Canada’s economy has transitioned from the resources under our feet to the resources between our ears
The first month of a new year is named January after the Roman god Janus, who had two faces – one looking backward and the other looking forward. Janus illustrates humanity’s ambition that the first month of the new year is a time to take stock of the past and make plans for the future.…
A rejected patent application nearly derailed years of research, but support from experts saved the day
In 2015, University of Alberta cancer researcher Jack Tuszynski learned that his patent application for a promising chemotherapy treatment for people suffering from metastatic bladder cancer had been rejected by the U.S. Patent Office. “That was it. I thought, ‘We can’t proceed, we’re done, we spent almost a decade working on this and it’s a no go,’”…
Researchers are using AI to create customized soundscapes that could help patients relax and sleep
A music professor and his interdisciplinary research team are aiming to reduce stress in intensive care patients with soothing soundscapes. Based on machine learning, the “smart” sound system would read physiological feedback such as heart rate, breathing and sweat gland response to customize calming sounds for individual patients, said principal investigator Michael Frishkopf, professor in…
Staying one step ahead of illicit drug makers
An international team of researchers is using artificial intelligence to predict new illegal drugs before they hit the streets – which could help save lives and fight crime. “We are anticipating what street drugs, or novel psychoactive substances, will appear before they are made or before they enter communities,” said team member David Wishart, University…
Computing scientists developing AI to combat pandemic by taking advantage of health data
How many new COVID-19 cases will be in the ICU three weeks from today? University of Alberta scientists are using the wealth of public health data on COVID-19 to build AI-powered tools to help project and combat the pandemic. “Our team is using ideas from epidemiology and machine learning to develop tools to forecast the…
Mixes agriculture with AI to help ranchers make better business decisions
New University of Alberta research is mixing artificial intelligence with agriculture to help cattle ranchers. An analytic “armchair rancher” mobile app is being developed to help beef producers better manage various aspects of their herds. The smart device application will aid them – by leveraging the masses of data they already collect daily on factors…
New materials could harness energy from cellphones or body heat, and improve solar power, geothermal
Extra heat is generated from any form of energy conversion – even with something as green as solar panels. But with up to 72 per cent of it left unused, there’s also great potential to harvest electricity from that waste. A University of Alberta researcher has successfully developed a way to figure out the chemistry…
Synthetic data based on records ensures confidentiality
A University of Alberta researcher is developing an inventive solution to a problem plaguing health-care research around the world: how to make data-driven decisions without compromising the privacy of personal medical records. Dean Eurich, professor in the School of Public Health, is academic lead on a project that has successfully created a “synthetic data” set that…
Wearable technology could get ahead of hospital admissions by predicting respiratory flare-ups
A new University of Alberta feasibility study involving 40 patients could help those dealing with long-term chronic respiratory issues by using new wearable technology and artificial intelligence to monitor symptoms and warn of coming exacerbation episodes. ADAMM-RSM is a wearable device developed in the U.S. for patients with asthma, with the goal of expanding its…
U of A cardiologist teams up with computer scientists, engineers to create 3-D heart imaging device
A University of Alberta-based team is developing a system to improve the way heart conditions are diagnosed by blending robotics and artificial intelligence with existing cardiac ultrasound technology. “Current echocardiography (heart ultrasound) is used for virtually all patients with cardiac symptoms, but it has limitations. For example, it doesn’t typically capture the entire heart in…