Innovative Projects Realized

Développement d’une solution technologique pour la transition numérique d’un programme d’enseignement collégial

La transformation numérique représente un sujet d’actualité pour les entreprises (Gagnon, 2022; Lord, 2023). Celle-ci fait référence à l’investissement dans les technologies de l’information et de la communication (TIC) afin de réduire les coûts d’exploitation de l’entreprise et d’accroître la qualité des produits et services offerts (Raymond, Pelletier, Sylvestre et Uwizeyemungu, 2023). Les TIC ont ainsi un important potentiel pour les entreprises. En effet, le développement, l’implantation et l’exploitation de systèmes et d’applications basées sur les TIC permettent entre autres, de développer des systèmes de pilotage de la production, des applications de gestion intégrée de la chaîne d’approvisionnement et des applications de gestion intégrée de l’entreprise (Raymond et al., 2023). La transformation numérique est ainsi amorcée au sein de nombreux secteurs, dont les entreprises agricoles, notamment afin de leur permettre de collecter des données sur les services, la chaîne d’approvisionnement, etc. (Royer et al., 2020). C’est dans ce contexte que COlab Innovation sociale et culture numérique s’intéresse au développement d’une solution technologique permettant la gestion de machinerie et d’équipement, en collaboration avec le programme Gestion et technologies d’entreprise agricole (GTEA) du Collège d’Alma. Ainsi, le projet vise à documenter une initiative vers la transition numérique d’un département d’enseignement collégial.

Optimization of microscopic analysis of paper printed electronics

Printed electronics is a field of electronics that involves printing of electronic devices and components on a variety of substrates, including paper, plastic, and textiles. This technology uses printing techniques including inkjet printing, screen printing and gravure printing to create circuits, sensors, displays and other electronic devices. Advantages of printed electronics include low-cost production, design flexibility and compatibility with a range of materials. From the perspective of sustainable electronics, paper-based substrates are one of the most promising solutions. When silver ink is printed on paper, the solvent evaporates, leaving a layer of silver nanoparticles that are fused together to form a conductive layer. This layer can be used for a variety of applications, such as creating conductive traces for electronic circuits or antennas for RFID tags. However, there are also some challenges in characterizing of printed ink on paper leading to miss-information about its quality. Since paper contains fibers, it creates a highly roughened surface, and the traditional characterization method used for plastic-based substrates must be adopted to the needs of paper.

Crack Detection in Concrete Bridges Using Machine Learning

Transport infrastructures are the backbone of our society and bridges are the bottleneck of the transport network. Climate change resulting in higher corrosion rates, and extreme climatic events are important threats to the reliability and safety of the transport network. This has led to growing concerns for the remaining service life of infrastructure under normal service conditions and the structural resilience under extreme climate events. We will develop a reliable crack detection tool that allows to detect and quantify the presence of crack in concrete infrastructure. The specific objectives are: (1) To annotate an existing 3D point cloud database of cracked and uncracked concrete surfaces, and (2) To train and validate a deep learning algorithm to detect cracks on concrete surfaces in real time. The project will lead to a safer, quicker and more accurate method for condition assessment of concrete infrastructure.

Project Blinkem – Optical channel communication for Mixed Reality Systems

Project Blinkem is a novel approach to visible light communication, which aims to create a low-cost, scalable, and secure framework using existing technologies. The project proposes encoding data into Infrared LEDs, which can visually communicate with high-resolution image sensors on HMDs as well as a high-speed optical module. By leveraging the security benefits of visible light communication, Project Blinkem offers an inherently more secure method of communication, which can be valuable for a range of applications, including virtual reality environments and the internet of things. If successfully implemented, this approach could have a significant impact on the way we communicate and transfer data in the future.

Evaluation of wind load on tall buildings and understanding of state-of-the-art wind engineering

Jake is going to join the projects using a large-scale boundary layer wind tunnel, a thermally stratified wind tunnel, a climate chamber, and wind tunnel projects conducted at various companies if possible. Lastly, based on the understanding of wind tunnel technologies, he is going to conduct research on the evaluation of wind loading on tall buildings. This research will be focused on understanding how different wind patterns and loading will affect building dynamics situated in different environments. The goal of this project will be to develop and understanding of these affects and use that to determine safer more effective designs and harm reduction strategies.

Numerical and Experimental Analysis of the Hygrothermal Efficiency of Fully Bio-Sourced Building Materials Under Mechanical Loading

This project is a part of a collaborative research program between Canada and France, through a joint supervision thesis. The ongoing first phase in Canada involves utilizing a numerical simulation method, namely COMSOL software, to predict mass (water) and heat transfers through biobased building walls, with the incorporation of mechanical loading on the wall. However, due to the lack of necessary equipment and suitable sites, the experimental phase cannot be executed in Canada.

The first experimental assembly is a scaled-up version in a laboratory setting with a fully-controlled environment on both sides of the wall. The second assembly is a full-scale, fully instrumented building that allows for in-situ measurements. Ultimately, these measurements will be utilized to validate the accuracy and reliability of the simulations. In addition, the resulting proof of concept of bio-based walls will be an established technology to be utilized in the construction of the net-zero buildings.

