November 29, 2017 – A build-it-yourself robot kit, a revolutionary pressure cooker and a first-of-its-kind universal hex key are just a few of the items — all designed by U of T Engineering alumni and students — that we feel should be on everyone’s holiday shopping list. Here are two from MIE that made this year’s 2017 Holiday Gift Guide.

Kamigami Robots

Shortly after Andrew Gillies (MechE 0T7) graduated with a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley, he co-founded Dash Robotics, Inc. with the mission of creating affordable, educational robots designed to inspire students to get involved in robotics and engineering. The company’s six-legged Kamigami Robots are easy to fold and snap together from flat sheets into insect-like creations — no tools required. The free companion smartphone app enables users to remotely control their robot, battle with friends, play interactive games and more. They’re perfect for the budding maker (or future engineer) on your list.

TeleHex Allen Key Set

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter Wen (Year 4 MechE) has been a serious cyclist for many years and his company, TeleHex, aims to make bike repair easier — not just for pros like himself, but for newbies as well. Wen has designed a unique telescoping tool that automatically adjusts to fit the metric bolt sockets on most bikes. The device is half the weight and volume of products currently on the market. And it’s not just for bikes — rumour has it that the TeleHex hex key comes in handy when putting together Ikea furniture.

Read the full list here.

November 22, 2017 – Professor Goldie Nejat was recently featured in a news article focusing on eldercare by NBC News. Casper, a robot designed to work with institutionalized patients suffering from dementia, was developed in Professor Nejat’s Autonomous Systems and Biomechatronics Laboratory.

“There’s been some research which suggests that you can delay the onset or progression of dementia through repeated cognitive stimulation and social engagement,” Nejat says. “So we thought, can you use a robot to increase the amount of stimulation these people get?”

How does Casper do it all? The robot features numerous sensors, including laser scanners that let it navigate its environment and avoid obstacles as well as 3D optical scanners that recognize everything from bingo cards to kitchen utensils. It also has microphones that can decode human speech even in noisy environments.

But what makes Casper really special is its ability to make complex decisions and to learn based on the reactions it elicits in the sometimes severely compromised humans with whom it interacts. The key is the robot’s “brain,” a microchip that’s programmed to observe patients’ speech, facial expressions, and body language and quantify their emotional states.

“To deal with these type of patients, it’s really important that the robot is emotionally sensitive to some degree,” Nejat says. “These patients can have good days and bad days so the robot has to be aware that now may not be the right time, and to try again on a different day.”

Read the full article on NBC News.

November 21, 2017 – Research-industry partnership to premiere first products on December 7 at Baycrest Hospital in Toronto

More than half a million Canadians live with dementia — and that number is expected to almost double in the next 15 years.

Dementia is a degenerative disease described by symptoms including memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. Some patients also develop mood changes and problem behaviours such as agitation, aggressiveness and delusions. Professor Mark Chignell (IndE) is applying his expertise in industrial engineering to design a solution that provides people in long-term care facilities an opportunity for mental and physical activity that prevents and reduces these behaviours.

“There’s a huge need out there,” says Chignell. “I think that people in long-term care are extremely bored and feel like they have no sense of purpose. I hope this gives them a sense of purpose, because it’s the right thing to do.”

The challenge is personal for Chignell: he has seen firsthand how a cognitive illness and living in long-term care can take away a person’s autonomy. “I had an older sister who was diagnosed with schizophrenia in her late teens. Toward the end of her life, she spent the last few years in long-term care even though she was relatively young. I got to see that even in a caring and well-run home, the residents had few opportunities to initiate activity.”

Chignell partnered with the company Ambient Activity Technologies (AAT) to develop their first product, called Abby. Abby is a large wall-mounted activity station that integrates a screen with wheels, switches and textures. The platform is designed to adapt to a range of puzzles, games and challenges designed to accommodate and stimulate people’s remaining cognitive abilities, prompting them to touch, listen, and respond.

To study its effectiveness, Abby was placed in six Ontario long-term care homes, where results were very positive — after one month of use, it significantly reduced problem behaviours and improved quality of life for residents. “One gentleman used it for hours at a time,” says Chignell.

Watch a video of residents in long-term care engaging with Abby

He notes that one of the problems in long-term care homes is that therapeutic recreationists, who are outnumbered by patients at a ratio of 1 to 20 on average, can only spend a limited time working one-on-one with residents. For those with dementia, the lack of stimulation in their environment then leads to confusion and anxiousness — Abby provides a much-needed outlet that residents can use independently.

