Innovative Projects Realized

Explore thousands of successful projects resulting from collaboration between organizations and post-secondary talent.

31620 Completed Projects

2978
AB
5221
BC
856
MB
696
NL
899
SK
9419
ON
9858
QC
98
PE
619
NB
1192
NS

Projects by Category

Analog ASIC Artificial Intelligence at the Edge

Enabling Analog Artificial Intelligence by the systematic generation of Analog Neural Networks from well-known Artificial Intelligence software tools. The circuits and methodologies developed here enable “AI at the Edge” meaning local, low power, analog AI that provides, for example, medical devices that analyse signals to asses the need for intervention; voice recognition devices that do not send recordings to the internet; smoke detectors that recognise the chemical composition of gas in the air and similar. All this is achieved in low cost manufacturing using standard CMOS fabrication steps. The innovation is the ability to configure many thousands of small analog computation units into a neural network. Access to this technology is simplified: the customer need not understand how the analog core is operating. Industry standard AI tools generate configuration files that are read to define the AI processing. The system includes data acquisition elements that hook directly to the analog AI core. This enables, for example, a complete EEG chip including 64 low noise amplifiers and ADC convertors to feed into a trained analog neural net that recognises onset of seizure in epileptic patients or pain in neo-natal children.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Mohammad Hossein Zarifi

Student:

Partner:

SiliconIntervention Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of British Columbia - Okanagan

Program:

Accelerate

A low-cost photonic device for the detection and quantification of Nitrous Oxide (N2O) and Ammonia (NH3)

The applicant has completed building a spectroscopic device to measure trace gases (e.g., Greenhouse Gasses -GHG) in agriculture fields. The objective of proposed project is to conduct a field trial of the developed device and optimize different optical components so that the system, operating as a standalone device, can perform the following tasks: (a) Multicomponent gas analysis – N2O, CO2, H2O, CH4 and NH3, and (b) Detection of Isotopologues of N2O.
The Long-Term objective of the proposed research is to develop the infrastructure to detect and quantify emitted gasses (e.g., N2O and NH3) from fertilized agriculture fields. The results will assist fertilizer companies to (1) develop the protocol of applying fertilizer under different environmental conditions to reduce emissions; and (2) develop innovative fertilizer products such as ESN. This infrastructure will also support farmers, in relation to fertilizer application, helping them save costs while creating more ecologically friendly and attractive products.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Gautam Das

Student:

Partner:

Nutrien Ag Solutions (Calgary, AB)

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

Lakehead University

Program:

Accelerate

Ubiquitous vital sign monitoring with loss of balance detection

This project will develop a loss of balance detection system to enhance the iMD Research Vital Zenzer, which monitors vital user biometrics. Accelerometer signals from both waist and wrist-worn body locations will be analyzed to obtain key inputs for Machine Learning and AI algorithms. Such algorithms will be developed to adapt to changing user conditions such as progress in rehabilitation. Classification and feature extraction will use key vital sign parameters to identify stable versus unstable conditions. A loss of balance prediction and risk measure will be developed. Importantly, the security and privacy of user data will be integrated into the system. All development will be performed in collaboration with the iMD Research team.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Sridhar Krishnan;Kristiina Valter-Mai;Reza Samavi;Kristiina Valter Mai

Student:

Partner:

iMD Research

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Information and cultural industries; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Toronto Metropolitan University

Program:

Accelerate

Suivi des sols contaminés stabilisés et solidifiés au ciment par la vitesse des ondes de cisaillement

Pour certains types de sols contamines, en particulier dans les cas de contamination mixte, leur encapsulation par stabilisation/solidification au ciment s’avere une approche pratique. L’evolution de l’etude des differentes deformations de ces materiaux est importante autant du point de vue mecanique (par exemple temps de durcissement, evolution des resistances) que du point de vue environnemental (par exemple la lixiviation qui est !”extraction des elements solubles grace a un solvant comme l’eau , la conductivite hydraulique). Le suivi du durcissement des sols SIS peut s’effectuer typiquement par des essais mecaniques, comme par exemple des essais au rheometre avant le durcissement et des essais destructifs sur les SIS durcis. Ces approches necessitent toutefois de recourir a des specimens distincts a differents stades de !’evolution des sols SIS. Le projet consiste a examiner les implications du suivi des sols contamines SIS au ciment par une methode non destructive et non intrusive basee sur la vitesse de propagation des ondes de cisaillement (Vs). Le projet sera base sur une revue de la litterature qui tirera profit des efforts experimentaux existants orientes vers les mesures de Vs dans les materiaux cimentaires ou bitumineux, frais et durcis.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Yannic Ethier;Jean-Sébastien Dubé

