Innovative Projects Realized

Développement d’un outil d’aide à la sensibilisation au handicap via la réalité virtuelle

L’AQLPH (Association Québécoise pour le Loisir des Personnes Handicapées), sensibilise actuellement divers publiques aux difficultés que font face des personnes en situation d’handicap, mais le tout est couteux à faire opérer et exige une équipe sur place. Ce projet de recherche vise à développer une application pouvant opérer à peu de frais et partout sans exiger des experts. Nous préconisons se servir d’outils de réalité virtuelle (RV) pour simuler les difficultés quotidiennes de ces personnes. Notre objectif premier est alors une application qui mettra en fonction des principes de conception universelle impliquant une interface multimodale simulant les obstacles rencontrés. La simulation sera organisée autour de tâches quotidiennes posant des difficultés et permettra à l’utilisateur de modifier le profil d’handicap et le contexte (lieu) en plus de la tâche à accomplir. Cette application sera ainsi extensible éventuellement pour simuler une plus grande gamme de taches et de profils d’handicap.

Evaluating the Quality of Special Olympics Canada’s Active Start and FUNdamentals Programs

The proposed research project aims to better enable positive sport experiences for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities by improving the quality of sports programs offered. In order to accomplish this objective, the study will evaluate the quality of two sport programs – Active Start and FUNdamentals – within the largest intellectual and developmental disability sport organization in Canada, Special Olympics. To provide an extensive program assessment the project will incorporate perspectives from athletes, caregivers, program providers, leaders within the organization and researchers to determine gaps and areas of improvement. Furthermore, this study will not only be beneficial Special Olympics Canada by offering evidence-informed program changes but disability sport organizations in general as it can be used as a tool to guide effective program evaluation and implementation.

The Investigation of a Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic (LTCC) Fabrication Process for the Design of Advanced Millimeter-Wave Components for 5G Communication Technology

The main objective of this project is to design and test millimeter-wave RF front end components for applications in 5G new radio communication systems utilizing the thin-film multilayer LTCC fabrication process developed at ACAMP. With these fabricated and characterized prototypes, ACAMP will be able to showcase its specialized LTCC fabrication process and provide support to potential Canadian technology clients and companies looking to develop technology for the upcoming 5G mobile communications market. The project will provide the intern an opportunity to gain knowledge in the design and testing of millimeter-wave antennas and filters for advanced communication systems, as well as to network and develop contacts through ACAMP’s clients within the 5G mobile communications industry.

Procedural Character Animation for Heavy Equipment Training Simulation

The proposed research project will improve CM Labs’ operator training simulators with animated human characters that interact and respond to the underlying physical simulation. This will relay important dynamical cues to the trainee about the safety and correctness of the procedures. Furthermore, the developed animation controllers will allow objects to be manipulated in a realistic and plausible manner, thus improving the overall quality of the training simulation. This will expand the animation capabilities of their current software toolkit and reduce the dependence on third party software used for the animation of 3D characters.

An optimization model for scheduling the efficient flow of waste material in an underground gold mine

In an underground gold mine, the movement of ore and waste material occurs on a massive scale and short-term excavation activities should be scheduled so that that the right proportions of these materials are moving through the mine in order to meet production targets. In the proposed project, a mathematical optimization model will be formulated and tested on-site, in order to improve the short-term excavation scheduling activities, resulting in the desired balance of ore and waste material flowing through the mine. This model is to be used by GoldCorp managers as a decision support tool in order to ensure that the efficiency of scheduled operations are optimized. The intern funded by this project will be a highly qualified person, capable of making a major contribution to Canada’s international competiveness in the mining industry.

Advancing Adjoint-Based Aerodynamic Design Optimization for Industrial Cases

The primary objective of this collaborative research project is to further advance an established industrial strength framework for the aerodynamic design optimization of Advanced Aerodynamic Systems. A major expense during a three-dimensional aerodynamic shape optimization (ASO) is the cost of obtaining design sensitivities or gradients at each design iteration. The computational cost grows rapidly as the number of cost functions and design variables are added. The aim is to implement new constraints to allow for more realistic design considerations and a mesh adjoint capability to improve the computational cost of the underlying numerical framework. The development of new software tools that will allow BA to explore new paradigms in their aircraft design will enable the Canadian Aerospace industry to aggressively compete in this market segment.

