Winners

HeartHear is a minimal, ear-wearable device that aims to predict someone’s chances of having a heart attack, cardiac arrest, and hypothyroidism/bradycardia. Using a multitude of sensors around the head, the algorithm can alert users to consult a medical professional, potentially preventing fatal injury and saving the healthcare system billions annually. Our Projectboard.

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The use of sea buckthorn berries for human health is well established, but there are no reports on the effects of the berry extract on plants. That is why this project focuses on using sea buckthorn berry extract to enhance the growth and development of plants, and to protect them from abiotic and biotic stress. The extract (Green-Armour) improved the overall performance of the plants and made them more resilient to cold stress. Green-Armour also showed antimicrobial properties by stopping the communication of bacteria. Treated leaves were able to control and prevent aphids, a major insect pest in crops. This novel approach can be applied to fields or greenhouses, to boost plant production and protection. Green-Armour can be an alternative to harmful chemicals that are used to control bacterial diseases and insect infestations on crops. My Projectboard.

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There is an urgent need for rapid water quality testing to identify water bodies safe for drinking and recreational use. To date, no test exists to identify the actual bacterial pathogens. We developed a rapid water quality testing assay to be used at the lakeside to concentrate bacterial pathogens, extract DNA, perform PCR and DNA sequencing. The results when compared to a database showed all bacterial pathogens present and can inform immediate decision making about water quality safety and use. This innovation can be used around Indigenous water bodies where water is often not safe to drink and worldwide. My Projectboard.

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The increasing industrialization of the ocean significantly impacts marine mammals, posing a substantial threat to their populations, including increased whale-ship collisions. This study introduces a novel deep learning model designed to detect multiple marine mammal species and assess underwater noise using broadband hydrophone data. The model employs a two-stage approach: the first utilizes supervised learning with a deep convolutional neural network, trained on over 5000 labeled spectrogram samples of Blue and Humpback whales. The second stage applies unsupervised learning via Convolutional Variational Autoencoders to categorize unknown biophonic sounds. This approach identifies calls from Blue and Humpback whales with 98.7% accuracy, detects previously unidentified sounds and quantifies underwater noise from human activities. By improving upon conventional single-species detection models, this model enhances data analysis speed and accuracy, aiding development of conservation strategies such as adjusting shipping routes, slowing ship speeds, and establishing marine protected areas to safeguard endangered marine species. My Projectboard.

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As of 2023, more than 420 Canadians die each year waiting for organ transplants, such as pancreatic organs (Canadian Blood Services, 2023). With such extreme pancreas shortage, stem cells from urine could serve as an excellent source to be reprogrammed into insulin producing beta islet cells. This showcases huge benefits, including freedom from insulin injections and lesser glucose monitoring for diabetes patients. One of the major therapeutic challenges faced, however, is the low efficiency of stem cell conversion to pancreatic cells. Therefore, aim of this project entails identifying crucial regulatory networks promoting efficient stage specific differentiation from urinary stem cells to functional pancreatic beta cells. Current project is novel in the sense that the specific identified transcription factors & extracellular matrix supporting proteins are grouped in three stages (step wise differentiation) for clinical efficiency. In conclusion, project describes a novel & robust reprogramming cocktail generating beta-islets cells secreting insulin for diabetes treatment. My Projectboard.

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Design of a Hemiplegic Exoskeleton with an Automatic Control Strategy Hemiplegia is when one side of the body experiences paralysis, which presents health issues such as low bone density and muscle atrophy. In this project, I built an affordable single-leg exoskeleton that provides full walking support for individuals with hemiplegia. I also designed an automatic hands-free control strategy that allows the user to walk naturally without manual controls. It predicts the desired movement of the user in real-time using force and angle sensors on the healthy leg and classifies the terrain in front of the user using an infrared laser-based algorithm, then initiates the corresponding movement on the exoskeleton side. The total cost of the exoskeleton is around $3,000, which is a significant improvement over currently available exoskeletons that cost over $100,000 on average. My Projectboard.

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Two environmental issues are making a global impact: the energy crisis and eutrophication. With around 700 million people without access to electricity and 50% of global bodies of water affected by eutrophication, 90% of which is still untreated, these issues need to be addressed. This project uses a biological photovoltaic (BPV)––a device that uses a photosynthetic organism to convert solar energy into electrical energy––to produce long-lasting power. On top of this, the algae in the BPV is able to metabolize nutrients, preventing the build-up of excess nutrients. In this research, four variables were tested to optimize BPV power output, and then the optimal setup was used to filter nitrogen and phosphorus in synthetic wastewater. Therefore, developing a cost-effective BPV to treat eutrophication and produce sustainable energy is a new dual-purpose solution that could make a significant impact on two of the most important environmental issues of today. My Projectboard.

