Innovative Projects Realized

GIS and AI for the recognition and mapping of power grid assets

(1) ESMIA offers expertise in modeling integrated 3E (energy-economy-environment) systems for strategic decision-making at the municipal, regional, national, and global levels. ESMIA’s expertise is recognized by numerous private sector clients and various levels of government in Quebec, Canada, and around the world. ESMIA’s goal is to provide solutions that enable the achievement of energy security and transition objectives while ensuring sustained economic growth.
(2) The energy transition and power system planning increasingly require accurate and up-to-date spatial information on existing infrastructures. Unfortunately, publicly available inventories of power grids, such as transmission lines, substations, and generation facilities, are often confidential, incomplete, heterogeneous, or limited in spatial resolution. The main challenge of this project is to leverage recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in image recognition applied to satellite and aerial imagery, to develop and automated, scalable, and reproducible mapping of power grid assets.
(3) The resulting information will serve as valuable input for ESMIA’s strategic and operational optimization models. An accurate mapping will improve the representation of transmission constraints in NATEM (North American TIMES Energy Model), and by identifying the actual routes of transmission lines and the location of substations, the model will better capture regional transfer capacities, potential bottlenecks, and associated losses.

Designing and Promoting a Balance & Mobility Program for Seniors: Strategic Growth for Physio and Co.

Physio & Co. provides multi – disciplinary care and rehabilitation to several communities in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). We have operational clinics in St. John’s, Bay Bulls and Placentia with a large variety of age groups with a multitude of injuries and issues. Our therapies consist of Physiotherapy, Chiropractic, Occupational Therapy, Acupuncture, Massage Therapy, Reflexology, Counselling, Kinesiology and Yoga. We work tirelessly to improve our patients physical, mental and emotional well being in order to support a healthy, happy and active lifestyle.

Senior citizens make up a high percentage of our patient caseload in each of our 3 clinics. This age group seek our services for many reasons but falls, effects of inactivity and overall muscle weakness are most common. Adults aged 65 years and older are at increased risk for falls. This risk can be attributed to a number of factors, which can include decreased mobility and balance, muscle weakness and visual impairment among individuals (Government of British Columbia. What Contributes to Falls? 2023 October 11). Fall-related injuries among older adults can have serious health and social consequences, impacting the quality of lives and even causing deaths.

For these reasons, we are very enthusiastic to create a Balance and Mobility program for the focus of fall prevention for seniors.

Machine Learning developer and technical business interns working within cross-functional teams to develop and commercialize AI-powered solutions in the Public Services sector – AltaML

The project comprises internships in a variety of technical and business roles within our organization and within our GovLab program. Within the organization, roles include associate machine learning developer, business development associate, communications associate and finance associate. Within GovLab specifically, roles include associate machine learning developer, associate business solutions consultant, and project delivery associate. The difference is mainly that in GovLab, there is a focus on public sector problems, whereas in AltaML overall, we work across sectors.
The intern listed (Marley Cheema) on this particular application will work alongside the Government of Alberta on the Smart Document Extraction Agent team. The goal of a Government of Alberta Redaction Assistant would be to empower the government to handle sensitive information and acc eresqsuests with greater efficiency and security.
? Focus: using the SDP application template to create an Automated PII Redaction Tool. The main reason for the project is to automate the identification and masking of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in high-volume, unstructured public sector documents, such as those related to Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) requests. This automation replaces the current manual, time-consuming, and error-prone redaction process, directly addressing the growing volume of digital data and the increasing regulatory burden under new privacy legislation.
? Value: The Value of the project is substantial in terms of financial savings, risk mitigation, and operational efficiency. The automation of redaction provides financial benefit by freeing up highly skilled FOIP analysts and records management officers from repetitive, manual tasks, allowing them to focus on complex policy interpretation and disclosure decisions. The solution brings value to citizens by ensuring the GoA is compliant with the Protection of Privacy Act (PPA), drastically reducing the risk of accidental PII disclosure (data breach risk).