Student:

Partner:

Pangeos

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

École de technologie supérieure

Program:

Accelerate

Battery Management System for Lithium Polymer and Solid-State Batteries

Energy storage systems (ESS) are vital components in the power grid to ensure the reliable performance of the power grid integrated a considerable amount of renewable energy resources (DER). ESSs are employed to compensate for the unexpected changes in DERs and shift load during peak hours. ESSs are complex structures consisting of several series and parallel connected battery cells. Battery cells may have different characteristics due to the ambient temperature and aging differences. As a result, the operation limits of each battery cell vary. A battery management system (BMS) is responsible for assuring the safe operation of the battery cells in different operating conditions. The design of the battery management system is required to accommodate various types of cell chemistries. In this project, we develop an efficient and accurate battery management system for state-of-art battery chemistries, such as Solid-State batteries, to facilitate the adaptation of different battery cell chemistries in ESSs.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Benoit Boulet

Student:

Partner:

Hydro-Quebec

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Utilities

University:

McGill University

Program:

Accelerate

Structural Geology and Controls on Gold Mineralization, Ormaque Deposit, Abitibi Subprovince, Val d’Or Quebec

The MSc student will determine the factors determining the distribution of gold at the Ormaque gold project, near Val d’Or Quebec. This will be accomplished by examination of drill core, and mapping of underground exposure when available, at the Ormaque site during two summer field seasons. Samples collected in the field will be returned to Laurentian University and examined using petrographic and scanning electron microscopes and a laser-ablation induced-coupled mass spectrometer instrument. This data will be used to characterize the deposit and prepare a geological map and cross sections focused on the structural geologic framework of the deposit. The partner Eldorado Gold will benefit from this research through an improved understanding of the distribution of gold within the Ormaque deposit and the geological events which resulted in this distribution. This will help the partner in defining better the deposit and in their wider exploration efforts in the Val D’Or district.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Ross Sherlock

Student:

Partner:

Eldorado Gold

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Natural Resources; Mining; Technology

University:

Laurentian University

Program:

Accelerate

Low Hopes, Bad Democracy? A Tale of Unexpected Winners and Losers

A great amount of research has noted the existence of a gap between winners and losers in relation to satisfaction with democracy (SWD). As stated by Craig et al. (2006, 579), “winners and losers do not always respond with equal enthusiasm either to the election outcome, or to the institutions and processes through which that outcome was rendered.” One aspect of the winner–loser gap that has been overlooked is the impact of citizens’ expectations and the strength of these expectations on their level of satisfaction with democracy. More precisely, what can we expect from unexpected winners and losers? Are individuals on the losing side less dissatisfied when they recognize their favourite party was likely to be defeated at the polls? Does experiencing a surprise victory leads to a boost in SWD? Leiter et al. (2020) have claimed that “when faced with a reality that does not comport to their established beliefs, citizens may react quite negatively—an increasingly concerning phenomenon in modern democracies.” However, the potential association between (unfulfilled) expectations and attitudes towards democracy has been given almost no attention (but see Umit 2020).

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Ruth Dassonneville

Student:

Partner:

Sciences Po

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

Université de Montréal

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Impact of industrial whaling: scale, ecological, and evolutionary legacies

The large baleen whales were driven to near-extinction by industrial whaling during the 16th–20th centuries. Several key questions remain about the effects of this large-scale removal, such as: (a) what were the abundances of pre-whaling populations; (b) did whaling and subsequent recovery lead to changes in population structure, and connectivity; and (c) did the extreme population reductions due to whaling result in long-term negative impacts, thereby endangering the long-term persistence of baleen whales? These questions can only be answered by the integration of past and present genomic information. This project aims to obtain a set of genomes extracted from historical bones as an essential part of measuring the impact of industrial whaling on the remaining baleen whales. The output of this project will help us understand the genetic consequences of intense harvesting in marine mammals, providing baseline information for future protection efforts of these endangered species.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Camilla Filomena Speller