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TouchTalk: A Novel Braille Communication Platform for the Deafblind The Deafblind community faces significant barriers in communicating, leading to isolation and depression. TouchTalk is a novel two-way braille communication platform for interactions between Deafblind and non-disabled individuals. A device was developed using custom-made 3D parts, a Raspberry Pi, a novel braille keyboard, and a universal braille disc display. Using AI for language processing, speech recognition, and computer vision, an app was designed for speech/image-to-braille and braille-to-speech conversion in English and French. Non-disabled users convert voice/images to braille via the app, which is sent to the device over Wi-Fi for display. Deafblind users respond with the braille keyboard, translating into English/French audio output on the device and app. Tests with the Deafblind community and non-disabled individuals demonstrated a significant increase in the speed and accuracy of communication while still under 8% of the cost of alternatives. TouchTalk is a first-of-its-kind platform for two-way and remote communication. My Projectboard.

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Microplastics are small fragments of plastic debris <5 mm in size and are ubiquitous pollution in Canada’s natural ecosystems. A lack of research quantifies and profiles microbial communities that produce a biofilm on virgin low-density (LDPE) and high-density (HDPE) polyethylenes in urban river ecosystems. Research was conducted in three sites along the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon: upstream outside city limits, mainstream near downtown, and downstream near the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Virgin LDPE and HDPE were deployed in situ for one month, allowing biofilm to colonize, with DNA being extracted for fluorometric quantification, PCR, and gel electrophoresis. When comparing upstream and downstream sampling sites, LDPE and HDPE experienced a ten-fold and four-fold increase, respectively, in genomic DNA collected from biofilms. Findings indicate that WWTPs may be a significant reason for increased biofilms and possible increased degradation. My Projectboard.

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DeviceABLE: A Novel Hands-Free Computing App for People with Disabilities Unfortunately, for millions of disabled people, hands-free computing is their only option, but the current technologies have many drawbacks. Therefore, I have created a novel, hands-free computing app: DeviceABLE. DeviceABLE is free, customizable, and hardware-free. It is a comprehensive, all-in-one app – provides a virtual mouse, keyboard, and a voice-assistant: Lyra. The cursor follows your head movements; clicks and dragging/scrolling works by closing/opening your eyes/mouth, respectively; typing works by hovering on the virtual-keyboard. Testing DeviceABLE across diverse demographics showed it has 91% average accuracy (highly statistically-significant). My Projectboard.

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ThinkNet: Decoding Brain Waves using an Electroencephalogram controlled BCI Electroencephalogram (EEG) waves are a reflection of the electrical stimulus used for the communication of neurons in the brain. Using brain computer interfaces (BCI) EEG decoding devices allow individuals with permanent neurological conditions and physical disabilities caused by spinal cord injuries to regain control over their environment. Requiring only a small training dataset, my proposed BCI system is affordable, accessible, and non-invasive. My Projectboard.

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Electrocardiograms (ECGs) have become a staple diagnostic test for quick and accurate screening of cardiovascular disease across the globe. Unfortunately, many of these ECG devices also require the use of surface electrode pads which are not economically viable for developing nations and far from environmentally friendly. In this project, I developed an inexpensive, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional surface electrode pads using household ingredients like gelatine and potassium chloride salts. These findings are important because they may lower the impact of medical waste on the environment and work towards further closing the gap in global healthcare inequalities. My Projectboard.

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Virtual Lifeguard is an innovative imaging system that simulates the monitoring capabilities of a professional lifeguard in residential pools. Drowning poses a significant risk to children in these aquatic environments, even in the presence of an adult. Using artificial intelligence, a device has been developed to safeguard backyard pools. My Projectboard.

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Approximately 51 trillion plastic particles, mostly microplastics, are present in the ocean today. In addition to harming humans physically and endangering organisms when consumed, these plastics can release harmful chemicals into the environment, contributing to climate change. In response to this urgent threat, I created the “Microguard Microplastic Collector”, an innovative, cost-effective, autonomous, and do-it-yourself (DIY) underwater robot designed to detect and filter microplastics in water bodies in real-time. My Projectboard.

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The Sound Catcher 2.0: A new and improved innovative device harvesting energy from sound Imagine being able to capture the noise from rock concerts, a busy street, airport or even construction sites and turning it into electricity? With the escalating crisis of global climate change, it is utmost important to develop new sources of renewable energy. Solar and wind are examples of already established renewable energy sources but the constant high noise level in my house inspired me to look at an otherwise wasted energy. My Projectboard.

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The world's energy demand is expected to increase 44% from 2006 to 2030, worsening climate change and sending us into ecological overshoot. One asset against climate change is EV cars. Increasing their mileage would provide many benefits, like boosting their incentive and lowering the amount of non-renewable electrical generation needed to charge EV cars. To increase EV mileage, many industries have employed Regenerative Braking, yet a huge untapped energy source remains in car suspension systems. In our project, we studied and improved on existing Regenerative Shock Absorbers (RSAs). Our Projectboard.

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