Lynsey Mellon

'It’s OK to struggle': Student overcomes injury to compete in wrestling world championships

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 20:05:48 +0000

'It’s OK to struggle': Student overcomes injury to compete in wrestling world championships

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 10/25/2022 - 16:05

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After recovering from a serious injury earlier this year, U of T Engineering student Kirti Saxena recently represented Canada at the 2022 U23 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain (photo courtesy of Kirti Saxena)

Lynsey Mellon

Topic

Our Community

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Kirti Saxena recently represented Canada at the 2022 U23 World Wrestling Championships in Pontevedra, Spain, marking her return to competitive wrestling after sustaining a serious injury to her lower body earlier this year.

“Six months ago, I wasn’t physically or mentally in the game – I was in so much pain,” says Saxena, who studied mechanical engineering in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. “There were some people who said I wouldn’t be able to walk all summer and most of the statistics out there backed up that opinion, but I wanted to create my own odds.”

While on her commute from U of T to her training gym in April 2022, the train she was on pulled to a stop and a fellow passenger accidentally spilled hot tea on her lap. She suffered second and third degree burns on her lower body.

Unable to walk, sit or even lie down without experiencing severe pain, Saxena had to take time to recuperate and postponed both her final exams and training for the wrestling World Championships.

“All I could do was take it day by day, which, as an engineering student who likes to do things quickly and efficiently, was a real struggle,” she says. “I had to slow right down and start from scratch.”

That meant celebrating small achievements – like simply standing up or taking a few steps – and reminding herself to just keep going.

Kirti Saxena (photo courtesy of Kirti Saxena)

As Saxena slowly gained back her skin’s elasticity and the ability to move comfortably, she made her return to the mat. To secure her spot at the 2022 U23 World Championships, where she competed in the qualifying round, she needed to compete in two international tournaments during the summer.

With weeks of intense training and a laser focus, Saxena achieved her goal. She managed to come back from her injury and is currently ranked first in Canada in the U23 Division in Women’s Wrestling at 57 kilograms.

“I’m so grateful,” she says. “It took a lot of work, determination and perseverance and I am proud to be able to compete.”

Her parents were her biggest cheerleaders during her recovery and rehabilitation, Saxena says.

Saxena was introduced to wrestling at an early age thanks to her father, an Olympic wrestler who owns his own high-performance wrestling club in Mississauga. Her natural talent led her to placing first in Canada in her division in Grade 9. By the following year, she was placed fifth in the world.

As she continued her wrestling journey, placing in national and world championships and participating in the 2020 Olympic trials, Saxena also began her post-secondary career as an undergraduate engineering student at U of T.

“I’ve always been drawn to design and academically strong in sciences, combining these two things led me directly to mechanical engineering and it’s a natural fit for me,” she says. “It can be challenging, but as I am in my final year now, I can say with certainty this was the right path for me.”

During her time at U of T Engineering, Saxena has taken on several leadership roles, including being the project manager of the U of T Robotics Association (UTRA) design team, a Varsity board representative and the captain of the Varsity wrestling team.

“I’ve always been a very determined person and those two things working together – passion and determination – help me to achieve my goals,” she says.

“Don’t let other people’s opinions limit you. It’s OK to struggle. Embrace the challenge, reach out when you need help and create your own story.”

Watch a Global TV report on Kirti Saxena

U of T Engineering students build 'unique' engine for eco-race on famed Indy 500 track

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 04 May 2022 14:15:39 +0000

U of T Engineering students build 'unique' engine for eco-race on famed Indy 500 track

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 05/04/2022 - 10:15

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The UTSM Prototype Team with their Endurance vehicle at the Shell Eco Marathon. Clockwise from top left: Maya Edie-Maxsom, Shreyansh Nair, Peter Di Palma, Tony Tao, Tyler Barry, Rohak Bardalai, Shannon Lee, Mitchell Palermo and Jake Blimkie.

Lynsey Mellon

Topic

Our Community

Alumni

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Graduate Students

Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

Sustainability

In April, the University of Toronto Supermileage Team (UTSM), led by Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering alumnus Tyler Barry, travelled to the United States for the annual three-day Shell Eco-marathon Competition – held this year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500 race.

More than 50 teams from across North America participated in the competition to design, build and operate the most energy-efficient vehicle. And even though the final race was cancelled due to weather, the U of T team came home with an honourable mention in the Technical Innovation award category for their custom-built engine.

