Reaction All Years

Project Description:

To develop a solution for automating the focusing process of a microscope camera in an incubator. This process is required to keep material in an observable state during remote observation when manual adjustment is not possible, or would be inconvenient. The specifications of the proposed solution are a 10cm square platform that is translated vertically via stepper motor to a resolution of 2 microns. The software responsible for controlling the stage is written in python (version 3.7) and executed on a raspberry pi 4 running a Raspbian or Ubuntu operating system.

The incubator designed and manufactured by IncuversTM is designed to provide scientists and biologists with an observation platform as convenient as possible, including remote monitoring and recording of specimen. Currently, the model includes a separate stage that is placed inside the main box and manually adjusted to bring the observed materials into focus.

Our solution is as follows: Considering the stage resolution IncuversTM requested, it was determined that the versatility of a stepper motor would provide the most precise position control, and finest adjustment. The stepper motor utilizes a 2mm pitch threaded rod and a micro-stepping driver to meet the 2 micron resolution. The driver design is based on an A4988 micro-step stepper motor driver, which allows up to 1/16th of a step, which would provide a step as small as 0.1125°. When considering the 2mm pitch of the threaded rod, could provide a vertical resolution of 0.625 micron, well exceeding the requirements defined by the client. Since the signals controlling step and direction require 5V inputs, a level shifter was implemented to the circuit to shift the 3.3V logic form the raspberry pi to 5V. The Raspberry Pi 4 is running a python based computer vision program utilizing the Open CV libraries to evaluate for an image capture’s grayscale brightness. By analyzing captures taken throughout the range of the platform’s span, the best point of focus can be determined by the brightest image. Optimizations to the system were included, such as a modification to the image area under analysis, and the number of reading averages taken were included to provide finer control to the speed and accuracy of the system.

As a team, we primarily learned about project management. We were able to stay on track and managed the project by having weekly meetings to discuss progress to date and what was left to do. We divided up the work into 3 main parts and assigned each group member a specific task. This allowed us to be more focused on the task we were assigned. We also created a project plan/Gantt chat to help the whole group with time management and to ensure members took responsibility for their work.

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Project Description:

This project was sponsored and made possible by Uponor Ltd (PEX), The National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Applied Research division at Algonquin College. This project is the second phase of the 3- year Uponor-Algonquin College project investigating the performance characteristics of water piping systems utilizing Uponor Cross-Linked Polyethylene (PEX) pipe. The Canadian winter drops exterior temperatures to lows that require innovative heating solutions. The form of heating tested in this project requires a bigger initial investment, but shows a more promising return on investment, compared to other conventional forms of heating. Based on our research, an annual baseline of at least $1000 per year is required to operate an extremely efficient gas furnace, and upwards of $3000 is required annually to operate an efficient propane furnace.

This experiment explores the application of PEX piping used for radiant heating purposes in conjunction with a Flat Plat Collector (FPC) and respective thermal storage unit in a 100 square ft shed. Typical radiant heating builds mainly use boilers or water heaters to accomplish their heating needs. The Bachelor of Building Science program at Algonquin College encourages its students to look for sustainable and innovative solutions. The project hypothesizes that the use of a FPC as the main heating source for the system will reduce the energy demand of the test shed, especially when compared to its previous form of space heating. The project analyzes the system for its cost of installation and calculates the energy use and reduction to determine proposed savings, which will allow for the analysis of a payback period. Once a payback period is calculated it will then be compared with the initial investment and payback period of other heating systems. The project essentially aims to answer how much savings this system can provide, compared to more conventional systems, given the colder than normal conditions in Ottawa.

To additionally accomplish the objectives of this project, the system must effectively maintain an average optimal interior temperature for occupants of 17-24 degrees Celsius. The ability of the system to maintain these temperatures will be the basis of satisfying occupancy comfort. The test will occur in the winter/spring season where we can also relate to the fall/winter season; summer data will be ignored because the system will be turned off for days above the desired indoor temperature.

The project will upgrade the current test sheds facility used to conduct other forms of standardized testing (blower door) and enable college students and professors to test, analyze and benchmark the performance of the systems used in this project.

Furthermore, the project also aims to promote the use of PEX piping, in accordance with its sponsor, through its ease of installation and maintenance, as well as its applicability to hydronic heating systems.