“Many of the emotional parts of the brain, and the parts that respond to rewards, are working just fine, so we should focus on what remains,” says Chignell. “Even if they can’t read, or have trouble talking, there are still ways to engage people and to give them meaningful activities that they can perform.”

Chignell and his research team are also developing a second unit, the Centivizer. While Abby is targeted at people with late stage dementia, the Centivizer system is more interactive, featuring reward-focused games and levers. The team designed it as a resource for aging in place and early stage dementia, helping the elderly maintain physical and cognitive functioning. “There’s a whack-a-mole game, which works as a form of cognitive assessment. There’s Simon Says, flashing lights and buttons that play music. There’s a lever for a slot machine game…the idea is to get people moving and thinking, to engage them cognitively through these activities.”

Both units will be showcased on December 7 at the The Centre for Aging & Brain Health innovation at Baycrest Hospital, the official Abby product launch hosted by Chignell and AAT. Chignell and Wilkinson will discuss the research behind Abby and Centivizer with the wider healthcare community with attendees, including frontline healthcare workers, such as therapeutic recreationists, representatives from the long-term care industry, and local health integration networks.

In the near future, Chignell plans to commercialize the Centivizer system. “I want to have people using these. These targeted products with sensory-motor interactions will make a positive difference.”

November 20, 2017 – Professor David Sinton of the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering has been elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society. This honour recognizes his “distinguished contributions to the field of mechanical engineering, particularly in developing microfluidic methods for applications in energy and the environment.”

Fluids play a major role in global energy and its associated environmental implications. Sinton and his team have shown that microfluidics —a set of tools and techniques aimed at controlling and manipulating fluids on the sub-millimetre scale — has much to contribute in this important field. His contributions address three main areas. The first is using microfluidics to screen optimal growing conditions for algae, photosynthetic organisms that can accumulate oil or other valuable bioproducts within their cells. The second is analyzing the properties and interactions of chemical additives, surfactants, solvents, industrial CO₂ streams and crude oil to improve the economic and environmental performance of current oil and gas operations. Finally, Sinton and his team are researching the capture and storage of CO₂, including its use in resource extraction, as well as the environmental impact of elevated CO₂ levels combined with local environmental stressors.

The impact of Sinton’s research is reflected in his many awards and accolades. In 2013 he received the University of Toronto’s McLean Award. In 2015 he was awarded an E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Research Council of Canada – given to only six researchers nationwide per year. In 2016 he was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. Sinton has also been elected a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering, and the Engineering Institute of Canada.  In 2016 he co-founded the start-up company Interface Fluidics Ltd. to commercialize microfluidic screening technology that improves the economic and environmental performance of current energy operations.

“Professor David Sinton’s groundbreaking research in microfluidics for energy is providing us with innovative new tools for solving some of our most pressing energy-related challenges,” said Dean Cristina Amon. “On behalf of our Faculty, heartfelt congratulations on this richly-deserved recognition.”

Sinton joins 395 other AAAS members from around the world being inducted as Fellows in the latest round in recognition of their efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished. The honour will be officially bestowed February 17, 2018 at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas.

November 14, 2017 – “The global fibrosis network” led by Professor Craig Simmons (MIE/IBBME), U of T Distinguished Professor of mechanobiology,  is one of five ambitious global research projects at the University of Toronto that will share $1.23 million this year from the Connaught Global Challenge Award.

The internal award, funded by the Connaught Fund, is designed to support new collaborations involving leading U of T researchers and students from several disciplines, along with innovators and thought leaders from other sectors. This year, external collaborators include multiple prestigious universities, Indigenous community health organizations, global corporations and justice-minded non-profits.

The Connaught funding will help these programs get off the ground and boost efforts to find external funding to further develop solutions to global challenges, as well as possibly create new research-oriented academic programs.

Fibrotic diseases, which affect multiple organs and can cause severe pain, affect 2.5 billion people worldwide and cost health-care systems an estimated $200 billion. World-leading scientists and clinicians at U of T and its affiliated hospitals have made significant strides in fibrosis research. They’ve now joined forces to share their findings to tackle fibrosis together. With the help of the Connaught funding, this local fibrosis network will go global to foster pioneering research and strengthen innovation and training capacity.
Simmons’ team includes fellow U of T scholars who specialize in matrix dynamics, public health economics, diabetes complications, as well as collaborators from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford, the University of Cincinnati, University of Bergen, Norway, The French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), University of Paris, and major global industrial partners to come.

