-as the toxic and greenhouse gases emitted from the gasoline/diesel driven vehicles by replacing their internal combustion engine with rechargeable batteries. This project focuses on the development of an all-metal-free and biocompatible rechargeable battery system that will compete with the existing counterparts (Lithium-ion batteries, […]

The automotive industry is striving towards greater fuel efficiency, and one of the ways in which it is trying to achieve this is through light weighting. The use of aluminum alloys in engine blocks to reduce weight is part of the solution for better fuel efficiency. However, the automotive sector is always striving for innovation […]

The Ford Motor Company is bringing 800 jobs into the Oakville Assembly Plant. These jobs will be concerned with sequencing parts for the new Material Sequencing Centre. To ensure that workers remain healthy, and their productivity and quality output is up to Ford’s high standards, Ford (through this fellowship) wants to establish clear ergonomic guidelines […]

Capturing the real human motions on the assembly plant floor is the key point for developing accurate virtual simulations. The real human motions of specific workstation operations at Ford Oakville Assembly Plant by using wearable inertial sensors will be collected. After data collection, virtual simulations will be performed for all the recorded operation tasks. Based […]

Every job at Ford Motor Company should have an associated document describing the physical demands (i.e., lifting, climbing, pushing, etc.) required in that job. This information is important to select job candidates with the right blend of capabilities to be able to safely meet these demands. Perhaps more importantly, this information also provides a benchmark […]