Innovative Projects Realized

Conceptual Study of The Techno-Economic Effects of Deviated versus Straight Drilling in Mining Operations – PHASE II: A Comprehensive Size and Cost Estimation Model

Conventional hard rock mining operations consists of following four steps; drilling, blasting, loading and hauling. In these steps, drilling and blasting is where the breakage of the in-situ, hard-rock formation is achieved. As being the first step of this conventional cycle, drilling plays a prominent role in the success of the other steps. Therefore, hard rock mining companies are highly interested in ensuring the precision of their drilling operations before they commence blasting. Also, haulage step usually ends in a mineral processing (also referred as milling) stage where the liberation of the entrapped valuable mineral is achieved by crushing. Therefore, it would be reasonable to conclude that ensuring high precision rock fragmentation in the pit would be deemed as highly substantial and has a very high impact on the final product. When improved, the impact of drillhole precision usually manifests itself as cost and time savings. Present study aims to develop a comprehensive financial and physical model that identifies the impact of the contributing factors in implementation of high precision drilling in a mine-to-mill scale.

The impact of physical exercise on sleep quality and duration in colorectal cancer patients during prehabilitation period

Sleep disturbance is one of the major complaints in patients after major surgery, which can impair to postoperative recovery. Exercise may be an effective non-pharmacological intervention to improve sleep for patients with advanced cancer. The main objective of this proposal is to evaluate the relationships between physical exercises and sleep parameters before surgical procedures and to determine whether anxiety and depression affect these relationships. I propose a randomized controlled pilot trial of patients with colorectal cancer scheduled for major abdominal surgery undergoing a prehabilitation intervention compared with usual care for an average of 4 weeks before planned surgery. Evaluation of relationships between physical exercise and sleep parameters can be used to improve a multimodal prehabilitation intervention in patients with advanced rectal cancer.

Developing A Framework and Tools for Strategic Management of Invasive Species in Greater Toronto Area, Ontario

With limited funding available, managers must prioritize which invasive species and which areas need to be managed. This project will involve finding out which sites and species need to be prioritized for management within the Greater Toronto Area. Through formal discussions with different stakeholders in the area and by using existing data (e.g. species distribution and city attributes), high priority areas and invasive species can be mapped to help managers know where and which invasive species need to be controlled. The partner organization will benefit from this work by knowing which areas and species need to be prioritized for management to restore ecosystem functioning and service provision, while enhancing human well-being.

Synergistic Ionic Liquids – Chitin Nanowhiskers (CNWs) – Epoxy Nanocomposites for Improved Mechanical Properties

Chitin is an abundant resource in the form of shell waste from food industry in Canada and the world. BOCO Bio-Nanotechnologies has currently the infrastructure in place for scalable extraction of chitin nanowhiskers (CNWs) from crab shells. CNWs are the crystalline form of chitin molecules, possessing high strength, stiffness and aspect ratio, making them an ideal candidate for polymer reinforcement. A significant market opportunity for BOCO is to incorporate CNWs in epoxy to develop epoxy nanocomposites with tremendous mechanical properties. However, the incorporating of CNWs is limited by chitin’s intrinsic self agglomeration thus cannot achieve expected property enhancement and certain loadings. Therefore, the objective of this project is to develop a new nanofiller processing technique for optimal filler loadings and reinforcement in the composites. Parametric study will be performed for quantitative analysis to support the technological and commercial requirements of the company.

Développement des outils en vue d’une preuve de concept de casque intelligent pour pompier

Le sujet de la recherche concerne l’évaluation de l’ergonomie de l’interface graphique et la mesure de la charge cognitive ainsi que l’évaluation des cas d’utilisation du casque intelligent pour pompier en situation d’intervention en vue de proposer des ajustements ou améliorations ou encore de nouveaux cas d’utilisation

Control of MR actuators for the automotive industry

Since 2013, Exonetik has been developing and manufacturing magnetorheological (MR) actuator systems that enable novel functionalities to satisfy unmet customer needs. Exonetik’s patented actuator systems offer a unique combination of force-density, high bandwidth, superior back-drivability, low cost and aerospace-level reliability. Since 2016, Exonetik has been working with major companies in the automotive industry such as Magna International. One field of application of the automotive industry where MR actuators are bringing value is active suspensions.
Since 2016, Magna Corporate has partnered with Exonetik to develop multiple prototypes of active seat suspension which were used for market validation and technical feasibility investigation. Exonetik has proven with these prototypes that MR actuators have exceeded the expected performance and cost targets and that the technology is mature enough to be commercialised within a two-year timeframe. In June 2019, Magna Seating (subdivision of Magna International) officially launched a development program to bring the active seat suspension to production in July 2021.
The purpose of this MITACS research project is to collaborate with Exonetik team’s in the development of a production ready active suspension system for class 8 trucks. The Mitacs intern will be responsible for the refinement of the control algorithms of the active seat suspension system.