Towards efficient building energy audits – An online platform for tracking multi-unit facilities

This research will aim to optimize Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) selection, through an optimization algorithm to be implemented on an online building energy auditing platform. The initial estimates shows that the platform can reduce audit time and cost up to 70% and offers detailed live results for multi-unit residential, commercial, and institutional facilities. This platform builds upon an available database of buildings to provide a decarbonization plan to meet the demand of the province. An optimization tool that not only automates the – auditing procedure, but also utilizes energy conservation databases, their synergetic effects, and optimized selection method, will eliminate the cost barrier for many properties, particularly low-budget ones, to perform energy audits, given the financial restraints of property owners and managers. Moreover, this tool will increase the probability of implementation of recommended energy conservation measures by maximizing the return on investment as well as greenhouse gas, GHG, emission reduction. This platform ultimately promotes energy-efficient technology adoption by developing a database of potential buildings and showcasing their energy and GHG emission savings.

Grain-Aware Video Quality Assessment and Encoding Optimization in Streaming Media Applications

Analog and digitally synthesized film grain is widely seen in pristine visual content as part of the creative intent of content producers. However, in streaming media applications such as online video-on-demand and live video broadcasting, grain demands excessive amounts of bandwidth to transmit the video streams from the server to the consumer devices while maintaining the quality-of-experience of end viewers. This MITACS project aims to largely reduce the bandwidth requirement to transmit such content by a series of studies on grain-aware video quality assessment and encoding optimization by exploiting a mixture of methodologies including perceptual and statistical modeling, and artificial intelligence. Six internship students from University of Waterloo will work closely with the technical staff members at SSIMWAVE Inc., an IMAX company based in Ontario, to develop novel technologies. The research outcome is expected to help strengthen SSIMWAVE and IMAX’s global leadership in the media and entertainment industry.

Emplacement, structural controls, and pegmatite crystallization in fertile temporal windows in the Winnipeg River-Cat Lake pegmatite field, Manitoba, Canada

This projects aims to understand the mechanisms responsible for lithium mineralization associated with hard rock in Manitoba, Canada. Lithium is seen as critical for the decarbonization of our economy and as such it is vital that we understand its origins and be able to predict where to find more in a sustainable way. Another objective of the research is to provide tools for exploration companies to be more efficient in their prospects. The interns will benefit from interacting with industry and academia elevating their skills in these types of mineral deposits and carry the knowledge obtained during this project to other parts of Canada where lithium is also sought after.

LAMP assay development and qPCR validation of inoculum monitoring of diseases in field crops

According to the literature, up to 75% of all fungicide applications are either off-target or are applied where no disease is present. Paramoria Agri-Science aims to reduce that by providing farmers with real-time monitoring of disease-causing spore populations, such that pesticides are applied on an as-needed basis, rather than as-feared. Currently, Paramoria uses quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to quantify the amount of disease present in the field. While highly accurate, qPCR requires a lab and cannot handle soil contamination without expensive post-processing. By switching to loop assisted mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), this test can be done in-field with minimum post-processing required. The intern will assist us in designing, testing and validating our switch from qPCR to LAMP.

Tractor cab re-design to support partially-autonomous agricultural machines

In recent years, the task of operating an agricultural tractor has changed in large part due to the introduction of
new technologies. Perhaps the greatest change is related to the introduction of auto-steer technology that
negates the requirement to constantly have one’s hands on the steering wheel of the tractor. The current
configuration of the tractor cab is based on the assumption that the steering wheel needs to be prominently
featured in the centre of the cab with the driver seated in a forward-facing position. In this project, we will
attempt to determine potential changes to the layout of the cab environment that might better support the tasks
being undertaken by today’s farmer who is operating and monitoring partially-autonomous agricultural
machines. The intern will use task analysis techniques to gain an understanding of the operator’s tasks; this
information will inform a conceptual design that will be fabricated with assistance from the partner’s shop staff.
Finally, the intern will conduct an ergonomic evaluation of the novel cab design.

Dry wearable graphene-based electrodes for multi-lead ECG signal acquisition fabricated by printing technologies

Our proposed research project aims to develop flexible, wearable sensors for monitoring heart health using advanced materials such as graphene and flexible printed electrodes. These sensors will be integrated into a comfortable and non-invasive wearable device that can continuously monitor and track the wearer’s heart health through ECG readings. The device will be designed to provide real-time alerts to the wearer or their healthcare provider if any concerning heart abnormalities are detected. By using these advanced materials, we hope to develop a device that is both highly sensitive and durable, with the potential to revolutionize the way we monitor and manage heart-related conditions. This technology has the potential to improve early detection and management of heart-related diseases, such as atrial fibrillation, which can lead to serious health complications if left untreated. By providing individuals with a non-invasive, user-friendly device for continuous heart monitoring, we hope to contribute to the development of more effective and accessible healthcare solutions.