While many competing teams use off-the-shelf engines, often from Go-Karts, the U of T team’s engine is entirely custom-built. The single-piston internal combustion engine has been modified over the years to eliminate unnecessary parts and maximize fuel efficiency.

“Our engine is completely unique,” says Barry, “It was originally built in 2013 as a capstone project by previous members of the team, and over the years UTSM has continued to modify and build upon the original design.”

This year, the team designed and prototyped a slider mechanism to help start the engine without clogging the gears. They were unable to implement the design in advance of the competition; however, the judges remained impressed.

On the first day of the competition, the UTSM prototype team was the first to pass the technical inspection conducted by racing officials.

“We spent hours finding spare parts and modifying our systems,” says Shannon Lee, a master’s candidate in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering who the structural lead and driver for the team.

“It was an honour to be the team awarded the first sticker from the technical inspection officer.”

The UTSM vehicle, Endurance, undergoes inspection on the first day of the competition (photo courtesy of UTSM)

Day two, practice day, was the most exciting for Lee. She had the opportunity to drive the car around the famous racetrack twice.

“While I was driving, all I could think about was how proud I am of the team and all the work we did together to make it this far,” says Lee. “It’s such a unique experience to have a roaring engine right behind your head.

“Having the privilege of driving the culmination of our work around the track was an amazing experience.”

Unfortunately, due to a thunderstorm and tornado warning on the last day of the competition, teams were unable to compete in the final race. But the U of T team is confident that their unique engine would have led to a win and hope to have the opportunity to pursue first place next year.

“Even though we were not able to finish the competition the way we would have liked, this past year has been incredibly successful for UTSM,” says Barry. “With past members graduating and a lack of recruitment opportunities due to COVID-19, we were left with only three members in September. However, we managed to put together a team of over 30 dedicated members since then, and I am confident that the team will be stronger than ever next year.”

Lee is also looking forward to 2023.

“I have a feeling first place will be waiting for us next year,” she says. “I encourage anyone who is interested in being a part of this team to reach out.”

Are more protective masks less comfortable? Not as long as they fit properly, study finds

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 14:21:02 +0000

Are more protective masks less comfortable? Not as long as they fit properly, study finds

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 04/11/2022 - 10:21

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(Photo by Wang Ying/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Lynsey Mellon

Topic

Our Community

COVID-19

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

Research & Innovation

Wearing a face mask, when combined with other protective measures, has been shown to help slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

But there remain many misconceptions about the relationship between a mask’s level of protection and its comfort – namely that more protective models such as N95 respirators are less comfortable to wear.

Kevin Golovin, an assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – along with his Durable Repellent Engineered Advanced Material (DREAM) Laboratory research team – recently completed a comfort assessment of face masks to determine the relationship, if any, between mask comfort and protection.

While the group found that all masks cause a degree of discomfort for the user, there was no evidence to suggest more protective masks were more uncomfortable – and that the most important factors in selecting a comfortable face mask include size and fit.

Writer Lynsey Mellon spoke with Golovin about the findings, which were recently published in the open access journal PLOS ONE.

Why did the DREAM lab decide to conduct this experiment?

We know wearing a face mask helps to minimize exposure to – and stop the spread of – COVID-19. We’ve also learned that multi-layer masks offer the best protection. However the most common reason individuals give for not wearing a mask, or for choosing to wear a mask that offers less protection, is comfort. We wanted to validate if there was actually a correlation between face mask discomfort and the level of protection the mask offers. To do so, we collaborated with the Apparel Innovation Centre in Calgary, as well as textile scientists at the University of British Columbia.

What kind of discomfort do people experience when wearing a mask?

Most of the discomfort people experience when wearing a face mask is thermophysiological, meaning the mask interferes with our body’s ability to regulate its temperature through heat transfer. The hot air we exhale increases the temperature and moisture levels in the areas covered by the mask. This can lead to the wearer feeling too warm, a damp feeling on the mask or the mask clinging to the skin, which some wearers may find difficult to tolerate for long stretches of time.

What type of face masks did your team investigate in this study?

We constructed 12 different layered face masks in three sizes using a variety of commercially available fabrics such as silk, polyester/cotton blends, cotton and polypropylene. We also studied the effect of N95 filters as well as antimicrobial and water repellent finishes on some of the fabrics. We wanted to systematically compare enhanced-protection masks, such as an N95, with those that offer less protection, such as a two-layer fabric mask.

How were the tests performed?

To test the various face masks that we constructed, we used a sweating thermal manikin, Newton, that was fitted with heaters, temperature sensors and sweating nozzles. The thermal manikin is modelled after the average adult male.

