Innovations Realized

Short Text Similarity Calculation and Related Question Recommendation in Customer Service Chatbots

We build up chatbots for commercial companies to serve their needs, such as customer services. Within the whole chatbot building platform, there is one core component which is the short text similarity calculation component. We would like to improve our calculation capability for matching similar questions, as well as recommend related questions for the customers while they are chatting with the customer service agents.

Monitoring Vital Signs and Location for COVID-19 detection

COVID-19 has already infected more than 2.8 million people with close to 200 thousand death globally (as at 2020 April 25), while it is continuously spreading. Before a vaccine is discovered, the only way to slow down the spread and reduce the number of death is testing. Nevertheless, there is no guarantee that someone recovered will not be infected again. It is necessary to keep monitoring COVID-19 patients and contact tracking. All patients currently tested positive for COVID-19 are sent home for self-confinement. Agents of public health call them on a daily basis by phone one by one. This is increasingly complicated to do as the number of cases grows exponentially, besides the fact that the data collected is incomplete and often incorrect. We will develop a wireless monitoring device for patients who tested positive and for patients at risk like senior citizens. The device will alert health officials if the person has a sudden rise in temperature or indicators of respiratory distress. With geo-localization built into the device, we will plot a propagation network to inform who came into contact with the patient and use this as a public health agent to prevent further spread of COVID-19.

Indoor Mapping based on recorded videos

Knowledge of indoor spatial information is vital to stores, warehouses, industries, and homes alike. It is used to optimize layouts to achieve easier navigation for humans, machines, and autonomous robots. Maps provide limited data about the specific placement of objects in the environment and inferring information about the physical space can be impossible. The objective of the study is: (i) to design a comprehensive indoor mapping solution based on the processing of previously recorded videos, (ii) experiment with sensor data to enrich the indoor mapping solution, and (iii) research spatial recognition patterns and optimal navigation to enable efficient spatial discovery and mapping. After a successful research, the partner organization will have a decent architecture for spatial recognition with recorded videos, and this can either be used to be integrated into an individual product or to assist the development of other diversify techniques.

Intelligent physiological monitoring platform to safeguard the health and safety of workers during heat stress and COVID-19

COVID-19 is an unprecedented public health emergency affecting every industry. As we wait to develop treatments and vaccines to protect individuals from COVID-19, we must develop strategies to protect workers in Canada’s vital industries. In the absence of any adaptation strategy, risk of infection will continue to threaten the health and safety of workers. This will cause wealth inequalities for Canada’s industries due to labor loss and place a severe strain on Canada’s health care system. Our project will create a physiological monitoring platform that will equip industry with the tools need to improve decision-making and oversight related to the health readiness of a worker in context of COVID-19.

Development of an at-home diagnostic test for COVID-19 using a multi-layered tablet

The intern will be responsible for developing an at-home test within a tablet/pill. Tablets are a familiar house-hold product, that would be intuitive to use and handle. The tablet would automatically break apart the virus, and detect viral genetic material and result in a blue colour. To use the at-home test, the patient would place sample/swab in a reaction tube, place the tablet and add water. After 30 minutes, the patient can take a picture of the solution and upload the result to a database with a barcode identification unique to the patient. The findings from this project will be used to further develop and commercially translate the platform via the partner organization.

Integration of Data Mining into a Homomorphically Encrypted System: Enabling COVID-19 Researchers to Discretely Mine Sensitive Data

Krate Distributed Information Systems Inc. (Krate) and Saskatchewan Polytechnic (SP) are developing an advanced encryption module that will integrate with the distributed computer platform of fellow startup Distributed Compute Labs (DCL). DCL’s distributed computer is already functional and in use by scientists and researchers across Canada. This module will equip DCL’s distributed computer with the ability to process encrypted data without ever needing to decrypt it. It will also allow data to be publicly yet securely stored, computed, and transmitted without needing to ensure that the involved devices are trustworthy and secure. These will be accomplished by combining technologies like distributed systems, ubiquitous computing, blockchain, and smart contracts with encryption and other techniques. It will revolutionize data management, analysis, and cybersecurity because it is capable of conclusively ending the crisis of identity thefts and data breaches, and it offers governments, health providers, and health researchers the ultimate system for processing Personally Identifiable Information.