Building Trustworthy AI at Scale: An Integrated XAI and MLOps Framework for VLT Innovation

Through a current co-op project, International Game Technology (IGT) and the University of New Brunswick are developing a powerful artificial intelligence (AI) model to predict the performance of Video Lottery Terminal (VLT) games. However, the model currently functions as a “black box,” making it difficult for business teams like game designers to trust its recommendations without understanding the reasoning behind them. Furthermore, the process to generate these valuable insights is manual, slow, and not scalable for day-to-day use. This project aims to solve these challenges by building a single, integrated software tool. This tool will provide a user-friendly dashboard that clearly explains why the AI predicts certain game features will be successful, bridging the trust gap for creative teams. In the background, the tool will be powered by a fully automated and reliable system that ensures these data-driven insights are generated efficiently and are always up-to-date. The expected benefit for IGT is the transformation of this collaborative AI project from a complex data science asset into a practical, trustworthy, and scalable business tool that will accelerate innovation and lead to smarter, data-informed game design decisions.

TopQAD Web portal

1QBit is midway through our effort to create a software suite (Topological Quantum Architecture Design (TopQAD)) that automates quantum architecture design and enables you to study the impact of quantum algorithm and FTQC component design choices on resource requirements. It can be used to support scientific research, product development, and quantum computing policy and investment strategy.

Etude de marché : Les sources d’approvisionnement stratégiques dans l’économie circulaire

Le projet consiste à réaliser une étude de marché pour aider Trolet, une jeune entreprise montréalaise spécialisée dans la revalorisation de chaussures usagées, à mieux comprendre et développer ses sources d’approvisionnement. L’objectif est d’identifier où et comment collecter davantage de chaussures ayant un bon potentiel de revalorisation, afin de soutenir la croissance de l’entreprise. Le stagiaire analysera différents marchés, partenaires et modes de collecte, puis testera des pistes concrètes pour améliorer l’approvisionnement.
Ce projet permettra à Trolet de trouver de nouveaux canaux d’approvisionnement, d’accroître le volume et la qualité des chaussures collectées, et de renforcer sa position d’entreprise innovante dans le domaine de l’économie circulaire.

Open-source translational framework for AI-powered ultrasound-guided kidney interventions

This project aims to democratize access to advanced surgical navigation by developing an open-source, AI-enabled training and guidance system for ultrasound-guided kidney procedures. Built entirely within the free 3D Slicer platform, the system combines real-time tracking and deep-learning segmentation to help trainees and clinicians visualize kidney structures and plan safer, more precise punctures. The collaboration between Queen’s University in Canada and Cheikh Anta Diop University in Senegal will produce a scalable tool that supports equitable surgical training and safer care worldwide, reinforcing both institutions’ shared commitment to accessible medical innovation.

AI Submission Moderator Within Interactive Experiences

Goosechase is a Canadian platform that helps schools, nonprofits, and businesses run interactive, mission-based activities like onboarding, orientation, museum tours, and team training.

Today, creating these experiences and checking large numbers of photo, video, and text submissions is slow and manual, especially in education, where safety and privacy are critical. This project will build AI features that make that work faster, safer, and easier. The main focus is an AI Submission Moderator that reviews participant content in real time, explains why something was flagged, and sends uncertain cases to a human for review.

In parallel, we will lay the groundwork for an AI “Experience Coach” that suggests mission ideas and messages based on the organizer’s goals. To do this, we will create new data and machine-learning pipelines, run low-latency (fast) moderation on secure cloud systems, and add strong safeguards like single sign-on, audit logs, access controls, and clear retention rules.

The expected benefit to Goosechase is substantial: creators will spend less time on moderation and more time on teaching and engagement; schools and public organizations will gain a safer, more trustworthy tool; and the company will be better prepared for procurement in regulated markets. The work also produces Canadian-owned IP and supports growth and hiring in Canada.

Integrating large-scale data sources, Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) in advanced NLP-based techniques and quantitative models.