Each of the masks was fitted onto the manikin and then we assessed how the thermophysiological comfort levels were impacted by the mask size, fit and fabric properties.

The DREAM Laboratory constructed and tested 12 different face masks using a thermal manikin (photo by Farzan Gholamreza)

Can you give us a summary of your findings?

Our research showed that wearing any face mask affects the body’s ability to transfer heat and moisture in the areas covered by the mask, meaning all face masks are somewhat uncomfortable. However, we found that adding the additional layers of protection, such as an N95-grade filter or an anti-viral coating, had a statistically insignificant effect on heat and moisture transfer.

These results show that added layers of protection do not cause any significant decrease in thermophysiological comfort – so individuals should opt for a mask that offers the highest level of protection and ensure it is the proper size and fit for their face to maximize both protection and comfort.

Contrary to popular belief, safer masks are not more uncomfortable.

CRAFT Device Foundry at U of T ushers in new era of microfluidic device fabrication

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 18:06:21 +0000

CRAFT Device Foundry at U of T ushers in new era of microfluidic device fabrication

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 12/14/2021 - 13:06

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The new CRAFT Device Foundry at U of T will bring together researchers, clinicians, entrepreneurs and industry collaborators and support large-scale fabrication of biomedical devices (photo by Daria Perevezentsev)

Lynsey Mellon

Topic

Our Community

Chemistry

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

Microfluidics

Research & Innovation

The Centre for Research and Applications in Fluidic Technologies (CRAFT) – a partnership between the University of Toronto and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) – has launched a new research facility on U of T’s St. George campus.

The Device Foundry will bring together researchers, clinicians, entrepreneurs and industry collaborators with a goal of advancing micro-nano fluidic device fabrication. Housing equipment to support large-scale production of biomedical devices, the facility has the capability to quickly commercialize new technologies in health care.

“The opening of the new Device Foundry marks a huge milestone for CRAFT,” said Axel Guenther, a professor of mechanical engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and the co-director of CRAFT.

“Many individuals from U of T and the NRC came together to make this unique space a reality. With the launch of this open-research facility, we are now well positioned to advance the field of microfluidics and serve as a hub for collaborations that will bring innovative technologies to the health-care community.”

Iain Stewart, president of NRC, toured the new facility this week with senior U of T leaders and researchers, stopping to visit the Device Foundry’s lithography cleanroom, fabrication room and the 3D printing station.

Iain Stewart, president of the National Research Council of Canada, met with senior U of T leaders and researchers (photo by Dahlia Katz)

In her welcoming remarks, Christine Allen, associate vice-president and vice-provost, strategic initiatives, said the national hub will leverage U of T’s multidisciplinary strengths and provide “unparalleled hands-on learning opportunities,” to students and post-doctoral researchers.

Allen added that the investment “will translate into clinical device innovations and position Canada at the forefront of the microfluidics field.”

The Device Foundry is set up to rapidly produce and deploy polymer-based biomedical microdevices, including organ-on-a-chip models of heart tissues and handheld 3D skin printers. The facility features a new micro-injection molder that will allow for thousands of micro-fluidic devices to be created every hour, a micro-milling machine for creating molds, a roll-to-roll polymer coater, multiple embossers, a laser cutter, a glass 3D printer and a nano-scale 3D printer.

“Congratulations to the CRAFT team for the opening of the new facility in Toronto,” said Teodor Veres, co-director of CRAFT and R&D director of the Medical Devices Research Centre at the NRC. “This space adds significant technological and scientific assets to the existing world-class microfluidic device R&D capacity at NRC in Boucherville, Que.

“Together, these two CRAFT labs will enable the development, deployment and validation in clinics of emerging lab-on-chip systems made in Canada.”

Christine Allen, associate vice-president and vice-provost, strategic initiatives, said the new facility will provide “unparalleled hands-on learning opportunities” (photo by Dahlia Katz)

U of T has one of the world’s largest microfluidic device research communities with more that 50 investigators, including CRAFT co-leads Milica Radisic, a professor in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, and Aaron Wheeler, a professor in the department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts & Science and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering who is also affiliated with the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, where his lab is located.

The NRC in Boucherville, meanwhile, has 40 scientists contributing to micro-nano device research in areas such as diagnostics, precision medicine and cell-based therapy.

“The hope is for the spirit of collaboration that went into creating CRAFT, and this new space, to be reflected in the work that comes out of it,” said Guenther. “With the investment from the NRC, we now have dedicated technician support to train students, maintain the equipment and help researchers and start-ups bring their devices directly to the communities that will use them.”