Characterization of antiviral coatings: Wetting studies and efficacy

There is an urgent need to develop antiviral coatings that would be applied to functional surfaces such as personal protection equipment (PPE) and others to arrest the spreading of COVID-19. In this project, the University of Waterloo researchers will work with industry partner, SiO2 Innovation Labs, to develop an optimal composition of such antiviral coating by characterizing the wetting and associated properties along with the efficacy of the coating against different viral loads. Once successfully achieved, the desired coating material will propel the industry partner in marketing their coating to large number of end-users and would eventually save millions of lives worldwide.

Enhanced Content-Based Similarity Detection for Book Recommendation

Recommendations is one of the main ways Kobo users discover content on the platform. By using purchase history, Kobo can suggest other books similar to a certain item. However, this does not provide meaningfulrecommendations in some cases, especially for bestsellers and fiction books. Currently, only for books that have no purchase history does Kobo supply recommendations based on text. The purpose of this project is to improve its text-based similarity analysis to provide better recommendations for all titles regardless of popularity and genre, as well as for all users who want recommendations that better reflect their purchases. Through this project, Kobo will benefit from an enhanced recommender system, and in effect, an improved customer experience and an increase in purchase conversion.

Mobile Data Usage & Signal Strength – Manage, Analyze and predict estimated data usage and signal strength to conduct automatic cause analysis using deep neural network and unsupervised learning techniques

Exploratory pharmacokinetic and preliminary efficacy modelling of select orally administered antiviral compounds following DehydraTECH formulation enhancement

Researchers around the world are racing to find treatment solutions to combat COVID-19, the disease cause by infection of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The use of antiretroviral therapy has recently shown preliminary promise. However, a barrier relates to bioavailability challenges, i.e., poor uptake, of these drugs. Poor bioavailability limits drug utility which could be paramount in combating rapid health declines in COVID-19. DehydraTECH is a patented formulation processing technology developed by Lexaria Bioscience Corp that has been shown to enhance the body??s uptake of these drugs. In turn, the purpose of this study is to determine the plasma uptake of the lipophilic antiviral compounds darunavir and efavirenz with and without the DehydraTECH formulation. Through collaboration of Lexaria Bioscience Corp with the University of Windsor, two randomized placebo-controlled studies will be performed. Given positive results from this research, the Company will make its technology available to researchers throughout the world looking to maximize the effectiveness of their own drug investigations.

Infection and Immunity Screening

The COVID-19 crisis in Canada has transformed from one of containment to one of mitigation, as the disease has begun to spread through the community, slowed by “social distancing.” An ideal mitigation strategy requires extensive testing to determine (i) who has COVID-19, (ii) who has recovered from it (presumably with immunity), and (iii) who has yet to contract it. The proposed research aims to use mass manufacturing methods to produce a diagnostic test cartridge for COVID-19 that can be produced in large enough numbers and for a low-cost to fill the enormous testing capacity required to stretch far beyond the limits of the current (centralized laboratory-based) system. This proposal forms an important part of a larger project to develop a rapid test for COVID-19 infection and immunity that can be operated in hospitals, doctor’s offices, businesses, airports, schools, homes, and beyond. Sci-Bots will be able to use the manufacturing methods developed as part of this project to mass produce test cartridges for sale to new and existing customer

Engineered Polymers for siRNA Therapy of COVID-19

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a major threat to life on earth. COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The excessive reaction displayed by immune system against this virus is damaging particularly to lungs, resulting in rapid lung failure and loss of life. We propose to develop a new method to eradicate viral load in COVID-19 patients. We will develop specific drugs and deliver them into lungs in order to stop viral replication, to ease the symptoms of VOCID-19 and cure the disease. The drugs will be formulated in a nanoparticle form and eradicate the virus in infected cells.