Read more at U of T News

November 14, 2017 – University of Toronto Electric Vehicle Research Centre (UTEV) has secured a major investment to support collaborative research into next-generation electric vehicle (EV) technologies with its founding partner Havelaar Canada.

The Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council (NSERC)’s Collaborative Research and Development Grants awards and Havelaar Canada’s industry contributions total more than $9.1 million over four years for two projects, jointly led by Havelaar and Professors Olivier Trescases and Peter Lehn (both ECE). Trescases and Lehn also received support for their work from the University of Toronto’s Major Research Project Management fund.

“EVs hold enormous promise as an established, practical solution to move people sustainably while minimizing the need for new infrastructure,” said Trescases, who serves as UTEV’s director. “This support will further accelerate our progress toward lower-cost and more efficient vehicles that can integrate into the smart transportation networks of the future.”

The two CRD grants will support multidisciplinary projects that target disruptive technologies in both electric vehicles and associated charging infrastructure to make the next generation EVs more accessible, affordable and intelligent. UTEV brings together researchers from across U of T Engineering, including Professors Josh Taylor and Sean Hum (both ECE) and Dean Cristina Amon (MIE). The research scope also includes autonomous vehicles in collaboration with research teams at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies.

UTEV was launched in 2016 with five years of major infrastructure and project funding from Havelaar Canada. The partnership takes a holistic approach to corporate-university collaborations, including supporting talented engineering students, addressing global technical challenges and building a commercialization pipeline for academic research outcomes.

“We are really excited about this partnership,” said Tony Han, president of Havelaar Canada. “Not only we are creating one of the top centres that can become the face for Canadian EV innovation, we are also building a collaboration platform that will bring global resources together to advance EV technology.”

UTEV is currently expanding its  research laboratory with an additional state-of-the-art facility in the Faculty’s Engineering Annex building. Expected to open in 2018, the dedicated space will include power test infrastructure for battery management and power electronics prototype development.

November 10, 2017 – MIE alumnus Andrew Gillies (MechE 0T7) is among 10 exemplary members of U of T Engineering’s alumni community who were recognized on Thursday, Nov. 2 at the Engineering Alumni Network (EAN) Awards.

The ceremony, held annually at the Great Hall at Hart House, celebrates alumni for their outstanding contributions to the Skule™ community as well as their remarkable career achievements.

“These alumni are exceptional ambassadors of Faculty in industry, government, entrepreneurship and academia,” said Dean Cristina Amon. “Their tremendous contributions to their fields and to our Faculty are testament to the strength of our alumni community. On behalf of our U of T Engineering community, I would like to extend my most heartfelt gratitude and warmest congratulations.”

View photos from the ceremony on Flickr.

Gillies was recognized with the 7T6 Early Career Award. The Class of 7T6 annually presents the 7T6 Early Career Award to engineering graduates who have attained significant achievement early in their career and shows promise of further contributions. The award is presented to an individual who is distinguished early in their profession, community, university and other related fields.

November 2, 2017 – Engineers are the makers, innovators and entrepreneurs behind so many of the world’s newest technologies, such as smartphones, self-driving cars and virtual voice-activated assistants. The engineering educational environment is quickly evolving to mirror the fast pace and collaborative nature of the profession.

The Centre for Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CEIE) is leading the way. When it opens next spring, U of T Engineering’s newest building will set a new standard for engineering education and research, incorporating experiential learning into every element of the building’s design.

The CEIE expands on the Faculty’s rich suite of programs that provide meaningful opportunities for students to apply their technical abilities in context. For example, U of T Engineering students and researchers have launched a startup to turn food waste into bioplastics, designed a solar car to race across the Australian outback, and developed new ways to conserve water and clean up contaminated sites.

“We are educating the next generation of engineering innovators and leaders,” said Cristina Amon, dean of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. “The CEIE is our bold commitment to engineering innovation, enabling the opportunities for experiential learning, student entrepreneurship and multidisciplinary research that distinguish us as Canada’s #1-ranked engineering school and among the world’s best.”

The CEIE is designed to enhance the student experience and enable collaboration between students, faculty, alumni and industry partners. It contains versatile design studios and meeting rooms, as well as a two-storey robotics lab big enough to allow for drone flight and testing. Its unique features reflect the U of T Engineering spirit of creativity, inclusivity and leadership.