Analyse et interpolation spatiale de champs de deformations sur lesaubes de turbines hydrauliques.

Les contraintes concurrentielles et environnementales poussent les producteurs d’energie, a

utiliser leurs equipements a la limite de leurs specific~tions, augmentant ainsi les risques de

defaillance. II est donc necessaire pour ces producteurs de developper des methodes

analy1iques pour evaluer I’impact de nouveaux scenarios d’utilisation sur la fiabilite de leurs

equipements.

La fatigue est la cause principale de defaillance des turbines hydroelectriques. II est donc

essentiel de connaitre son evolution en fonction de son profil d’emploi. L’analyse par

elements finis procure un outil qui permet de quantifier les niveaux des contraintes

maximales pour une situation precise. Toutefois, les donnees experimentales demontrent

des deviations significatives par rapport aux modeles de predictions (EF). Une calibration est

generalement necessaire pour ajuster les modeles a la realite.

Malheureusement Ie nombre des mesures in situ etant limite (mesures locales par jauges de

deformation), notre connaissance du champ de deformation reel (donc de I’etat descontraintes) est limite…

Drug Repurposing for Rare Metabolic Diseases

Cori Disease and SRD5A3-linked Congenital Disorder of Glycosylation (CDG) are two rare and fatal metabolic disorders for which there are no cures or therapies. Both conditions result in early-onset developmental delays, greatly hinder quality of life, and result in a rapid degeneration of motor functions. Due to their rarity, research into these conditions is lagging and therapeutic strategies focus solely on symptom management. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop and assess new therapeutics for these incurable diseases. Modelis’ mission is to accelerate drug discovery for human genetic diseases and they are investing a large portion of their activities to drug repurposing. The current project will allow us to rapidly identify already-approved drugs for Cori Disease and SRD5A3-CDG using simple worms models of the disease in order to translate them quickly to the clinic

Fusion de SLAM et GPS pour véhicule militaire autonome

L’entreprise Rheinmetall Canada développe un véhicule militaire autonome qui a la faculté de se déplacer dans des environnements jugés dangereux et accidentés, sans l’intervention d’un pilote. Ce véhicule peut accomplir des missions telles que la protection des soldats et le ravitaillement des troupes. Toutefois, son système de navigation interne se base sur deux technologies, la navigation par SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) et par GPS, qui n’interagissent pas convenablement l’une avec l’autre.
Nous proposons dans ce projet de recherche d’intégrer les deux technologies afin d’améliorer les qualités d’estimation de l’environnement du véhicule et du même coup, augmenter ses capacités et améliorer ses performances.
La solution qui sera développée permettra à Rheinmetall Canada d’être plus compétitif sur le marché d’avant-garde des véhicules militaires autonomes.

Development of an artificial intelligence solution for facial and object recognition

With this project, Nuvoola will propose a whole new process of detection, identification and monitoring of people in its entirety from embedded algorithms within an “EDGE” computer system, with a view to performance, and reliability and precision. The innovation lies in the ability of the application to perform a face and body combination while taking into account that the person or object detected will be almost continuously moving and not static.

At the object level, Nuvoola proposes with the same innovation a process of detection, classification of vehicles and identification of trajectories from algorithms integrated into a computer on the “EDGE” distributed network architecture. allows fast calculations of local data. The SIT should first be able to determine the type of vehicle picked up (truck, car, etc.) according to its components (variable factors).

Capturing change: Understanding the physical and psychosocial impacts of adaptive bikes

Biking is a common physical activity enjoyed by children and adults around the world. Children with disabilities may not be able to use a standard bike but can participate using bikes that are customized based on their individual needs. There is some indication that adaptive biking has physical and psychosocial benefits. However, there is a need to examine these benefits using a systematic measurement approach. In this study we will partner with Freedom Concepts Inc. to develop and evaluate an assessment bike and protocol that captures both physical and psychosocial changes with an adaptive biking program. The proposed project will lead to the development of a standardized process to measure the potential benefits of adaptive biking.

Development and optimization of smart paints/coatings for target sensitive anti-microbial activity

Biocides are defined as substances used to control unwanted microorganisms. These substances can be used in paints and coatings to control the growth of microorganisms on different surfaces. However, uncontrolled application of biocides can lead to release of biocides from the painted surface and thus health and safety issues, growth of microorganisms after a short period of time and need for repeated painting of the surface. In this project, TRIMIS INC collaborates with Dr. Drew Higgins from McMaster University to optimize their paint formulations using environmentally friendly biocides such as ….. The biocides will be selected based on the target microorganisms which exist in buildings, animal barns, dairy production and hospitals. The biocides will be incorporated in the paint formulation for controlled release based on environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity and light.