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Project Description:

It is likely that you have overcome an obstacle, adversity or hardship and afterwards thought to yourself, “Wow, I cannot believe I overcame that.” You might reflect on the impact the event had on your life and realize the different ways you’ve grown. This is a normal occurrence, in fact, the ability for us to be able to “bounce back” from adverse situations is called resilience. Has this experience extended to a situation where you witnessed a friend, co-worker, family member, or acquaintance overcome adversity? Have you drawn strength, wisdom, or humility from seeing others overcome hardship? This concept is vicarious resilience.

Victim service providers are individuals who work with clients to navigate the impacts of traumatic events. Day after day, victim service providers are exposed to some of the most horrific acts humans can inflict on others. You might think that this work leads to becoming pessimistic, jaded, or hopeless, and wonder, “Where is the silver lining in this field of work?” Through the study of vicarious resilience, researchers found that witnessing the strength, perseverance, and determination of victims and survivors allows service providers to harness their own capacity for overcoming adversity.

Our study aims to further explore vicarious resilience by employing the valuable perspective of victim service providers across Canada. We will use this opportunity to explore what vicarious resilience means to service providers, how their organization helps them navigate their well-being, and the systemic barriers that may exist in their line of work. Our wonderful team of research assistants at the Victimology Research Centre are collaborating with partners to create an in-depth survey that will be disseminated nationally, as well as an interview and focus group protocol to collect additional insight. We are in the initial stages of our research; however, we are working diligently to hold a national conference later this year for service providers across Canada. We will use this opportunity to facilitate focus groups and gather information about common themes related to vicarious resilience that victim service providers encounter. Participants will have the chance to follow-up with an individual interview to tease out nuances and gain perspective on their personal well-being. With this information, we will create a ‘vicarious resilience toolkit’ that will help service providers navigate trauma work.

Most recently, we have been refining our survey by consulting with our research partners and incorporating their recommendations. Our team has had to navigate the use of SurveyMonkey, and we continue to educate ourselves on the use of research software, such as ATLAS.ti, to analyze qualitative data. We have collaborated as a team to create the focus group and interview questions and have gained a lot from each other’s unique perspectives. Our individual strengths allow each of us to contribute valuable insight to our research. We effectively communicate any concerns we have, and we help each other out where possible. By conducting this research, we have not only learned about the study itself, but have grown together and increased our personal capacities for resilience.

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Project Description:

The current system of martial arts punch training relies on the expertise of a master relying on their subjective opinion to gauge the force behind one’s strike. Sensei Darren Hunter believed there was a way to get a more scientifically accurate reading of force, to numerically track the progression of his student’s punches. He enlisted the help of the Psychic Coders development team to design an app that would provide a physics-based reading of force, and allow students of his dojo to visualize their improvements as they progress through their martial arts training.

Integrated with a customized training bag designed specifically for the application, the Force of a Punch application is made for Android devices, and provides users with new ways to get a visualization of how strong their punch is. Designed with cooperation from professional martial artists, this application is tailor-made for anyone who is looking for the ultimate training companion. The application not only provides users with the ability to numerically calculate the force of their punch, but allows them to record their results, and track their progressions using graphs and high score displays, making it a perfect tool for a single student, or even for an entire dojo.

During the time of working on this project, the Psychic Coders development team gained valuable knowledge and experience in many different areas. Learning to work in a five person team towards a single large goal was a new experience for us. Learning how to develop for Android was a challenging yet enlightening experience. We conducted research in the field of physics, increasing our understanding of it. And most importantly, with the guidance of our client, improving on conducting ourselves as a professional team, working in conjunction with a client, adhering to schedules and guidelines, and being good teammates.

Our progress with this project was excellent, and the team hopes that they have provided the client with a useful product that will allow him to give his students the best training possible.

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Project Description:

Drivemada is the ride-hailing service within Caremada, an application that matches service care providers with care seekers. Caremada exists to address the current market gap for both seekers and providers. As a seeker, it is difficult to find affordable services, and the services offered are often very high-touch in nature, such as nursing and caretaking, and there is no lower-tier alternatives for services such as general accompaniment to the grocery store. As a care provider, the barriers to entry are very high, due to the dominance of premium care services in the market that impose stringent requirements. There are no existing methods for capable care providers to offer slightly lower tier services, where such stringent requirements are not necessary.

As part of the broader Caremada umbrella, Drivermada seeks to match drivers and riders in real-time, and differentiates from Uber by accommodating special needs such as physical assistance to and from the vehicle. If the real-time matching process is successful, the same functionality can be ported to other Caremada services as well in addition to ride-hailing.

