Innovative Projects Realized

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.

Catalyst Development for Clean Hydrogen Production

The proposed research project looks at the hydrogen economy, where hydrogen can be used in place of
fossil fuels for the worlds’ energy needs. Although touted as a sustainable option for global energy
demand, the vast majority of hydrogen continues to be produced by industrial, fossil fuel-based
processes such as steam reforming of natural gas. Our research aims to lower costs of hydrogen
production in hopes to adopt wide-spread use and eliminate the need to rely on fossil fuels. Our partner
organization, FireWater Fuel Corp. will benefit from accelerated research capabilities from our team,
while decreasing the timeline in which to commercialize low cost, efficient and clean hydrogen-based
energy production and storage technologies.

Research and Implementation of Haptics Device Integration With a DynamicsSimulation Engine and Applications to Milling and Drilling Force Feedback (second stage)

Virtual environments represented by multibody system models play an important role in many
applications. Adding the possibility of the user directly interacting with such environments via
physical touch using haptics can significantly enhance the usability and range of application
of simulated environments. In this project we particularly target two main objectives: (1) the
multirate-simulation and haptics challenge to incorporate realistic kinesthetic force feedback
in multibody dynamics simulation of geometrically complex mechanical systems, and (2)
application to milling and drilling bone in spinal surgery simulation. The partner organization,
CMLabs will greatly benefit from this project. The proposed work is of direct relevance to their
current work, and will also open up possibilities to broaden the applications of CMLabs’
software platform Vortex. This current proposal represents the second stage of the internship.

R&D of Cannabis extraction and purification technologies

The intern will work with the company PBE Expert on the field; she will gain technical experience on the cannabis industry. Specifically, she will research and work on cannabis extraction and purification techniques. She will research problems and issues faced by cannabis producers in regards to the extraction and purification techniques. In the lab, she will focus on developing new or improved technologies.
The partner organisation will supervise the intern. The intern will work on projects with the partner organisation and be in charge of several aspects of these projects, like arranging meetings with clients, creating layouts on AutoCAD, providing cGMP compliance services…

Effets biologiques de synergies d’extraits naturels sur l’anxiété et certaines conditions inflammatoires en relation avec l’axe microbiome-endocannabinoïdome

Mon projet de maîtrise vise à développer des produits de santé naturels à base d’extraits naturels, non issus du cannabis, qui ont des effets bénéfiques sur la santé, plus précisément de prévenir l’inflammation et l’anxiété. Plus spécifiquement, il a pour but de démontrer que la modulation du système endocannabinoïdome par certains extraits naturels entraîne des effets positifs sur la santé. L’objectif final est de concevoir des suppléments alimentaires vendus sous forme de capsules.

Un des composés étudiés est riche en ADP, un omega-3 qui est rare. En effet, la teneur en ADP est faible dans les huiles de poissons classiques retrouvées sur le marché. L’étude de l’ADP est donc novatrice et le projet permettra de mieux comprendre l’impact de cet oméga-3 sur la santé humaine et plus spécifiquement sur le système endocannabinoïde.

Robust Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Short T2 Tissues – Part 2

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an imagig modality which can visualize the internal structure of the human body and is free of radiation. In this project, we would like to write a multi-functional and robust MRI software package using ultrashort echo time (UTE) technique to realize the imaging of the tissues, such as tendons, ligaments and cotrical bone, which are difficult to view through conventional MRI techniques. This project will contribute a reliable imaging tool to our partner, Siemens Healthcare Canada, to further transform this tool into a medical solution which is able to aid the diagnosis of the associated diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA).

Validation of a Computer Vision-Based Basketball Training Application

The proposed research project aims to advance the development of a novel basketball training application catered to youth basketball players. The prototype application designed by Pipeline Studios Ltd. uses machine learning to record and track youth basketball performance in a fun and entertaining atmosphere. The research project is designed to pair experts in human movement and mobile technologies with experts in computer science and youth content (Pipeline Studios Ltd.) to expand the development of this innovative system. Specifically, this project will examine the current validity of the prototype application and support the development of new performance metrics through the collection of gold-standard high-speed camera and wearable sensor data during shooting drills for youth and young adult basketball players. In doing so, this research collaboration will be foundational in both evaluating and improving the performance of the prototype application which is poised to support the development of youth basketball in Canada.