Design Engineering Case Studies
Digital Edition
Canadian Rovers
Canadian space robotics expertise produces rover fleet for future space exploration.
Lift-off
A Canadian human-powered helicopter moves ever upward in the quest to take home the coveted Sikorsky Prize.
The Engineer’s “Go-To” Guy
Ray Brougham’s company, Prototype Equipment Design, is all about providing unique solutions for very specific problems.
Extreme Mobility
B.C.’s amphibious Arktos Craft braves fire and ice to reign as the ultimate “go anywhere” vehicle.
Case Studies
Canadian firm pursues mechanical approach to fusion energy
Aiming to create the first net gain reactor, General Fusion's design leverages steam-driven pneumatics in quest for the Holy Grail of energy production.
Fixing Canada’s innovation track record
Canada has strong fundamentals but is hampered by funding and tech transfer policies.
Engineers Wanted
Engineers Canada report points to shortage of experienced engineers in current and coming labour market.
We have the Technology…
Ryerson bio-engineering duo’s brain-controlled bionic arm may not give amputees super-human strength but could restore nearly all natural function one day soon.
How to Design a Hyper-Efficient Car
Université Laval’s Team Alerion Supermileage soars above the collegiate engineering competition with a radical vehicle capable of better than 3,000 miles per gallon.
Identity of Canadian WWI soldier discovered using 3D printing
After nearly a century, Calgary’s Private Thomas Lawless laid to rest last week in France.
Funding Innovation
Top 5 sources of product development funding and support for Canadian innovators.
An EV Goes Sea to Sea
Electrified VW Beetle travels coast to coast in 14 days with only minor snags.
Sic Transit
Altair Engineering software and design talents craft the next generation of fuel efficient transit buses.
Look to the Skies
Bill Lishman, also know as ‘Father Goose,’ will always be associated with ultralight planes. He rose to prominence in 1988 for guiding birds such as Canada Geese and Whooping Crane by air on safe migration routes – a venture called ‘Operation Migration.’ Now, Lishman is using his passion for the ultralight to turn it into ...
Whale of an Idea
Until it was replaced by petroleum in the late 1800s, whale oil was harvested in the millions of gallons for lamp fuel, to make candles and lubricate industrial machines. A century later, a Toronto-based company is again looking to the whale to not only generate energy but also conserve it. This time, however, the whale’s ...
Beyond Autoparts
As the Chatham / Kent region of southern Ontario emerges from the economic downturn, many local manufacturers are facing a big challenge and a big opportunity—unused capacity. On the upside, these manufacturers are highly skilled and practiced at addressing the rigorous demands of their customers (primarily OEM part and assembly suppliers to tier-one automotive manufacturers). ...
Scouting out the situation
“The Scout is targeted at the backpack of every soldier and the trunk of every police car, but the number of uses is really endless,” says Dave Kroetsch, president of Waterloo, Ontario-based Aeryon Labs. “We knew that in today’s fast-paced world, access to high quality aerial intelligence would continue to become more and more critical, ...
Terrafugia’s “Flying Car” to launch next year
Hailed as the first commercial flying car, Terrafugia’s Transition morphs from road worthy car to small plane and back in 30 seconds. Since the rise of popular science fiction literature, visions of the future have commonly included flying cars. If you’re tired of waiting, you’re in luck. Next year, Massachusetts-based start-up Terrafugia is scheduled to ...
Catching some rays
Not many of us are able to catch some rays while at work, but for Mario Leclerc, that’s the goal. As Director of the Macromolecular Science and Engineering Research Center of Université Laval and the Quebec Centre on Functional Materials, Leclerc is continuing to build on a major contribution he’s already made in boosting the ...
Garbage In, Energy Out
PlascoEnergy’s future commercial facilities, such as this one designed by Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal and proposed to the City of Los Angeles, will process 200 tonnes of municipal waste per day and generate approximately 11 MW of electricity. Article first appeared in May 2008 issue of Design Engineering When an announcement comes thatthere’s trash talk ...