Innovative Projects Realized

Mettre en oeuvre l’économie circulaire dans la filière laitière : la biométhanisation du lactosérum

Cette recherche consistera en un mandat de recherche commerciale effectuée pour la compagnie Dominion & Grimm qui contribuera au développement et à la commercialisation d’une technologie développée pour valoriser un extrant laitier sous la forme d’énergie renouvelable. Ce récent développement technologique présente un fort potentiel de commercialisation et un développement d’affaires intéressant pour l’entreprise partenaire. Cette intervention du stagiaire auprès de l’entreprise partenaire lui permettra de réaliser une série d’entretiens à Saint-Hyacinthe, qui soutiendront la rédaction d’un mémoire portant sur la réflexion et aux recherches sur la mise en oeuvre de l’Économie circulaire à partir de l’angle de la gestion.

Real-Time Operating System for Safety Critical Systems

Mannarino Systems & Software Inc. is currently developing M-RTOS, which is a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS), designed specifically to meet the requirements of the aeronautical industry’s ARINC 653 Avionics Application Software Standard Interface specification, and supporting a wide range of avionic systems. Throughout this phase of the project, the Concordia partner will provide a synthesis document covering: (i) The existing standards and guidance currently governing the aerospace industry, (ii) An evaluation of future threads and trends regarding cyber security in the aerospace industry, and (iii) A catalog of the different threats scenario and mitigation measures commonly identified and discussed in the aerospace industry. TO BE CONT’D

Mobile Analytics Interface for an Ocean Vessel Profiling Device

The goal of this project is to design and implement a mobile “dashboard” interface for an ocean vessel profiling device that captures speed, location, torque, and other data relevant to ship powering measurement and prediction. The interface will provide real-time visualizations that a pilot, engineer, or scientist can use to monitor the impact of ship maneuvers, conditions, etc. on performance. In addition, anomalous measurements or pronounced shifts in measurements will trigger prompts for annotations on the tablet, to aid further analysis and classification of events impacting powering performance.

A reinforcement learning approach to establishing a Q&A symptom checker to evolve the performance of the visual diagnosis system for dermatological diseases

The partner is creating artificial intelligence which can help diagnose over 1,300 skin conditions with dermatologist-level accuracy. They are focused on building the functionality that is to be deployed through their app and web-interface that makes it possible to snap a photo, ask questions, and get an instant diagnosis. The partner is very focused on the project given its critical need as part of the overall system/solution. The main objective of the project is to enhance and finalize Triage’s diagnostic system to the point where it is ready to be launched. Their current technology can perform a visual examination of a patient’s skin, with the existing capability limited by the inability to incorporate other context (e.g. symptom data, patient history) from the user for higher accuracy. TO BE CONT’D

Predation on Chinook Salmon Smolts by Great Blue Herons

Predation on smolts as they out-migrate down natal rivers may significantly contribute to the decline and lack of recovery of Chinook salmon in British Columbia. A prior study of mortality of Chinook smolts released by the Cowichan Hatchery suggests only a small portion of the fish reached the ocean due to predation by raccoons, river otters, mergansers and trout. The goal of this study is to analyze the data collected from Chinook smolts equipped with PIT-tags in 2016 and 2017 to estimate mortality rates (from antennae arrays that recorded movements of marked fish, and scans of predator latrines for PIT-tags), and determine sources of predation (from camera-traps and antennae arrays where animals passed; as well as from tags recovered in scats). These data are needed to confirm the apparent high rates of mortality, and provide better information about who the predators are and where and when predation is occurring.

Numerical Prediction of Mode Splitting on Rotating Disks

This project aims to develop a numerical tool for predicting accurately resonance frequencies of high-heads hydraulic turbines. Both the presence of water and the rotation of the disk-like structure induce shifts in these frequencies compared to a standing disk in air, respectively added mass and mode split. The project is articulated around the following steps: 1) understanding the physical phenomenon causing mode split, 2) developing the numerical tool for natural frequency prediction of a disk, 3) comparing model results with experimental data (communicated by Andritz Hydro) and 4) if time permits, adapt the model to real turbine geometry.
The developed tool will enable the prevention of resonance induced fatigue, which may cause turbines to fail prematurely. TO BE CONT’D

