Innovative Projects Realized

State-of-the-art Battery Cycle Life Extension

The ever-growing demand for energy storage, especially with high density and low-cost, has both academia and industry research communities working hard to develop and optimize energy storage technologies. Among the top energy storage technologies are Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) which have an exceptionally high specific capacity (3860 mA h g?1) in comparison to that of the conventional graphite-based LiC6 batteries (372 mA h g?1). In spite of these advantages, uncontrollable dendritic Li growth and limited coulombic efficiency during the charging process hinders the practical applications of LMBs. In response to this challenge, a myriad of engineering strategies have been developed to ensure the largest usable capacity, longest cycle-life and dendrite-free systems. Pulse charging has a great potential for inhibiting dendrite growth, thereby increases the likelihood for the development of practical LMBs. Gbatteries wishes to gain insight on state-of-the-art battery operational dynamics and degradation mechanisms. Therefore, during the proposed project, the Post-doc will research the optimum charging profiles that mitigate dendrite growth and extend the battery’s cycle life. Additionally, they will develop and customize an electrolytic cell that will allow operando dendrite growth observations during cycling to have real-time feedback without having to disassemble the cell.

Long-Term efficiency of horizontal closed-loop geothermal systems for seasonal freeze-back stabilization of permafrost

Wastewater treatment lagoons are practical and cost-effective systems for smaller towns across Canada to prevent wastewater seepage into the environment. Essentially all structures over permafrost that disrupt the natural winter temperatures contacting the ground surface initiates permafrost thawing over the long-term and this includes lagoons.KGS Group has been developing the concept of using conventional closed-loop geothermal systems within the sediments below the base of lagoon to allow a refrigerated solution to be circulated to freeze the soil below the lagoon. A wastewater treatment lagoon system was designed and monitored by KGS Group in northern Yukon.
This research aims to evaluate the long-term efficiency of the horizontal closed-loop geothermal freeze-back concept proposed by KGS Group. For this purpose, a 3D finite element simulation will be developed to simulate different involved physics including 1) the porous media and its physical characteristics such as dimensions and porosity; 2) heat transfer problem in porous media; 3) pore water phase change to model thawing permafrost and seasonal freezing and thawing at the ground surface; 4) fluid flow through the porous media; and 5) pipe flow and heat exchange through its walls.

Multi-chip Integration of Lasers and Silicon Photonics

In the era of big data, internet of things and cloud computing, the ever-increasing demand for bandwidth density causes a bottleneck in inter and intra-datacenter communication systems. Optical integrated circuits based on the silicon-on-insulator platform is a well-known solution to overcome the bottleneck in data rate transmission. It is an interesting platform as it can be fabricated through existing CMOS technologies and the high index-contrast between core and cladding helps realize compact, and low loss structures. However, in silicon alone, the realization of on-chip, reliable, laser sources are not yet possible. By using various packaging hybrid methods, we integrate lasers made with other materials onto silicon photonics to realize on-chip light sources. We then characterize these chips in terms of coupling-loss and reliability. The company will benefit from the diversification of capability for laser-SiP attach and coupling.

Synthetic Aperture Sonar as a tool for fine-scale geological characterization

Climate-induced changes to the range and distribution patterns of benthic habitats are predicted to occur in many parts of the world’s oceans. Our ability to survey the seafloor at the resolution and spatial scale necessary to identify habitats and habitat changes is a major technical challenge that requires development and application of new mapping technologies that can produce higher resolution data, faster than before, and at lower overall costs. Using SAS survey data collected in the North Atlantic, we will develop and evaluate SAS as an effective tool for ocean floor mapping, habitat classification and environmental monitoring, including development of survey strategies and data processing workflow to optimize survey coverage area and resolution.

Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Drive Motor Thermal Performance

This research project is related to the development of innovative solutions to enhance thermal performance of self-contained DM systems. The project will be carried out in collaboration with Van der Graaf Inc. (VDG), which is a Canadian company located in Brampton, Ontario. A long-term plan has been developed by the applicant and the industrial partner. The main objective is to help VDG produce DM systems with superior thermal performance capability and equipped with in situ sensors providing the user with live data about the overall thermal performance of the system. Undoubtedly, this technology has the potential to be a disruptive innovation for the drive motor industry, which would put VDG ahead of their international competition. The first phase of this long-term plan is the research proposed in this application which focuses on understanding and modeling thermal performance of DM systems.

