Applied Research Types Information & Communications

May 17, 2018

Exploring virtual reality in and out of the classroom

Today’s virtual reality technology has the potential to enhance the student learning experience in a multitude of ways. The Mohawk College research team wanted to find some of the best ways virtual reality and 360-degree camera technology could help media and entertainment students to create visual content, and to learn about other areas where the technology could be applied. To do that, the research team experimented with using new visual technologies to produce three-dimensional, computer-generated environments through virtual reality and explored 360-degree camera technology to learn about techniques for enhancing learning. The team also reviewed editing software for 360 cameras... Read more

May 17, 2018

Building a bridge to change: connecting post-secondary teachers and staff with student diversity

The population of post-secondary students is becoming increasingly diverse. Over time, colleges and universities have seen increasing numbers of students from diverse cultural, ethnic, and first-language groups (including Indigenous students). But other types of differences are also becoming more common, like cognitive and neuro diversity in students with autism, Asperger’s and ADHD. Institutions are also more aware of gender diversity, both among different gender identities and also through recognition some gender groups are underrepresented, such as women in engineering and computing. This project hinges on the fundamental notion that educators welcome diversity and embrace the increasing diversity of student population... Read more

May 16, 2018

Bridging the gap between parking management and technology

Drivers with smart cars and smart phones are looking for smarter parking spots, and Precise ParkLink is working to meet that demand. Precise ParkLink is a North York, Ontario-based company involved in all aspects of the parking business, from building parking lots to providing equipment and attendants for them, to managing the revenue they generate. Having recognized that as the public becomes more tech savvy and dependant on its mobile phones, its expectation for a different way to pay for parking would grow, Precise ParkLink developed a web-based portal called i PASS, designed to streamline the process. Precise ParkLink then... Read more

May 16, 2018

Asset and Inventory Management System

Keeping track of the conditions of the thousands of poles, holes, signs and lights that line the streets of cities and towns — keeping track of the streets themselves — is a huge job. Traditionally, municipalities have left the task of keeping track of the state of road conditions and infrastructure to staff (sometimes driving around for other reasons), or random checks and public complaints. It’s a haphazard approach that may or may not get the job done, and North-Line Canada Ltd., recognized an opportunity to create an inventory-management system that could be installed in any vehicle and tailored to... Read more

May 16, 2018

A mobile platform to keep patients safely in one place — home

When something goes wrong and patients have to return to hospital for the same problem in the month after they’ve been discharged, it takes a toll both on the individual and the health system. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, hospital readmissions cost the healthcare system as much as $1.8 billion per year. It’s estimated, however, that almost 60 per cent of those readmissions could be avoided if those who were most likely to have to return to hospital could be identified and given better care before and after discharge. Older people, those with multiple health problems, those... Read more

May 16, 2018

Tracking the Wanderers

People with autism or dementia tend to wander, which puts them at risk — so knowing their whereabouts are being tracked 24/7 can give their caregivers peace of mind and help ensure the wandering one’s safety. That’s why Strategic Smart Inc. developed WeTraq. Unlike other tracking tools that use Bluetooth or GPS, WeTraq is an “internet of things” device. That’s the phrase used to describe objects, from cars to heart monitors, which have embedded software and sensors capable of collecting data and sharing it. WeTraq is a credit-card-sized device that works by connecting wirelessly to smart phones via its mobile... Read more

May 16, 2018

Refining brewing at Refined Fool Brewery

The idea of students getting immersed in beer doesn’t exactly go hand in hand with words like “efficiency” and “productivity,” — but they did when a group from Lambton College worked with Refined Fool Brewing Company, a micro-brewery in the heart of downtown Sarnia. Refined Fool approached Lambton College for help in minimizing the space and labour their brewing process required, while increasing energy savings, efficiency and productivity. The first part of the project allowed the brewers to monitor the brewing process off site using smart devices. The second part automated keg washing, which was previously done by hand. Faculty... Read more

May 16, 2018

Where is the wearable? Improving mine safety

Knowing where workers are is essential for keeping them safe in high-risk environments, such as mines. It is not an easy task: GPS systems rely on satellites, which don't work underground. It’s an issue that’s central to the work of Vandrico, a Vancouver-based company focused on developing technology to improve information flow in mines — with a particular focus, since 2013, on wearable technology, to help employers keep track of where their workers are. Vandrico approached Langara College’s Computing Science and Information Systems program with a challenge: to adapt an industrial Wi-Fi network and off-the-shelf wearable technology to keep track... Read more

May 16, 2018

A voyage to the bottom of the sea — by sonar

Understanding the ocean, its creatures and possibilities requires understanding where it ends: the ocean floor. But mapping that remote territory is by no means easy. A team from Nova Scotia Community College recently worked with industry partners to evaluate a new approach to imaging the bottom of the sea. The partners were evaluating R2Sonic multibeam echosounders, an improved method of sonar backscatter imaging that greatly increases the information returned by sonar surveys of the ocean floor. Types of data that can be derived from a multibeam echosounder survey include water depth, which can be used to show the elevation of... Read more

May 16, 2018

3D Asset Modification – Animated Character Brought to Life

Humber worked with Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) to create models, animations, and environments that demonstrate AMD’s proprietary technology. Working with AMD, a team of 3D Animation, Art and Design students not only refined a character model, “Rat Boy,” the company had created, but also created an entire subway environment to display the character, and animated the character in order to show off AMD’s TressFX technology, which gives realistic hair and fur movement to video game characters. Working to a tight deadline, the team of students from the 3D Animation, Art and Design program delivered work that was of higher... Read more