Innovative Projects Realized

Development of Airborne COVID-19 Isolation and Elimination Device

The key for controlling the transmission of COVID-19 is to isolate and eliminate COVID-19 contaminated air and droplets, particularly aerosols. However, this is very challenging for many healthcare settings such as dentistry, which are in dire need of an effective and feasible solution for reducing the COVID-19 risk. UBC Okanagan will partner with Care Health Meditech Developments Inc. to develop an innovative device, Airborne Infection Isolation and Elimination Device (AIIED), which will enable safe collection and disposal of COVID-19 contaminated air in dental operations. This project is of significant importance for Canada and the world as it reduces the need for production and/or purchase of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for combating the pandemic.

Thermal characteristics of viruses in humans, specifically COVID-19

The research project will focus on identifying thermal characteristics of COVID-19 in humans and applying the characteristics identified to detect COVID-19 in humans using non-invasive methodologies.

For this project, the thermal characteristics of viruses in humans, specifically COVID-19 will be studied. The aim will be to answer the following questions:

(1) What are the thermal characteristics in COVID-19 patients?
(2) Can thermal imaging be used to specifically identify subjects infected with the virus?
(3) Can this research advance existing thermal imaging solutions to improve current detection methods of COVID-19?

The goal, in part, is to help enable effective responses to viral-based pandemics and, possibly, a solution to help rebuild the Canadian economy.

Strategic Safety Stock Allocation in an AssemblySupply Chain Network

The supply chain structure of an engine assembly line consists of several complex flows and
processes to satisfy the requirements for on time delivery of these products. The difficulty in managing
such systems is due to the fact that more than 1000 parts should be available on time in a
synchronized manner to start the assembly procedures and deliver the products on time. Due to the
supplier lead time variability, quality inspection related delays and other sources of uncertainty, the
adherence to a production plan is almost impossible. This results in delays in the production schedule
which may result in delays in the delivery of engines to the customer.The objective of this research
project is to improve on time delivery performance of the engine assembly line and develop new
inventory policies for the supply chain operations to accommodate the transition to the moving
assembly line while keeping the inventory investment at an acceptable level.

Développement et validation d’une solution logicielle pour le contrôle à distance d’objets connectés pour favoriser l’interaction sociale des personnes âgées

En raison de la pandémie de COVID-19, les personnes âgées, en situation de confinement sont déconnectées de leurs liens sociaux, et donc plus isolées et sédentaires que d’habitude. L’isolement social est encore plus critique pour les aînés moins familiers avec les technologies numériques. La présente demande vise le développement et la validation d’une solution logicielle qui va permettre le contrôle et la gestion à distance d’objets connectés (ex. tablettes, téléphones ou casques de réalité virtuelle). Grâce à une telle solution, les personnes âgées qui seraient moins habiles avec la technologie seront accompagnées de façon sécuritaire et responsable pour des activités favorisant l’interaction sociale et/ou la stimulation à l’activité physique. Cette solution logicielle contribuera à réduire l’isolement, l’ennui, l’inactivité physique et le stress chez les aînés, incluant ceux ayant peu ou pas d’expériences d’utilisation de technologies numériques.

Effectiveness of Dual-Microphone Model-Based Speech Discrimination for Increasing Speech Intelligibility in In-Situ Babble Noise

Malaspina Labs Inc. conducts applied research and development of state-of-the-art audio processing
technologies that dramatically increase speech comprehension in noisy environments. Based in
Vancouver Canada, Malaspina Labs is driven by a core team of academic and industry researchers in
the fields of audio processing and speech isolation. We have a common goal of developing the
world’s most advanced speech processing software and implementing it on milliwatt-class target
devices. Malaspina Labs has demonstrated the effectiveness of its VoiceBoost™ model based
speech discrimination for ultra-low power mobile processors. By isolating speech-of-interest from
background noise including background speech, VoiceBoost™ has been shown to improve speech
quality by 36% over existing 3G phone and network noise reduction in real-world high noise
environments. This research internship project will advance the field for speech intelligibility and noise
reduction as well as the company’s audio processing technologies.

ALS in a dish: development of an in vitro human 3D model of the neuromuscular junction with functional readouts

In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the communication between motor neurons and skeletal muscle is lost, resulting in weakness and degeneration of muscle tissue. ALS animal models fail to reproduce the complexities of the disease, which is thought to account for the failure of new drugs in clinical trials. At The Neuro, human blood samples are obtained to generate pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), which are able to give rise to all the cell types of the human body. Our goal is to generate motor neurons from the PSCs of healthy controls and ALS patients to grow them with skeletal muscle in 3D in a special dish created by eNUVIO. This platorm will facilitate the acquisition of functional readouts similar to those obtained from electromyography and nerve conduction velocity, studies used for ALS diagnosis purposes. Furthermore, the model at the endwill be scalable for high-throughput drug screening purposes to facilitate the identification of lead compounds in our human NMJ on a dish platform.