Added Veres: “CRAFT will aid Canada’s medical device sector growth and support the discovery of new knowledge that can be translated into innovative technology-driven products, processes and services. The Device Foundry will also offer a unique work-integrated learning environment and development opportunities for the workforce of the future, keeping our highly-trained personnel in Canada.”

'Very exciting': Startup co-founded by U of T researcher can create hydrogen without producing CO2

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 15:30:00 +0000

'Very exciting': Startup co-founded by U of T researcher can create hydrogen without producing CO2

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 12/03/2021 - 10:30

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Left to right: Andrew Gillis, CEO of Aurora Hydrogen, Erin Bobicki, assistant professor at the University of Alberta, and Murray Thomson, professor at U of T's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering (photo courtesy of Murray Thomson)

Lynsey Mellon

Topic

Our Community

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Graduate Students

Research and Innovation

Sustainability

A new method of creating hydrogen from natural gas – one which does not produce carbon dioxide as a byproduct – could open up a range of emission-free alternative energy technologies.

Murray Thomson, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Toronto, recently spun out the innovation into a company, Aurora Hydrogen, along with co-founders Erin Bobicki, formerly an assistant professor in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering who is now at the University of Alberta, and Andrew Gillis, who joined the team as CEO.

Hydrogen is attractive as a medium for storing energy because it contains no carbon. When burned as a fuel or combusted in a hydrogen fuel cell, the only substance exiting the exhaust pipe is pure water. The challenge arises in generating the hydrogen in the first place. One method is to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gas using electricity. However, this process is energy inefficient, requiring large amounts of electricity to produce only small amounts of hydrogen.

Thomson and his collaborators are attempting to solve the conundrum by using an approach that’s based on methane pyrolysis, a process that uses heat to break down natural gas into hydrogen gas and solid carbon particles. While the heat required for the process has traditionally been generated by burning more hydrocarbon fuels, Thomson, who has been researching pyrolysis for decades, recently began to envision another approach.

“The question began to form in my mind as to whether microwaves, a very efficient heating method, could be used to heat the methane. This would require less energy and generate less CO2 than the traditional pyrolysis process,” says Thomson.

Thomson reached out to Bobicki, whose research focuses on applying microwave energy to industrial processes in the mineral processing industry. With her guidance, the two researchers tested the theory and developed Aurora Hydrogen’s CO2-free method of hydrogen production.

“After speaking with Professor Thomson and learning about methane pyrolysis, it became clear that this was an excellent application for microwave technology,” says Bobicki, an associate professor at U of A who retains a status-only appointment as an adjunct professor at U of T. “We quickly formulated the idea – which is inspired by a methodology to reduce uranium oxide – and set to work to demonstrate what is a very elegant process.

“It is very exciting to see the innovation that can result from interdisciplinary collaboration.”

The use of microwave energy in methane pyrolysis has several advantages. For one, it significantly reduces the energy needed to break apart the methane. The solid carbon produced as a byproduct already has established markets: It is used to make steel, rubber, asphalt and graphite. And even if the solid carbon ends up in a form that is not marketable, because it is a solid rather than a gas, it can be sequestered much more easily than CO2.

To test their theory, the team built a bench-scale reactor to produce CO2-free hydrogen. After running it for over four hours, they measured its efficiency to be around 99 per cent, meaning it converted the methane to hydrogen and carbon with minimal byproducts.

“We encountered many challenges when building the reactor, but it was amazing to see our technology work as expected,” said Mehran Dadsetan, a U of T Engineering PhD candidate who is being supervised by Thomson. “Being able to validate this technology and move towards commercialization could have a huge impact on reducing CO2 emissions.”

Gillis, meanwhile, joined Thomson and Bobicki to help found Aurora Hydrogen and develop the business side of the venture.

“Aurora’s technology is unique in that it not only addresses a global need for ultra-low GHG hydrogen production, but it also allows us to access the energy in natural gas without generating carbon dioxide,” says Gillis.

“We’re seeing a lot of interest in the technology from both hydrogen consumers and natural gas producers. In fact, Aurora was recently selected into the Energy Stream of the Creative Destruction Lab program at the University of Calgary.”

As Aurora Hydrogen moves toward its goal of making low-cost and low-carbon hydrogen energy a reality, it will participate in a field trial that’s being supported by funding from a consortium of natural gas producers, distributors and hydrogen producers. The trial involves Aurora-created hydrogen being injected into existing natural gas pipelines, which will then distribute it.

