Innovative Projects Realized

SUMAFly – SUstainability Modeling and Analysis of Future aircraft systems

Barcode Image Enhancement Using Deep Learning

The use of barcodes to store alphanumeric information has spread from supermarkets to department stores, the health industry and even on the back of our drivers’ license. Recent years have also seen demand to increase the density of information encoded in barcodes. A Drivers’ License has its personal data encoded in the barcode on the back of the document, and the data embedded is often used as part of an identification/verification process. However, the camera captured picture of the barcode is susceptible to quality degradation and even slight perturbances in the image quality of the barcode (e.g. out-of-focus blur, motion blur, non-optimal lighting) causes failures in its readability. In this project, we aim to use artificial intelligence techniques (specifically deep learning) to improve the quality of Drivers’ License 2D barcode captured with the mobile device cameras in a way that improves its readability for identification or verification purposes.

Antimicrobial Quality-Control of Innovative Space ? and Aviation relevant Insulation Materials

Striking a Perfect Water Balance in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells

Autonomous Bathymetry Vehicle For Tailings Impound Surveys

This research project will be used to help mining operations and other industrial proponents where applicable, ensure the integrity of their tailings ponds, reduce the risk to human life/health, and meet government regulations by reducing cost and logistic barriers to conducting tailings volume surveys.
The goal is to verify that an autonomous vehicle can conduct what would ordinarily be a dangerous sonar survey of a tailings pond. This will be accomplished by creating such a vehicle from easily sourced materials with existing supply lines, testing in variety of situations to gain this knowledge. The vehicle will be constructed from a low draught hydro-jet propelled kayak. The intern will outfit the vehicle with effective yet low-cost nautical autopilot, GPS, fishfinder/aquatic rangefinder, and associated supporting computer and radio equipment to facilitate fully autonomous, and remote-controlled operation.
KMB Resources Group will benefit by gaining knowledge they may choose to employ in their operations.

Smart empathetic speaker based on real-time EEG-based music therapy

During COVID-19 outbreak, many people are suffering the negative emotions, causing anxiety, fear, and depression in daily life. To improve the individuals’ mental health, musical therapy will be employed due to its high value of treatment in the mental health field. In our project, a smart empathetic speaker based on real-time emotion recognition system will be developed. Through electroencephalography (EEG) measurement, the types of signals reflecting the listener’s emotion will be extracted. The deep learning method will be used to recognize the emotions of the user in real-time. By continuous and extensive deep learning process, the emotion recognition system is expected to become more intelligent, and a personalized database of popularly used songs in music therapy will be organized. Finally, the speaker can assign known music to a listener based on existing music therapy experience and adjust the music according to the feedback obtained from the brain signal sensors.

Flood mapping and high water flood modelling for Indigenous communities at risk in the Winnipeg River Drainage basin

In 2014, the dams of Treaty #3 territory were overwhelmed by major continuous snowmelt and rain, causing mass flooding throughout the Rainy-Lake of the Woods watershed. To mitigate the damage that would be dealt to the Indigenous communities of the watershed by such events in the future, we will use remote sensing technologies and GIS to conduct a Flood Vulnerability Study and produce a major report and a number of digital resources that will be provided to the client communities. After the scope of the project has been determined, data compilation will be undertaken by interviewing community members, sourcing aerial photography, etc. A report will be produced along with several flood simulation models, videos and maps that showcase before/after scenarios with regards to flooding in areas of concern.

Scalable and modular power electronics based on GaN devices for electric mobility

Validation of a 3D virtual environment for investigating social exclusion

Development of a Hardware-in-the-Loop environment for thermal test bench by means of MATLAB&LabView

Development of a low-cost tool for skin cancer screening

The proposed research project is intended to develop an educational tool for the general public to be able to perform self-screening of their skin lesions. For this, a melanoma-detection mobile application will be developed to analyze lesion images acquired using a low-cost dermoscope attached to a smartphone. This product helps public or students to learn more about skin cancer and increase their self-awareness for early skin cancer prevention and treatment. The application automatically finds a lesion in a captured image. After lesion analysis, it displays different irregularities may exist in the lesion. It then explains for the user what these irregularities are and how these concepts are related to skin cancer. The partner organization will benefit from the product as there is huge interest in buying such educational, self-health and self-awareness application. Furthermore, the project can pave the way to higher goals and more expert systems in the future

Wave Rotor Reformer

Hydrogen offers the potential to decarbonize much of our society from clean transportation, to heating homes and businesses, to manufacturing. However, it must rely on a production method that does not release carbon itself. Steam methane reforming, the most common production method today, releases large quantities of CO2. The present project will study the production of methane in a completely new way. It is proposed to utilize shock waves heating to achieve the high temperatures necessary for the thermal decomposition of methane into hydrogen gas and carbon back. The later is able to be easily separated in solid form thereby producing a carbon-neutral hydrogen source. To achieve this shock compression of methane, a wave rotor design will be developed and tested in a series of developmental steps over the course of the project.