In 2016 the Ontario government announced an investment of $15 million in the CEIE, a recognition of the building’s place at the heart of the province’s innovation supercorridor and its critical role in advancing Canada’s knowledge economy. This economy will be driven by tomorrow’s engineering leaders.

Here are five spaces in the CEIE that will enrich experiential learning and entrepreneurship opportunities for the next generations.

Technology-enabled auditorium

The centrepiece of the main level, this 500-seat auditorium is designed to facilitate discussion, collaborative learning and direct communication between instructors and peers. The auditorium will be the only lecture hall of its kind in North America — its stage will be large enough to accommodate vehicles, structures and active demonstrations.

“When interactions are facilitated by a unique space like this, custom-designed for our increasingly diverse learning population, students participate in active learning more naturally — this optimizes knowledge transfer tremendously,” said Professor Chirag Variawa (IndE PhD 1T4), Director, First-year Curriculum. “This will further accelerate innovations in the curriculum as we tailor our courses to take advantage of the greater affordance of the space.”

Dedicated student club space

U of T Engineering student clubs and design teams are some of the best in the world — including the Supermileage Team that designs, fabricates and races hyper-fuel-efficient prototype vehicles; the University of Toronto Aerospace Team (UTAT) that builds and flies aircraft, satellites and rockets; and the Human-Powered Vehicle Design team that won the 2017 World Human Powered Speed Challenge. The CEIE’s lower level will be home to many teams and clubs. With flexible meet/work spaces, immediate access to fabrication facilities as well as a place to host events, this space will be a game-changer for student groups.

“Our team is internationally competitive — every year we strive to be the best,” said Katie Gwozdecky (Year 4 MIE), UTAT’s Director of Space Systems. “That demands constant optimization of our aircraft, rockets and space-bound satellite. The club space in the CEIE and proximity to project studios and fabrication equipment will give our 120 members more space to experiment, test and iterate — and that’s how we’ll keep getting stronger.” 

Multidisciplinary design and TEAL rooms
The CEIE includes eight design studios that will support engineering design across the curriculum, from first-year courses such as Engineering Strategies and Practice and Praxis, through to fourth-year capstone projects, including the Multidisciplinary Capstone Projectfacilitated by the Institute for Multidisciplinary Design & Innovation (IMDI).

On the third floor, these design rooms are integrated with Technology Enhanced Active Learning (TEAL) rooms, which support blended modalities of teaching and creative design activities. TEAL rooms also enable instructors to deliver their materials in innovative ways, interacting more directly with students, moving throughout the room during the class or lab and fostering group learning.

“Engineering design is about balancing competing goals — between analysis and synthesis; thinking and doing; and conceiving and communicating,” said Professor Jason Foster (EngSci), instructor of the Praxis first-year design courses. “The TEAL rooms and Design Studios provide a rich environment for us, as professors, and for our students to explore new and innovative ways to balance these goals. Together we are designing new ways to teach and learn engineering in this innovative educational environment.”

The Entrepreneurship Hatchery

Aspiring entrepreneurs will congregate on the CEIE’s sixth floor, where The Entrepreneurship Hatchery will be located adjacent to project and meeting rooms. Championed by some of Canada’s foremost innovators and business leaders, the Hatchery is a true startup that creates startups and a vital part of a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem at the University of Toronto, one of the top universities in North America for launching research-based startups.

“The entrepreneurial spirit is taking hold in U of T Engineering,” said Joseph Orozco, co-founder and executive director of the Hatchery. “The CEIE will truly propel participants’ startups to the next level, allowing them to drive their bold ideas from concept to prototype and beyond. This unique space will encourage collaboration, teamwork, and enable the next generation and those that follow to gain guidance and feedback from established entrepreneurs and prospective investors.”

Space for alumni to mentor the next generation

The CEIE will be the heart of student experience as they journey through U of T Engineering — and it will remain their centre after graduation. Alumni will find their “home on campus” in the building, with meeting rooms and offices for their use situated next to The Entrepreneurship Hatchery.

“U of T Engineering alumni are leaders in a diverse range of fields, from mining and finance to technology and medicine,” said Sonia De Buglio (ChemE 9T4, MASc 9T8), director of alumni relations. “This global network is tremendously passionate about giving back to the engineering students who are following in their footsteps. Regardless of where in the world they live and work, our alumni will always have a Toronto headquarters here in the new CEIE.”