If successful, the trial would be a positive first step towards decarbonizing natural gas pipelines and bringing hydrogen energy to industries where reducing carbon emissions could have a huge impact globally. Hydrogen energy could also be used in applications where using batteries isn’t practical, such as in heavy duty trucks, ships, trains, and industries such as steel and cement-making.

“It’s amazing to be a part of a team working on something that has the potential to do so much good,” says Fawaz Khan, another one of Thomson’s graduate students. “This technology could play a large role in the global mission of reducing CO2 emissions and contribute to a better future for all of us.”

Nature-inspired coatings could power lab-on-a-chip devices for rapid, inexpensive medical tests

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 15:49:29 +0000

Nature-inspired coatings could power lab-on-a-chip devices for rapid, inexpensive medical tests

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 10/25/2021 - 11:49

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Inspired by natural materials such as cactus leaves or spider silk, researchers in U of T's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering have developed a coating that allows low surface tension liquids to move easily across surfaces.

Lynsey Mellon

Topic

Breaking Research

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Graduate Students

Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

Research & Innovation

A coating developed by researchers at the University of Toronto allows for certain liquids to move across surfaces without fluid loss – and could usher in new advances in a range of fields, including medical testing.

The new coating – created in the DREAM (Durable Repellent Engineered Advanced Materials) laboratory, led by Kevin Golovin, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – was inspired by the natural world.

“Nature has already developed strategies to transport liquids across surfaces in order to survive,” says Mohammad Soltani, a PhD candidate and researcher in the DREAM Laboratory who was lead author of a paper recently published in Advanced Functional Materials.

“We were inspired by the structural model of natural materials such as cactus leaves or spider silk. Our new technology can directionally transport not only water droplets, but also low surface tension liquids that easily spread on most surfaces.”

The innovation has important implications for microfluidics, a field where small quantities of liquids are transported within tiny channels – often less than a millimetre wide. The technique has many potential applications, including miniaturizing standard analytical tests performed in chemical laboratories.

By reducing the quantity of sample and reagents required, as well as automating protocols for working with them, microfluidics can power lab-on-a-chip devices that offer fast, inexpensive medical tests.

Proponents hope the approach could lead to diagnosing multiple conditions in minutes using only a drop or two of blood. But current microfluidic devices have a key limitation: they can only effectively handle liquids with high surface tension, such as water. This property, also known as cohesion, means that the liquid has a greater tendency to stick to itself than to the sides of the channel it is being transported through.

High surface tension liquids form discrete droplets that can be moved around independently – like raindrops on window glass. Cohesion can even be exploited to pull the liquid droplets along the channel through a process known as capillary action.

By contrast, low surface tension liquids such as alcohols and other solvents tend to stick to the sides of the channels and can currently be transported for only about 10 millimetres before the droplet disintegrates. Capillary action no longer applies, so transport requires an external force such as magnetism or heat, to move the droplets.

That’s where the new coating developed in the DREAM lab comes in. It enables low surface tension liquids to be transported over distances of over 150 millimetres without losing any of the liquid, or about 15 times longer than currently possible.

The technology uses two newly developed polymer coatings – one of which is more liquid-repellent than the other. Both are composed of liquid-like polymer brushes. The more repellent coating acts as a background, surrounding the less repellent coating and creating tiny channels along the surface. The channels allow for the liquids to move in a desired pattern or direction without losing any of the liquid during transport or requiring additional energy input.

“Polymer brush coatings reduce the fluid friction and allow the droplets to be transported passively,” says Soltani, “Less friction means more energy is available to transport the liquid. We then create a driving force by designing the channels with specific patterns.”

The ability to transport low surface tension liquids without loss will allow for advancements in lab-on-a-chip devices. Using these unique coatings, researchers have the ability to transport liquids over a longer range, move multiple liquids at the same time along a precise pathway and even merge and split droplets – all without losing any volume or experiencing cross-contamination.

The technology could also help limit waste in research labs. With no residue left behind on the surface of the device and therefore no risk of cross-contamination, researchers can use the same devices over and over again.

“We’re looking at using this technology for microfluidics bioassays, as this is an area where every drop of liquid is precious,” says Golovin. “Our findings also have great potential to advance point-of-care diagnostics, such as liver or kidney disease, where biological marker screening is often performed in non-aqueous media.”