Student:

Partner:

University of Groningen

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Breeding Ecology of Raptors Breeding near Rankin Inlet, NU

Nestling survival is known to decrease with lay date (Anctil et al. In Press). Although this pattern is consistent with one aspect of the condition-dependent model, the data describe only a single breeding season. The objective of this project is to use a 30 year data set to investigate the relationship among arrival date, clutch size and a crude measure of body condition (body weight). In addition, the graduate student responsible for this project will use archived blood samples (2008-2012) as well as those collected in 2013 to examine the relationship between physiological stress markers (e.g., corticosterone) to assess the relationships between body condition, arrival date, lay date, clutch size, and reproductive success. In addition, the intern will compare these variables for birds breeding near to and away from industrial development. Results will be made available to industry collaborators and other contributors to aid in the management of this species.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Joel Bety;Alastair Franke

Student:

Partner:

Agnico-Eagle Mines-Ontario

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Mining

University:

Université du Québec à Rimouski; University of Alberta

Program:

Accelerate

Investigating the Effect of Cognitive Training Simultaneously with Application of either Active or Sham Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation on the Executive Brain Functions in Dementia Population

Built upon our successful pilot projects, the goal of this project is to investigate the effect of transcranial alternative current stimulation (tACS) paired with cognitive exercises in a placebo-controlled study on individuals with dementia, and develop novel technologies to monitor its effects and also predict a patient’s response to a treatment at baseline. This project can lead to an efficient optimized personalized treatment strategy for dementia.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Zahra Kazem-Moussavi;Mohammad Jafari-Jozani;Brian Lithgow

Student:

Partner:

Riverview Health Centre Foundation;Aster Gardens

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

University of Manitoba

Program:

Accelerate

Fake User Detection

This project investigates whether a user’s entered information in e-commerce sites is fake or real. In order to achieve the goal of understanding and identifying fake users, data are to be collected, managed, and analyzed. In addition to using existing data from the e-commerce partner organization and some third-party data if available, the two major tasks are data collection and data analysis. Customizable tools for data collection and analysis are to be designed, implemented and deployed in collaboration with the partner organization. If meaningful analysis results are obtained, a real user confidence-level system can be designed based on a user’s profile, thus facilitating targeted and priority marketing to potential real customers.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Kin Fun Li

Student:

Partner:

VINN Auto

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Information and cultural industries; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Victoria

Program:

Accelerate

Wireless Readout Integrated Microwave Sensor for Detecting Ice/Snow in Harsh Environments

Several de-icing systems have been developed to reduce economic losses and safety hazards due to ice and snow accretion on home pathways. These de-icing systems need to be energy-efficient, and therefore, must be accompanied by high-performance sensors capable of accurately detecting ice and snow to control the de-icing system. In addition to this application, recent industrial developments have shifted the paradigm of ice sensors towards extreme environment applications requiring sensors be operated in harsh conditions. These sensors must exhibit robust performance with significant accuracy while enduring variations in environmental and operational conditions. To increase the ease of implementation, wireless capabilities are required to widen their adaptability.
Microwave sensing is an emerging technology which has demonstrated contactless, non-intrusive, and robust monitoring and detection performance and is an outstanding candidate for implementing these ice sensors. The innovation will be integrating the transducer component and the wireless readout electronics on a single substrate for reliable, ultrasensitive, and wireless detection of ice and snow. This unique project will instigate further miniaturization and enhancement to microwave sensor functionality while creating high accuracy ice sensors for currently inaccessible environments without requiring an input source or expensive auxiliary equipment.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Mohammad Hossein Zarifi

Student:

Partner:

Tekmar Control Systems

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Information and cultural industries

University:

The University of British Columbia - Okanagan

Program:

Accelerate

Previous
1…1,6441,6451,6461,6471,6481,6491,650…2,635
Next

Join a thriving innovation ecosystem.

Subscribe to our newsletter now!

Subscribe

Mitacs — Return on Innovation

Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon.