Innovative Projects Realized

L2M – Intelligent Bearing Prognostics and Health Monitoring System

Bearings play a critical role as fundamental mechanical components in rotating systems. Any imperfections, such as inadequate lubrication, can gradually result in failure. Industry reports indicate that 40-70% of failures in rotary systems are attributed to bearing failure. The sudden occurrence of such failures poses significant challenges for industries, resulting in decreased profitability, and various business-related issues. Our innovative product is an Intelligent Bearing Prognostics and Health Monitoring System, designed to revolutionize industrial maintenance through a comprehensive suite of advanced technologies. This solution integrates innovative sensor technology, AI-driven algorithms, intuitive software, and a portable monitoring device to deliver real-time, high-quality data collection, fault detection, severity assessment, and remaining useful life (RUL) prediction for bearings. By addressing key challenges such as unplanned downtime, high maintenance costs, and the limitations of traditional monitoring solutions, our system ensures optimal reliability and efficiency in industrial operations.

L2M – Development of a data-driven coaching and rehabilitation app for running based athletes

Lab2Market is a program designed to help graduate students with the innovation and entrepreneurial skills required to develop their research projects into start-ups. This project aims to develop a minimum viable product and develop a business/product roadmap for a single camera markerless motion capture system designed to accurately track human movement’s during a variety of functional movements and athletic tasks.

Business intern working within cross-functional teams to develop and commercialize AI-powered solutions in the Public Services sector (2)

The project comprises internships in a variety of technical and business roles within our organization and within our GovLab program. Within the organization, roles include associate machine learning developer, business development associate, communications associate and finance associate. Within GovLab specifically, roles include associate machine learning developer, associate business solutions consultant, and project delivery associate. The difference is mainly that in GovLab, there is a focus on public sector problems, whereas in AltaML overall, we work across sectors.
The intern listed on this particular application will be working alongside the Workers Compensation Board (WCB) team to further develop our “Secondary Psychological Injury (SPI)” project using Machine Learning. The primary focus of the SPI Project for Edem will allow him to learn from an already deployed machine learning model and retroactively seek performance improvements by interacting with end users and seeking out the vital upgrades that are needed to this model. WCB has been seeking better ways to capture Return on Value and this will be an important model to continue testing the value framework that has been co-developed between AltaML and WCB. Additionally, an objective of this project is to ensure that full adoption and change management has been accomplished. This means that the sub-objective of gathering requirements will be predominant as the model currently does not fill the current process flow requirements.

L2M – Development of a novel cell culture incubator for optimized oxygen control

Cell culture is a critical tool for drug discover and cancer research, allowing scientists to study cells in a controlled environment before testing in animals and humans. However, a major flaw in traditional cell culture is that oxygen levels do not accurately replicate those found in the body. Cells in culture are typically exposed to oxygen levels up to 10 times higher than they would experience in some organs; this is particularly concerning for cancer cell culture as tumours are typically exposed to extremely low oxygen levels. These very high levels can lead to misleading experimental results.
To address this, some cell culturists use incubators that regulate oxygen in the air surrounding the cells. However, this method overlooks the oxygen that cells consume to stay alive. Cells are surrounded by a nutrient rich liquid medium that gets depleted of oxygen faster than it can be replenished from the air. This depletion varies widely depending on a number of factors, reducing the reliability of research findings.
Our novel incubator solves this problem by directly measuring and adjusting oxygen levels in the culture medium, rather than the air. It continuously adapts as cells grow and die to ensure stable oxygen levels intended for an experiment. By making cell culture more relevant to human systems, our technology has the potential to accelerate the discovery of effective therapies and pharmaceuticals and limit waste of resources by increasing the likelihood of promising treatments succeeding in later phases of testing.

Production et caractérisation des biochars issus des résidus agricoles et forestiers en Côte d’Ivoire et au Canada

La Côte d’Ivoire et le Canada sont des pays agricoles et forestiers. Les résidus agricoles et forestiers sont générés sur toutes leurs chaines de production et de transformation. La gestion de ces résidus constitue en enjeu environnemental et économique majeur dans les deux pays. Dans ce contexte, ce projet vise à valoriser les résidus agricoles et forestiers en Côte d’Ivoire et au Canada par la production et la caractérisation de biochars. Le biochar est un matériau riche en carbone issu de la pyrolyse de biomasses et présentant un fort potentiel en agriculture et en assainissement de l’environnement. Le projet se basera sur l’optimisation des procédés de pyrolyse par la Méthodologie de Surface de Réponse, suivie d’analyses des propriétés physiques et chimiques des biochars (SEM-EDX, CHNS, DRX, BET, etc.) pour évaluer leurs performances. La valorisation des résidus sous-exploités en amendement pour restaurer la fertilité des sols contribuera à l’optimisation des ressources forestières et au développement de stratégies de carboneutralité au Canada. Par ailleurs, le projet favorisera le transfert de connaissances et de technologies entre l’UQAT et l’INP-HB et renforcera la recherche scientifique.

Techno-Economic Analysis of Graphene Oxide Nanostructures for CO2 Capture and Storage in Depleted Gas Reservoirs

This research proposes a comprehensive techno-economic assessment of an innovative graphene oxide-based technology for CO2 capture, developed by the Computed Tomography Research Group (GIT) at the Industrial University of Santander (UIS). The study aims to evaluate the feasibility and impact of this technology through a comparative analysis between Colombia and Canada, focusing on its efficiency, scalability, and economic viability. Key activities include developing a computational tool for techno-economic analysis, estimating implementation costs at a pilot scale, comparing the technology with existing solutions, and identifying regulatory, infrastructure, and resource-related factors influencing its feasibility. The outcomes will provide actionable recommendations for optimizing and scaling the technology, contributing to sustainable CO2 capture and storage efforts and fostering international collaboration between Colombia and Canada.

Transport coopératif d’objets par deux robots humanoïdes dansun environnement encombré

Le projet porte sur le développement des algorithmes permettant de transporter d’une façon stable, par deux robots humanoïdes Nao, une table miniature dans un environnement encombré. Plusieurs étapes sont nécessaires pour arriver à ce résultat. En premier lieu, il est essentiel de compenser les perturbations causées par les oscillations latérales dues à la marche bipède. Puis, une planification de trajectoire de marche doit être effectuée afin de faire naviguer les robots dans l’environnement encombré. Finalement, l’environnement est géré dynamiquement à l’aide d’un système de capture de mouvement. Une carte est créée et mise à jour en temps réel à partir des données du système (robots et système de capture de mouvement) afin de s’assurer d’un bon suivi des trajectoires planifiées tout en évitant les obstacles. Les expérimentations seront menées, dans un premier temps, en simulation ensuite seront
réalisées en temps réel sur deux robots humanoïdes Nao.

Influence Of Physical Fitness, Physical Activity And Sedentary Behavior On Health-Related Quality Of Life And Symptoms During Pregnancy.

This project aims to study physical activity, sedentary behavior, and physical fitness in 600 pregnant women across all three trimesters to better understand their impact on maternal and fetal health. While regular physical activity during pregnancy is known to reduce the risk of complications such as depression, gestational diabetes, and high blood pressure, many women remain inactive due to physical discomfort and uncertainty about safe exercise levels. Using advanced tracking methods (Actigraph), this study will assess daily movement patterns and fitness levels to identify key barriers and benefits. The findings will help create evidence-based guidelines and exercise programs that improve pregnancy health outcomes, enhance quality of life, and provide valuable insights for healthcare providers and policymakers.

Building Transformative Black Entrepreneurship Capacity Alliance (BT-BEC) Program

After the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada have focused on entrepreneurship to create jobs and stimulate growth across its various regions but is yet to bring many underrepresented groups into this vision. Black Canadians, among others, face unique and significant barriers to entrepreneurship, especially with handling finances. They already suffer many socio-economic disadvantages tied to racism. The newcomers from Africa who are more familiar with financial transactions in cash, have a harder time dealing with the credit-based financial system of Western nations like Canada. Black organizations, like the Africa Centre, seek to develop and support Black entrepreneurs as one way to reduce poverty but do not have enough data and skill to do so. To generate data and build skills, we will partner with the Africa Centre to: 1) asses current knowledge and collect data from previous relevant organizations and professional expertise; 2) develop a culturally sensitive program with a wide range of support that will empower organizations who have taken on the task of equipping Black communities with the relevant financial skill sets and tools to manage personal and family finances and benefit from Canada’s entrepreneurial opportunities.

Caractérisation des déformations hétérogènes en compression : Analyse des simulations numériques

L’objectif du stage de recherche proposé est de poursuivre un travail de thèse portant sur la caractérisation des déformations d’un matériau testé en compression. Pour exploiter des essais de compression et en déduite les propriétés mécaniques d’un matériau, l’hypothèse de la déformation homogène du matériau est faite. Or, la déformation est hétérogène à cause de la friction entre l’échantillon et les mors. Les résultats expérimentaux ne valident donc pas cette hypothèse, ce qui a conduit à la nécessité de développer un modèle alternatif.

Le doctorant ayant précédemment travaillé sur ce sujet a réalisé une étude par éléments finis, et les simulations numériques ont été programmées adéquatement à la fin de sa thèse.
Ainsi, ma mission ne concernera pas la programmation de ces simulations, mais plutôt leur exécution et l’analyse approfondie des données obtenues. Mon rôle consistera à interpréter ces résultats afin de déterminer les paramètres matériaux utilisés dans le modèle numérique à partir des données force / déplacement obtenues par la simulation numérique en utilisant des méthodes inverses. Le but est de mieux comprendre les mécanismes de déformation d’un matériau soumis à une contrainte de compression.

L2M- EnergyIntelligence

This project focuses on developing an AI-powered remote energy assessment platform that makes home energy audits more accessible, affordable, and efficient. By leveraging satellite imagery, smart meter data, and AI-driven models, the platform will provide homeowners with personalized energy efficiency recommendations and automatic rebate matching. The partner organization, Springboard Atlantic Inc., will benefit by supporting the commercialization of an innovative clean technology solution, fostering industry partnerships, and contributing to Canada’s sustainability goals by making energy efficiency upgrades easier and more widely adopted.

L2M: Business Strategy for ECM-Plate—A Next-Generation 3D Tissue Model for Lung Fibrosis

This proposal focuses on developing a detailed commercialization strategy for a next-generation 3D tissue culture technology aimed at addressing key challenges in lung disease research. While advanced 3D culture methods can more accurately represent human physiology than traditional approaches, many of these systems remain expensive, complicated, or heavily reliant on specialized infrastructure. By contrast, our platform is designed to be a user-friendly, shelf-stable system that can be readily integrated into standard lab workflows, replicating relevant lung microenvironments for drug testing and tissue modeling. During this work, we will conduct market segmentation and competitive analysis, ensuring the product’s unique advantages—ease of use, mechanical tunability, and compatibility with standard plates—are aligned with real-world demands. The intern will also refine manufacturing workflows, quality-control checkpoints, and a financial model to guide pricing, budgeting, and potential revenue streams. This thorough planning will enable a structured product launch that attracts pilot customers and interested industry partners. Broader impacts of this proposal include reducing the need for animal testing, which is ethically and logistically burdensome, and enhancing Canada’s capacity in biomedical innovation. By outlining a clear route to commercialization, the project may foster specialized job opportunities in biotech and attract further investments in advanced cell culture technologies.