U of T researchers develop microrobots to conduct minimally invasive brain surgery

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 03 May 2021 20:26:06 +0000

U of T researchers develop microrobots to conduct minimally invasive brain surgery

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 05/03/2021 - 16:26

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Eric Diller of U of T's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering is collaborating with medical researchers to develop dexterous, magnetically controlled microrobots that could perform minimally invasive brain surgery on children (photo by Tyler Irving)

Lynsey Mellon

Topic

Our Community

Insulin 100

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Graduate Students

Hospital for Sick Children

Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

Research & Innovation

Robotics

Researchers at the University of Toronto are developing microrobots, precisely controlled by magnetic fields, that could one day be used to perform minimally invasive brain surgery on children.

The research team – co-led by Eric Diller, an associate professor of mechanical engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, and James Drake, a professor in the department of surgery in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and a pediatric neurosurgeon at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) – says the technology represents a departure from the rigid, wired designs of most micro-surgical tools.

“Advancing surgery through an endoscope in the pediatric brain requires miniaturized versatile tools which can be precisely controlled,” says Drake. “This novel concept of using tiny, magnetized tools, controlled by robotic external magnets, shows great promise in addressing this need for both pediatric and adult patients.”

Each year 24,000 malignant brain tumours are detected in the United States. These tumours are the most common form of solid cancer in children, and surgery to remove the tumour is often the first recommended course of treatment. The surgeries can be highly invasive with a long recovery process. In some cases, when surgery via endoscope is possible, the tools may not be small or dexterous enough to perform the treatment.

Building on work by Drake and his team at the Wilfred and Joyce Posluns Centre for Image Guided Innovation and Therapeutic Intervention (PCIGITI), Diller and Drake brainstormed ideas for a research collaboration. Diller pitched the idea of magnetically driven neurosurgical tools. The project took off after funding was secured from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Diller and his team have been developing a prototype with tiny grippers mounted on the end of a flexible wire “wrist” and controlled by external magnetic fields. The tool features magnets on both the gripping forceps and the flexible wrist. As magnetic fields are applied, the tool will either open and close the grippers or move the wrist.

“For these surgical tools, we’re working at a very challenging scale of around one- to five-millimetre parts, with some materials that don’t work well with micro-machining processes,” says Cameron Forbrigger, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. “As a result, we had to do a lot of the assembly of off-the-shelf magnets, plates and wires by hand with a laser welding system.

“If you’re not careful, the titanium wires could disintegrate under the laser beam.”

In tests performed on a rubber model of the brain with a simulated tumour, the gripper was able to successfully enter the ventricles of the brain and remove the tumour, controlled completely by external magnetic fields.

The researchers are now working on a second prototype of the gripping tool that features a simplified design to allow for more control over the forceps. The prototype magnetic tools are being developed to be about half the size of traditional surgical robot tools, which are about five millimetres across, while maintaining the same dexterity.

“Developing new technology for pediatric minimally invasive surgery – in this case neurosurgery – takes a collaborative team of engineers and surgeons. Our team from the department of mechanical and industrial engineering at U of T and PCIGITI at SickKids has been very successful in this regard,” says Drake.

There are still several steps to be taken before these microrobots are seen in the operating room. The team plans to create more tools, including micro scissors. They also need to determine the best way to generate magnetic fields in the operating room.

“Our next step will be to join our colleagues at SickKids for a simulation in vivo, which will provide the opportunity to see how these microrobots will function in the operating room, and to try different ways of setting up the magnetic coils,” Diller says.

U of T researchers collaborate with local startup to improve highrise hot water distribution

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 17:27:52 +0000

U of T researchers collaborate with local startup to improve highrise hot water distribution

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 12/16/2020 - 12:27

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U of T researchers are working closely with a Toronto startup whose technology could prevent condo and highrise residents from experiencing big temperature swings in their water (photo by Chris Jongkind via Getty Images)

Lynsey Mellon

Topic

Our Community

Cities

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Highrise

Research & Innovation

Researchers from the University of Toronto are collaborating with local startup FlowMix to study technology that could improve hot water distribution for the 1.9 million Canadians who live in condominiums, potentially eliminating cold showers and accidental scalding.

“The problem of hot water delivery in condos or highrise buildings can be substantial. Not much has changed since mechanical valves – driven by pressure and temperature difference – were introduced over a century ago,” says Pierre Sullivan, a professor in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering who is also director of the Turbulence Research lab.

Sullivan combines experimental and computational tools to better understand fluid physics. His research has spanned aerodynamic control, wind power, small aircraft and weather gauges.

In residential buildings, where hot water must be supplied to multiple residents, there are inevitable demand spikes, such in the morning when people are getting ready for work. Extended periods when water is not in use, including overnight or while residents are at work, can also cause issues. During these down times hot water lines cool, which can lead to a chilly morning shower.

FlowMix, a company that designs hot water control systems, has developed a method that maintains a cycle of hot water in residential water delivery systems. Sullivan and his team reviewed the FlowMix design and, through testing and modelling, showed the effectiveness of the company’s solution.

“Simulations helped us to understand the flow structure inside the device for the purpose of improving the performance. We also modeled traditional mixing devices to compare the performance of these devices with FlowMix,” said Ali Rahmatmand, a former post-doctoral researcher in the Turbulence Research lab.

“We also provided an AI model to predict the supply temperature of a building based on a basic demand and cold-water temperature to improve the control system,” said Marin Vratonjic, another former post-doctoral researcher.

With the team’s recommendations, the startup was able to optimize their system for both new construction and retrofits of highrise buildings. This collaboration also means FlowMix can now quantify its impact on energy savings and CO2 emission reduction, which could help inform decisions made by condominium boards.

“The collaboration with Professor Sullivan and his team at the University of Toronto has been phenomenal. Quantifying and validating our best-of-class product was not a simple task,” says Louie Mazzullo, owner of FlowMix. “The results on this two-year project have exceeded even our initial high expectations.”

FlowMix’s clients include: developer Tridel; engineering firms MCW Consultants Ltd. and M & E Engineering Ltd.; and contractors Stellar Mechanical Inc. and Network Mechanical.

“With the potential to apply this novel technology to any urban centre around the world, this Toronto innovation is world-leading,” Sullivan says.

Copper-coated face masks could help slow transmission of COVID-19: U of T researchers

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 16:37:28 +0000

Copper-coated face masks could help slow transmission of COVID-19: U of T researchers

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 09/04/2020 - 12:37

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Researchers in U of T's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering have developed a new way to apply tiny particles of copper, known for its anti-microbial properties, to fabric used to make face masks (photo courtesy CACT)

Lynsey Mellon

Topic

Our Community

Coronavirus

Cell and Systems Biology

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

Research & Innovation

A team of researchers from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering are developing a new way to coat tiny particles of copper onto the inside of fabrics, including those used in face masks – a technology that could provide an extra layer of safety against COVID-19.

The goal is to deposit very fine copper particles onto both woven and non-woven fabrics using twin-wire arc (TWA) spray technology. The fabric would then be used in one of the layers of a reusable fabric face mask. It’s anticipated the copper-embedded fabric will not affect filter or flow rate parameters and will be able to kill most viral and other pathogens within a few minutes.

By embedding the copper into the fabric, the researchers say masks could provide a continuous and proactive fight against the transmission of current and evolving harmful pathogens without altering the physical barrier properties of the masks themselves.

“If we can harness the anti-microbial properties of copper to improve the effectiveness of reusable face masks we can significantly reduce the spread of COVID-19 and do a better job at protecting both our frontline workers and our community at large,” says Javad Mostaghimi, a professor in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering.

The anti-microbial properties of copper have been observed since ancient times. Egyptian and Babylonian soldiers would place bronze shavings in their wounds to reduce infection and speed up healing. Today, Mostaghimi and his team – including Engineering’s Mohini Sain and Larry Pershin, James A. Scott of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Maurice Ringuette of the department of cell and systems biology in the Faculty of Arts & Science – are exploiting the very same anti-microbial properties to develop coatings that safeguard everything from office furniture to personal protective equipment.

Mostaghimi directs the Centre for Advanced Coating Technologies (CACT) and has studied the impact of copper coatings on infections in health-care settings for years, seeing first-hand how copper coatings applied to high-touch surfaces can help kill bacteria.

In one study, a copper coating was applied to the handles of half the chairs in a Toronto General Hospital waiting room. Over the course of five months, researchers recorded a 68 per cent reduction of viable bacteria cells per square centimetre on the treated chair handles.

Research from other groups shows COVID-19 surviving up to two to three days on stainless steel and even longer on other surfaces. However, it has been demonstrated that coronavirus particles are inactivated within four hours when exposed to a copper-coated surface at room temperature.

“Traditionally, implementing copper coatings would be very expensive,” Mostaghimi explains. “But our research has developed a method that makes applying copper coatings more economically viable.”

The CACT method is known as twin-wire arc spray. The “wire” part refers to the fact that the raw copper is supplied in the form of copper wire, which is more affordable than copper powders. The spray allows for large surfaces to be coated efficiently.

Another advantage is that the TWA method allows for spray parameters to be tightly controlled so that even heat-sensitive surfaces – wood, fabrics, even cardboard – can be coated.

Mostaghimi and his team were awarded an Alliance Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to explore the possibility applying the TWA method to create copper-embedded fabrics for manufacturing reusable face masks.

For their project, titled “Copper Embedded Fabrics and Face masks for Rapid, Irreversible Destruction of COVID-19,” Mostaghimi and his team are collaborating with Green Nano Technologies Inc., which will produce a pilot run of the copper embedded face masks.

“Using our TWA spray technology, we will be able to produce copper-embedded masks at a marginally more expensive cost than N95 surgical face masks,” says Pershin, CACT’s centre manager.

“Additionally, as copper degrades both DNA and RNA genetic material, the masks will have the added benefit of irreversibly inactivating all microbial pathogens, regardless of their mutation rates even after masks were disposed.”

Various copper concentrations will be tested on the fabrics to help determine the optimal parameters for destroying the virus. The copper-embedded fabrics will be tested by Ringuette, whose team will use the fluid released from ruptured virus-infected bacteria, called bacteriophage lysates, to simulate SARS-CoV-2 on the masks.

The research has potential health and safety benefits that could extend well beyond the current pandemic. Affordable, reusable anti-viral PPE for health-care workers could mean a decrease in disease transmission in health-care facilities and a reduction associated infections.

U of T Engineering team develops tool to help hospitals redeploy staff amid COVID-19 pandemic

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 13:43:36 +0000

U of T Engineering team develops tool to help hospitals redeploy staff amid COVID-19 pandemic

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 04/24/2020 - 09:43

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U of T Professor Timothy Chan is collaborating with the University Health Network to launch Redeploy, an optimization tool to improve hospital staffing during the pandemic (photo by Pam Walls)

Lynsey Mellon

Topic

Our Community

Coronavirus

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Graduate Students

Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

University Health Network

University of Toronto researchers in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering have designed a tool to help hospitals make the most of their resources during the COVID-19 pandemic by more efficiently matching staff to open jobs.

With experts saying Ontario has entered a peak period for COVID-19 cases, hospitals’ staffing needs in the Greater Toronto Area and across the province are changing rapidly and researchers, nurses and other hospital staff are being reassigned to areas of urgent need. For example, some hospital staff are being assigned to screen vistors for symptoms of COVID-19 at building entrances.

Enter the U of T researchers’ Redeploy tool, which uses mathematical optimization techniques to help match staff profiles to available jobs. It takes into account shift hours, skills, human resources requirements and staff preferences.

“Redeploy allows for urgent needs to be met and places staff into roles fairly and equitably,” says Timothy Chan, a professor in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.

“For example, the tool can be tailored to only place a staff member on an overnight or weekend shift once a month and spread out those less-desirable hours amongst staff,” says Chan, who is leading the project with a team of graduate students.

“The tool processes all of the data and can complete complex matches much more quickly and, potentially, more accurately.”

Leveraging the long-standing relationship between the data science program at the University Health Network (UHN) and U of T’s department of mechanical and industrial engineering, Chan and his team were able to start building Redeploy at the end of March.

The team partnered with UHN and Unity Health Toronto. Pilot testing is expected to begin soon and Chan is hopeful hospitals will be able to introduce Redeploy into their reassignment processes shortly thereafter.

“As we may be faced with a second wave of COVID-19, I am hoping that this tool will be highly beneficial,” says Eric Beaudoin, director, people strategy and innovation at UHN.

“Outside of our COVID-19 response, Redeploy will allow for a quick turnaround in the future when it comes to larger redeployment of a group of staff, for example, when opening a new unit, augmenting staffing ratios or when faced with an immediate request for a group of specialized resources.”

Redeploy could also play a critical role in Ontario’s COVID-19 action plan for long-term care homes, which are quickly becoming one of the front lines in the fight against the virus.

With minor modifications, Redeploy could find available health-care workers and place them in long-term care homes with urgent staffing needs.

“It’s nice to know that the work you are doing will be used to mitigate some of the stress that the health system is currently feeling, and hopefully allow for better care during these times and going forward,” says Frances Pogacar, a master’s student in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering.

“The best thing about Redeploy is that our team can help in a way that lends itself to our own skill set as engineers,” says Craig Fernandes, a master’s student in the same department.

The tight deadlines and urgency of the situation made the project challenging, but rewarding, Fernandes adds.

“We all have a part to play in fighting this virus and I currently have the privilege of playing a small part in helping optimize health-care operations.”