October 31, 2017 – When the host of the Miss Universe Canada beauty pageant read the winner’s name, Lauren Howe (IndE 1T6) didn’t register it immediately. “I was feeling every emotion possible,” recalls the U of T Engineering alumna. “It takes a second to realize it’s you.”

Howe had competed for the crown two years previously and finished as second runner-up. Now, she’s happy she didn’t win earlier. “I was still in second year of engineering, and looking back, I learned so much in third and fourth year that I can now apply,” she says. “A lot of that experience came through my capstone project,” designing a sustainable sanitation facility that uses waste water technology under the supervision of Professor Mark Fox (MIE).

During her time in U of T Engineering Howe was an active volunteer at recruitment and outreach events for the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, and she has long been a vocal advocate for encouraging women and girls to see themselves in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines.

On November 26, Howe will represent Canada at the Miss Universe competition. Before she heads to Las Vegas, Nev., Howe spoke with Marit Mitchell about why she chose engineering, tired stereotypes she’s faced, and the exciting year ahead. This interview has been edited and condensed. 

Why did you choose to study Industrial Engineering at U of T?

I was initially planning to join the Engineering Science program, with the intention to focus in biomedical engineering. Despite being passionate about biomedical engineering, I was nervous that it would be too specialized if I wanted to switch to a new sector. About a week before my start date, I came across industrial engineering and was drawn to the fact that it could be applied in a multitude of industries — the combination of optimization and human-centered design caught my attention. I really enjoyed the idea of taking creative engineering solutions and ensuring that they would be applied to impact the people they were designed for.

How do you think your engineering education has prepared you to work towards and achieve your goals?

I learned to love coffee! As much as it’s a joke, it really isn’t. Earning a degree in engineering requires determination and hard work. Aside from what we learned in our textbooks, one of the most valuable aspects of an education in engineering is the ability to be given a problem that you have no idea what it is about, then have to work hard to decipher it and come up with a solution. That’s what I feel sets engineering programs apart — when given a problem to solve, you have no time to think ‘this is impossible’. You find a way to make it possible.

You have been a vocal champion for women and girls in STEM. What motivates you and how do you hope to advance this cause?

I faced a number of stereotypes growing up. One of the things I’ve heard over and over is, “Oh, you don’t look like a typical engineer,” and this never really made sense to me. Is there truly a “typical” engineer? No. It doesn’t matter who you are, what your background is, what your gender is or anything else. You have the privilege to choose to study whatever it is you want to study.

I am a personal advocate for women and girls in STEM for a number of reasons. First, girls in middle school and high school are faced with critical decisions early on, when it’s time for them to select courses. Unfortunately, many of these decisions can restrict your options when it’s time to apply to university.

For example, I never studied Grade 12 physics, which prevented me from applying directly to engineering programs. I was fortunate to be able to make it up later after I decided to apply to engineering in June of Grade 12 — it was a very narrow window to be able to enter my chosen field! But what happens to the girls who choose not to take science in high school? It’s critical that we offer the opportunity to girls to explore STEM disciplines early on, as early on as elementary school, in order for them to be aware of what they are capable of accomplishing in these fields.

Secondly, equality for women in STEM is still a battle being fought. Not only is there a gap in the number of women who are working in STEM fields, but also a gap in pay between men and women. Part of this solution comes from what can we do now. Young women will likely be much more drawn to STEM fields if we can show that we aren’t afraid of the challenge ourselves. By having female mentors that are inspiring and accessible, we pave a path for generations to come.

Regardless of the outcome in Las Vegas on November 26^th, what are your goals for the next year?

Of course leading into Vegas, I’m focused on making Canada proud and bringing home the title. No matter what happens in Vegas, I want to spend the next year continuing to advocate for women in STEM, launch my business (within the financial technology sector) and some other exciting projects. That’s all I can share for now, but stay tuned!

October 27, 2017 – Engineers at Harvard University have developed a tiny, insect-like robot — complete with flapping wings — that can fly through the air, land on water and take off again. Professor Eric Diller, who runs the microrobotics laboratory at MIE, said medical applications are the other big area of potential for these little robots. In future “we could actually put small mechanical devices inside the body, maybe with a very small tether or even potentially wirelessly moving inside the body, which would be a revolutionary type of approach to monitoring, taking samples or even doing surgeries inside the body.”

Read more.