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Project Description:

In this project we built and tested green and steel roof models to test and compare results

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Project Description:

POPTikR is a retail tech and business marketing platform, it will help rebuild our economy by offering deals and increasing foot traffic to local businesses. The video should show the information that this app can provide opportunities for local businesses and helps to keep our favourite shops open. We aim to engage with more customers with our promotional videos. ​

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Project Description:

Incuvers is a manufacturer of a smart, biological incubator at the forefront of cellular research. Given the breadth of the field and the many parameters that need to be controlled in this environment, a wide range of peripheral devices are needed to engage in this research.
The Incuvers Hackbox is a device intended to interface with the main product from Incuvers with various end user third party devices. The Hackbox is the end of ad hoc solutions by incorporating the components necessary to operate most, if not all, of the devices typically used in this kind of research. Capable of driving high current loads, the ability to provide variable and constant current to high intensity LEDs, and the ability to power devices up to 24 Volts means that the Hackbox simplifies the work of Incuvers customers. The electronics are arranged on a “shield” that fits over an Arduino UNO. The shield contains all the circuits required to drive LEDs at a constant/variable current, provide voltage regulation up to 24V, power the Arduino, and provide overcurrent protection to the Arduino outputs. They are designed to be run from a single AC-DC wall adapter with a 24VDC output.

Since the Hackbox is built around the premise of user customizability, the software has been kept as simplistic as possible as not to impede on the users capabilities. The python serial communication library “pyserial” is the core of the devices software which allows the Hackbox Arduino to communicate with the Incubators Raspberry Pi. This gives the user a solid starting point to which they can build custom scripts on top of. Some potentially useful use cases are as follows.

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Project Description:

To maintain a sustainable environment, it is important that we take care of it. Fishing nets and other fishing gear continue to catch fish even when they are lost. When this equipment stays in the oceans it can causing leaching of microplastics into the water. The Canadian Government through the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has made it mandatory that when equipment is lost it must be reported. This process currently is not intuitive and is cumbersome.
Marine Way has positioned themselves as a leader in helping keep the oceans clean and have commissioned an Android App (and iOS app later this year) that will make the process for the commercial fishing industry quicker and easier to submit the mandatory forms to DFO. In addition to the mandatory commercial forms, Marine Way has also added to the app the ability for anyone to report found gear, and if the gear has entangled wildlife.
The solution for the Marine Way app became bigger than just an Android app, what was needed was a full stack solution so that their iOS developer would also be able to integrate into the system. For the backend of the system, it was important to find a low/zero cost solution as Marine Way is a non-for-profit volunteer organization. The Team was able to find a scalable no cost cloud hosted server and database solution that will all allow the Marine Way to grow without heavy front-end costs.
The backend solution was also designed to be device agnostic. Not wanting to limit the ability to report the lost gear due to what device people were using the team came up with a plan to create a REST API server so that both Android and iOS devices could push their form data with the same backend solution.
The biggest technical challenge on the Android app side was to solve the issue that the end user will more than likely be out of internet access as the would be in the ocean when they realize they have lost gear. The team came up with a solution that allowed the form requests to sit in a persistent queue until the phone’s internet connection is restored, where all the form requests would then be sent to the sever.
The android app v1.0 was inherited from a previous team that focused on indirect features such as tidal tables, weather, maps and the DFO form came across as a secondary feature. The team needed to pull the DFO forms to be the primary feature ensuring that they were easy to complete and intuitive.
As a team on this project, we realized that it was important to stay engaged with our clients. Even with weekly meetings there was still change and having a strong client bond made changes easier and quicker and ultimately a more satisfied client.

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Project Description:

The purpose of this project was to save time and decrease the manual process of applying the labels to the samples. Originally, Deslauriers Custom Cabinets would hand apply every label and with batches of samples being over 100, this can prove to be a very time consuming task. The automated label applier uses a combination of a thermal printer, conveyor belt, laser position sensor and a stepper motor in order to accurately locate a label onto a sample in a continuous fashion. Once a sample passes down the belt, a laser position sensor is tripped which sends a signal to the Arduino microcontroller. The stepper motor is then turned on the exact length of one label in order to peel the label from its backing at the correct time that the sample passes. The label is then applied with light pressure from a plastic paddle. This project has taught us a lot about how organization and communication is key when working in a team setting in order to make a project successful.

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