A Novel Bone Anabolic Treatment in Mouse Models of Pediatric Bone Fragility Disorders

Children that break their bones repeatedly often have genetic conditions that either affect bones directly or indirectly. The drugs that are currently used to decrease the number of fractures in children are only partially effective. Mesentech Inc. has developed a new drug that has shown a strong effect on bone formation in rats. In this project, we will test the effect of this drug in mouse models of a condition that affects bone directly (osteogenesis imperfecta) and a condition that affects bone indirectly (Duchenne Musclar Dystrophy). We will assess the effect of this drug, both alone and in combination with other drugs, in growing mice. We expect that the new drug will make the bones of growing mice stronger. This will open new treatment approaches for children with disorders leading to frequent bone fractures.

Collaborative Robot for Vertebral Fusion with a Quality of Fusion Estimation Model

Spinal fixation, the process by which a broken spine is mended, or a deformed spine corrected, can involve the placement of tens of pedicle screws during lengthy surgical operations. With an ageing population the overall demand for these procedures is increasing. Surgeon fatigue is an issue in these procedures and has demonstrated decreased performance. Our focus will be on the researching and developing an automatic surgical system for the purposes of spine screw insertion. By having a robotic system which performs the most work intensive tasks, the surgical workload can be shared thereby relieving surgeon fatigue and all complications associated with it. e

Fall and Head Impact Acceleration Monitoring of Short Track Speed Skaters

Short track speed skating is a fast-paced sport where athletes routinely reach speed above 50 km/h. It is one of the leading Canadian sports for medal count at the Olympic games. Unfortunately, given the fast-paced and pack-style skating, athletes often fall on the ice, which may lead to concussion. There is no clear data on the incidence of falls in short track speed skating, nor is there a clear understanding of the mechanism of head impact.

Therefore, this project will track the incidence of falls and measure head impacts that may lead to concussion using ‘smart’ mouth guards. These mouth guards have sensors that can quantify the force, location, direction, and number of impacts an athlete sustains during practice or in competition. In addition to using mouth guards to further understand head impacts, we will perform comprehensive concussion assessments to correlate head impacts to the incidence of concussion. This project will be highly beneficial to INS Québec and the Olympic Canadian short track speed skating team as it will help coaches and medical staff better understand how their athletes get concussions. This project will also help inform guidelines for the future development of helmets to keep athletes safe and healthy.

Adventure Tourism in the TOTA Region: A COVID-19 Recovery Strategy

Adventure tourism is an important industry to the strategic development of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Region in the BC Interior. Many communities are transitioning from resource extraction industries to adventure tourism. Adventure tourism is often chosen due to its ability to provide socio-cultural, environmental and economic benefits. This research will explore how resilient tourism development strategies are supporting small to medium sized adventure tourism operators in the Thompson Okanagan and their ability to sustain rural and Indigenous livelihoods. This research will use participatory action research, with in-depth, semi-structured interviews to create an inventory of vulnerabilities from key tourism stakeholders in order to determine a robust recovery strategy from the COVID-19 pandemic that adventure tourism operators can use to enhance resiliency. In addition, this research will assist Symphony Tourism Services in their plan to supporting small to medium sized tourism operators, business development agencies, and tourism marketing organizations, in order to determine how vulnerable the adventure tourism industry is in the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Region.

Similarity detection on female pelvic anatomy imaging data usingMachine Learning methods and develop a first version of a measuringdevice prototype

Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) is a condition 1 in every 10 women is diagnosed with. The current non-surgical treatment for POP is an intravaginal device called pessary which has a 40% failure rate as its shape is not fitted to the female anatomy. Poor pessary design and performance arises from the limited data that is studied on the pelvic anatomy. The current research project will study available imaging data using Machine Learning algorithms to facilitate and automate the process for assessing and treating POP. The obtained outcome will be used to design a pessary that can be customized for each patient. This information will be incorporated in the POP assessments that FemTherapeutics perform in a clinical setting for an improved prolapse treatment .

Development of a Smart Wearable Yoga Device for Activity Monitoring

The proposed project will establish a wearable yoga device consisting of various sensors and I/O devices and how they can be integrated to build a prototype device for demonstration purposes. Through utilizing embedded systems, sensory data from sensors, one can obtain relevant information about posture and breathing patterns in real-time or use the data for further analysis. The large number of generated data will be used to create mathematical signatures that can be used for a variety of applications such as detecting anomalies in the posture or breathing patterns and help the user rectify them via indicators such as vibrations or on the user interface.

GaN Modelling for the EV Application

The use of new technologies, such as Gallium Nitride electronic switches, allows very efficient and compact power converters to be manufactured at reasonable cost. This is particularly interesting in applications such as electric vehicles. This project focuses on developing software simulation models and techniques for deploying these latest high voltage switches, in particular focussing on how they may best be controlled. The next step will be to design complete power control modules for specific applications.