Picton Mahoney Asset Management (“PICTON Investments”) was founded in 2004 to provide unique investment solutions to institutional, retail, and high-net-worth investors in Canada and globally. The Quantitative Research and Risk team at PICTON Investments is dedicated to developing and maintaining models that support investment decisions and risk assessments. With the increasing complexity of financial markets and the rapid growth of both structured and unstructured data, the team faces challenges that can be addressed with more effective integration of large-scale data sources and advanced machine learning methods, including Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), to strengthen insights and deliver a competitive edge in both client portfolio management and risk mitigation. This project aims to go beyond day-to-day investment operations by advancing NLP-based techniques, machine learning models, and GenAI/LLM applications to extract deeper insights from financial text and alternative data.the project requires expertise in natural language processing, generative AI, and machine learning, alongside strong foundations in statistics and finance. The primary objective involves efficiently collecting and structuring relevant financial data from a broad set of sources, including publicly available databases and sell-side analysts’ reports, in a format that supports deeper quantitative analysis. The second objective is to perform a comprehensive literature review on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Generative AI/LLM techniques, followed by implementation of suitable methods to analyze financial text data. Key textual sources will include regulatory filings, sell-side analysts’ reports, earnings call transcripts, and market commentary. The third objective is to generate actionable investment and risk signals based on textual data and other structured datasets, followed by rigorous back-testing. To tackle these challenges, the project requires expertise in natural language processing, generative AI, and machine learning, alongside strong foundations in statistics and finance.

Reprocessing ‘Single Use’ Video Laryngoscope Blades: A Proof-of Concept Study

Plastic video laryngoscope blades are essential tools that doctors use to help patients breathe during surgery. Like many other medical devices, these blades are made from strong plastics but are meant to be used only once and then thrown away to prevent contamination and protect patient safety. This research project will investigate whether single-use plastic video laryngoscope blades can be safely cleaned and reused rather than discarded after each use. The goal is to test how strong and durable these blades remain after several cycles of cleaning and sterilization. The project will help Trillium Health Partners explore safer, more sustainable ways to reduce plastic medical waste and lower operating costs. If proven successful, this approach could show that some single-use medical tools can be reused safely, benefiting both the hospital and the environment.

Stage de recherche clinique Centre EPIC, protocole REHEAT : Les effets du sauna post-exercice sur les adaptations cardiovasculaires en comparaison à la réhabilitation cardiaque

Stage de recherche clinique au sein du centre EPIC rattaché à l’institut de Cardiologie de Montréal. Le stage sera effectué au sein du projet ReHEAT qui a pour objectif déterminer les effets cardiovasculaires de l’exposition au sauna post-exercice dans le cadre d’un programme de réadaptation cardiaque.
Les missions effectuées seront le recrutement des participants, la mesure des variables d’intérêt, le
suivi des participants et l’analyse et le traitement des données. Les objectifs principaux du stage sont, premièrement de réaliser un mémoire sur les différences de réponse entre hommes et femmes au protocole ainsi que mesurer les effets de celui-ci sur la variabilité de la fréquence cardiaque des patients, un indicateur de santé cardiaque ; deuxièmement de contribuer à faire avancer le projet en aidant à la réalisation de tests de capacité cardiorespiratoire maximale, de mesures de la fonction vasculaire par échographie et de mesures physiologiques lors de l’exposition au sauna.
La réalisation de ce stage représente une opportunité de formation en vue d’une poursuite d’études en doctorat dans le domaine de la physiologie de l’exercice et de la réadaptation cardiaque.

Advancing Self-Driving Laboratories: Benchmarking and Harmonizing Electrochemical Materials Acceleration Platforms

Corrosion—the gradual environmental degradation of metals and alloys—costs Canada billions of dollars annually and threatens infrastructure, transportation, and energy systems. Understanding how materials behave in corrosive environments is complex, depending on factors such as composition, surface structure, and environmental chemistry. Traditional experiments are slow, labor-intensive, and often difficult to reproduce between laboratories.

This project aims to advance autonomous materials research platforms, known as Materials Acceleration Platforms (MAPs), for corrosion science. By comparing MAPs at the University of Toronto and the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) in Germany, the research will identify sources of variability and develop strategies to harmonize workflows, data collection, and analysis.M achine learning-guided experimentation and high-throughput electrochemical testing, the project will produce standardized datasets and benchmarking protocols, towards enabling autonomous labs to share insights and inform one another.

The outcomes will investigate and provide insights on reproducibility, towards accelerating the discovery of corrosion-resistant materials. By combining AI-driven experimentation with advanced electrochemical expertise, this project strengthens Canada’s innovation capacity in autonomous materials research and contributes to global efforts to standardize self-driving laboratories in materials science.