Production of renewable fuels from biomass pyrolysis using a dual spinning-disc reactor

Biomass is a key feedstock for the production of renewable fuels and chemicals with potential zero carbon emissions and at low cost. State of the art conversion of biomass to bio-fuels focuses on the pyrolysis of the feedstock at high temperature in conventional reactors. However, current technologies face many challenges to achieve lower costs than fossil fuels, higher yields, improved energy efficiency and product quality. This project aims to evaluate the production of renewable fuels from biomass using a dual spinning-disc reactor. With this technology, a combination of frictional pyrolysis and vortex mixing/separation offers the possibility to achieve high temperatures, shorter reactor residence and controlled operating conditions resulting in higher yield and selectivity towards the desired products. This project will build from proprietary knowledge of Vorsana Environmental Inc. and will set the grounds for use of novel reactor configurations for production of renewable fuels with higher efficiency and lower costs than conventional technologies.

Development of a Comprehensive HIV Management System

While at the University of Bath, the project that I will be working on focuses on the development of an all-in-one electrochemical Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) management system. The goal of this project is to develop a device that is capable of actively counting Helper T cells in the human body. Since HIV infects and subsequently kills Helper T cells, this device can be used to diagnose HIV. In addition to detecting T cells, we aim to construct the device such that it can simultaneously diagnose other co-infections like tuberculosis and hepatitis that commonly accompany HIV. Finally, we also aim to design the device in such a way that it can monitor kidney function in order to help inform treatment plans for infected individuals. The successful development of a comprehensive HIV management system would provide a low-cost and easily-implementable solution for diagnosing and treating HIV.

Identification des éléments nécessaires à l’instrumentation de l’évaluation de la fidélité de l’implantation du volet primaire (6 à 12 ans) du curriculum Montessori

e curriculum Montessori se démarque par sa longévité et sa large diffusion à l’international. Les études portant sur ses retombées suggèrent des effets positifs en ce qui a trait aux performances scolaires, aux habiletés sociales et au développement de l’autonomie des élèves. Cela dit, la fidélité de l’implantation est l’une des plus importantes limites de ces études; le nom « Montessori » n’étant pas légalement protégé, toute école peut l’adopter, peu importe les pratiques pédagogiques en place. Ce projet de recherche vise donc à identifier les éléments nécessaires au développement d’instruments permettant d’évaluer la fidélité de l’implantation du volet primaire du curriculum Montessori (VPCM). Plus précisément, cette étude vise à :

• identifier les composantes essentielles du VPCM à travers la formation initiale des enseignants offerte par un centre de formation agréé par l’Association Montessori Internationale (France);

• identifier les facteurs modérateurs susceptibles d’affecter le processus d’implantation du VPCM;

• élaborer un modèle logique mettant en relation les composantes essentielles du VPCM et les facteurs modérateurs avec ses objectifs et ses finalités.

Effect of Convective vs. Freeze Drying on the Hemp Bioactive Compounds

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) and its fibres being durable are used in fabrics, sail making and papermaking. Its seed is a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3, 6) and its oil is used for cooking and for medicinal purposes. Cannabis contains cannabinoids, of which, ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) have been identified as the most active and responsible for psychotic and medicinal properties. In hemp, high levels of CBD is accumulated in the female inflorescences.
In order to extract and develop the product, drying is carried out which involves decrease in the moisture content of a material. A lower moisture leads to a decrease in the free water available for microbial activity. Consequently, spoilage micro-organisms are inactivated. Industries are adopting ancient drying methods to dry cannabis which are facing many problems including longer drying periods (5- 6 days), mold contamination and poor quality. Hence, the objective of the project is to reduce the drying time with maximum quality retention to the selected products used. Freeze drying is one of recent developed technology which dries the frozen product by sublimation under vacuum. Freeze drying is operated at low temperatures which reduces the volatile losses producing premium quality product.

Privacy in Machine Learning Systems with Data/Model Sharing via Information Theoretic Analysis

Privacy and Security are key considerations in any machine learning system. The proposed research will develop net methods for preserving privacy when training data and/or model parameters are released in the public domain. We will use methods from information theory to develop quantitative measures for privacy and security in machine learning systems. Using this framework we will study the performance of commonly used machine learning algorithms and develop new methods that enhance privacy and security while providing negligible loss in the accuracy of these systems. The research will be conducted in collaboration with Ericsson Research and will focus on both theoretical and practical topics.

Machining effects on part integrity and life of aircraft materials

Design, manufacturing and maintenance of aerospace products are cornerstones of the
economy and social development of Quebec and Canada. In 2009, more than 78 000 Canadian
jobs were related to the aerospace industry from which 45 % are in Quebec. These high
technology jobs contribute to the quality of life and the economic growth of our province and our
country. To maintain and increase these valued jobs, it is necessary to develop Canadian
technologies and know-how in this field. The goal of this research project is to contribute to the
development of effective and reliable manufacturing methods leading to the weight reduction of
aircraft without compromising their performance. The project will address improvement of
machining processes and of the quality of machined aerospace components, including parts for
gas turbines and landing gears. The research efforts involve a close examination of the manufacturing process and of the mechanical behavior of materials. Two main topics will be
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