Translational Research in Visual Analytics for Personalized Health

Personalized health is increasingly gaining public attention in the media as the future of healthcare. Personalized health is the idea that medical treatment will be tailored to the individual based on their predicted response or risks of disease. Omics analysis, defined as the universal detection of different classes of biological molecules, has the potential to direct personalized health delivery and enhance lifestyle changes, such as changes in diet and exercise habits, that may prevent disease development. We will use data mining to gather and link lifestyle changes with appropriate changes in biological molecules and enhance our interactive platform to dynamically display this information. We will use visual analytics strategies to convey complex biologically data and analyze how physicians interpret this data to enhance decision-making in their consultations. TO BE CONT’D

Optimization of CT Coronary Angiography for Vessel and Plaque Analysis

The aim of this grant proposal is to address the challenges with current CT Coronary Angiography (CTCA)

utilizat ion with a comprehensive series of interrelated but well-defined research themes. This non-invasive

technique has facilitated in the detection of significant coronary artery disease and vulnerable plaque. However,

the quality is limited to the physicality of the patients in particular to the population who are at the greatest risk of

coronary arterial diseases (CAD). Each student will undertake research projects thai will resolve several

important limitations in the use of current CT technology for accurate evaluation of coronary patency and plaque

characterization. These include 1) In-plane Temporal Resolution, 2) Spatial Resolution, 3) Contrast Resolution,

4) Radiation Dose, and 5) Post-Processing Vessel and Plaque Analysis Tools.

Accelerate development of new technologies and applications for advanced water treatment

Global population growth, urbanization and changing climate patterns have increased the demand for potable water, wastewater reuse and value recovery from wastewater, and treatment of industrial process water. Population growth also results in increased demand for the shipping of goods by ocean freight, with the associated risk of the transport of unwanted marine life from one location to another by the discharge of ballast water. Also, the increasing sophistication of food and drug production requires a corresponding development of fluid protection technologies to prevent contamination by undesirable microbes. Consequently, there is increased demand for improved technologies that can provide sustainable treatment of water and wastewaters, protection of the water supply, and development of new fluid treatment methods. This research project will develop knowledge and technologies to allow the development of new Trojan Technologies products in these three areas. Treatment technologies to harvest energy from wastewater, treat ballast water with ultraviolet light and filtration to treat invasive species, and remove harmful bacteria from liquid foods and drug fluids, are examples of proposed outcomes of this project.

Using machine learning to investigate sympathetic activation of the autonomic nervous system during treatment of mild traumatic brain injury, chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder

The goal of the proposed research project is to further our understanding and clinical management of Canadian Forces service members and Veterans suffering from a complex medical triad of traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Over half of rehabilitation patients experience one or more of these complex medical conditions, often associated with intractable symptoms which do not respond to traditional treatment options, and impairing their ability to function effectively at work and in the community. Using a Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN) this research will collect and consolidate a series of non-invasive whole-body biological measurements from patients during immersive therapy sessions in the CAREN Virtual Reality facility. High-performance computing and machine learning will be used to develop and deploy real-time estimators of sympathetic neural activation of the autonomic nervous system (SAANS). TO BE CONT’D

Non-Contact Laser-Based Vibration Sensor

The discipline of Vibrometery is wide and has many applications, vibrations are present in any mechanical system that involves moving components. So far, the main method to measure these vibrations has been the traditional accelerometer sensor, although it has its limitations and challenges.
Laser Doppler Vibrometers (LDV) were developed in order to address some of these limitations and they offer a non-contact measurement of vibrations by leveraging the Doppler shift effect. Although LDV offers superior accuracy and the benefits of non-contact measurement, this technology has been historically very expensive and not practical for rugged industrial applications.
In this project, we propose to develop an alternative sensor to LDV by utilizing the propriety technology developed by the partner company in the field of RF/photonics. The idea is to design a sensor without the expensive opto-mechanical assembly that is required by LDV. This will enable the industrial partners to commercialize this technology and develop a series of product lines for the global Vibrometery market.

Magnetorheological Fluid Actuators for various industries

Exonetik designs, develops and manufactures magnetorheological (MR) actuator systems that enable novel functionalities to satisfy unmet customer needs. In collaboration with Exonetik engineers, interns will participate in the design, development and testing of customized magnetorheological actuators for three specific applications in the automotive, manufacturing and health sectors. The expected results of these subprojects will be prototypes that will be tested to demonstrate the added value that the technology can provide.