Gestion du stress financier – Part 1

La question du stress financier devient d’autant plus alarmante dans le contexte de crise financière dû à la Covid-19 qui a pour principales conséquences pertes et baisses de revenu généralisé des revenus des ménages. De récents sondages font état d’une vague de faillites personnelles à venir dans les prochains mois : 1,3 million de Canadiens pensent devoir déclarer faillite d’ici trois mois si leur situation financière ne s’améliore pas. La solution porposée permettra aux citoyens d’être en meilleure santé financière, plus épanouis et performants en leur donnant accès à des ressources de santé financière et de mieux-être financier où et quand ils en auront besoin, au travers d’un outil web basé sur l’IA et la détermination de la personnalité financière de l’utilisateur.

Mobile Field Analytics Integration

VeriGrain is in the agricultural automated sampling and data management business. By providing representative sampling of the harvested grain provides the grain characteristics for maximum profit, helps to determine the risk of spoilage and helps farmers eliminate downgraded and rejected loads of grain at the terminal. Currently the samples are taken at the farm and are sent off for lab analysis to determine the quality and characteristics of the grain. However, advancements in technology through spectral analysis provide the opportunity to move some of the lab analysis out to the field. This spectral analysis allows for the determination of moisture content, protein analysis, disease analysis to take place quickly in the field to allow the farmer to make informed decisions with each load of grain they are harvesting. This project will seek to integrate aspects of spectral analysis into the sampling and data management aspects of the VeriGrain system.

Design and development of a hybrid aerial and ground robotic solution for environmental disinfection using ultra-violet radiation

Surface sanitization in public environments is of critical importance to reduce and limit the spread of pathogens such as covid-19. Studies show the RNA of the coronavirus can persist on a surface from few hours to a few days depending on the type of the surface. Hospitals, grocery stores, public transport vehicles, airports and airplanes are among places where continuous cleaning of different surfaces is required; however, the current methods such as manual cleaning with disinfectant wipes are limited in frequency and effectiveness. The problem is further exacerbated considering the high risk to the staff and shortage of supplies. Ultra-violet irradiation is a proven disinfection technology to inactivate microorganisms by damaging their DNA/RNA. In this project, we aim to take advantage of autonomous aerial and ground solutions to improve the agility of the disinfection process of public environments. To achieve this, we will design and develop unmanned aerial and ground vehicles capable of carrying UV emission devices that operate cooperatively and autonomously to disinfect indoor environments. The outcome of this project will significantly reduce the community spread of the covid-19 by increasing the frequency and efficiency of surface disinfection in high-risk public environments.

Plant-based virucidal coatings for protective masks

The role of PPE in saving countless millions of lives of have been somewhat taken for granted because they are ubiquitous and relatively simple, leading them to be neglected as an active research area. There is limited personal protective equipment that have been developed to effectively protect against viruses in relatively fast contact times. Protective mask filtration is generally accepted to vastly reduce transmission but do not effectively inactivate viruses, and specialized coatings are needed in order to ensure viral inactivation to limit contamination within healthcare workflows. Specialized equipment with antiviral additives will contribute to infection control in high risk environments and can be standardized across masks, gowns, gloves, shields for full body protection. Developing local scientific support, alongside the expansion of Medicom’s manufacturing capability (supported by the Canadian Government to set up local mask manufacturing), will improves the flow of know-how, intellect, HQP and helps develop relevant research strategies.

Development of simulation-based training modules for the SGI graduated licencing program

Proper education and training are necessary to ensure young drivers have the appropriate knowledge and skills to drive safely. The current Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) graduated licensing program has education components and some in-car practice sessions, however, data shows that many young drivers are still involved in accidents due to a lack of experience driving in difficult or challenging situations. Working with both SGI and young drivers, the purpose of this project is to develop and pilot test new driving scenarios on a driving simulator that can be used to train young drivers to improve their real-world driving skills. These new driving scenarios will eventually be included as part of a revised SGI graduate licensing program for young drivers.

Transfert des connaissances et technologies développées pour ladétection semi-automatique des bâtiments et l’évaluation des dégâts sur des imagesde catastrophe

Le projet vise l’achèvement des travaux de recherche d’extraction de bâtiments et d’évaluation des dégâts de
manière semi-supervisée entamés par le candidat au cours de ses travaux de doctorat. Le développement d’un
outil opérationnel utilisant les techniques développées permettra d’effectuer une validation efficace et structurée
des dites techniques. Les interactions avec les photo-interprètes de l’entreprise partenaire permettront de
vérifier les hypothèses de départ et d’identifier les points nécessitant une étude plus approfondie pour arriver
aux résultats escomptés d’évaluation des dégâts sur les bâtiments à l’aide d’images satellitaires à très haute
résolution spatiale. L’organisation partenaire bénéficiera des travaux de recherche et développement du
candidat en ayant la possibilité d’appliquer les résultats pour des projets réels et en adaptant le processus pour
les demandes spécifiques de leurs clients. Un transfert des connaissances sera effectué à l’aide de
documentation exhaustive et de séances de formations des employés clés.