Home - Innovation Toronto

This unassuming material is capable of capturing or releasing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in response to moisture swings.

Pulling carbon dioxide out of the air using moisture

A more efficient way to capture fresh water from the air

Bringing transformative potential to agriculture with a natural technology for ‘dimming’ genes

Staving off coral reef collapse via a new technique

LEGACY DISCOVERIES

Could an element in green tea help eliminate antibiotic resistant bacteria

The Tribo-sanitizer is a self-powered device that uses a UVC lamp to inactivate bacteria that cause foodborne illness on fresh produce, food packaging and surfaces. Photo by Fred Zwicky

A self-powered ultraviolet-C device that can inactivate two of the bacteria responsible for many foodborne illnesses and deaths

World Record for Compact Particle Accelerator

Revisiting LSD as a Treatment for Alcoholism

Brighter prospects for chronic pain using optogentics

Tires could be on the road to a greener future

Soft Exosuit

University of Rhode Island (URI)

DARPA’s ATLAS humanoid robot gears up for disaster response

‘Shell-shocked’ crabs can feel pain

Laser with the intensity of 1 billion suns changes the behavior of light

Reaction system promises versatile, cost effective emergency housing

A global library for fish sounds will help to conserve underwater ecosystems

Mobile Telephony Without Base Stations

An interactive touchscreen display that can be sprayed in any shape

RECENTLY UPDATED

Precooling homes in the middle of the day using renewable energy in the middle of the day can make a big difference

Fighting food waste: New system uses wireless signals in the sub-terahertz band to determine fruit ripeness

University of Toronto

Harnessing 40 percent of the sun’s heat to produce clean hydrogen fuel using only solar energy

Harnessing 40 percent of the sun’s heat to produce clean hydrogen fuel using only solar energy

The high-temperature electrothermal process is beneficial to soil fertility, with experiments showing germination rates improve by 20-30% in remediated soil. (Image courtesy of Tour lab/Rice University)

A rapid high-temperature process that removes heavy metals, organic contaminants from soils

A different way to generate electricity: Molecular thermal motion harvester devices

A schematic of ISOOS. CREDIT W. Xu, J. L. Li, Y. P. Li, H. F. Chen, S. Q. Yang, J. B. Zeng, Y. H. Wang. Networks of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles for Ocean Exploration: Advances and Prospects. Science and Technology Foresight, 2022, 1(2): 60-78.

Autonomous intelligent oceanic exploration is upon us

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Duke University

Artistic rendering of a photonic chip with both light and radio frequencies encoding data. Credit: B.Dong/University of Oxford.

Hardware processing for AI goes 3D resulting in 100-times enhancement in energy efficiency and compute density

Images created in DALL·E

Could quantum computing and artificial intelligence yield true generative AI?

Simulating models of hypothetical time travel can solve experimental problems that appear impossible to solve

Laboratory plants, normally green, turn red in the presence of a toxic pesticide. (Sean Cutler/UCR)

What if your house plant could tell you your water isn’t safe?

Automated emotion recognition grows closer

Prussian blue could safely remove nanoplastics from water

Schematic illustration of comprehensive and combination RA therapy by Ce-MSCNV nanoparticles. Ce-MSCNVs scavenge the over-produced ROS in an RA knee joint, induce M1 to M2 macrophage polarization for immediate relief of inflammation and symptoms, modulate DCs into tDCs, and finally induce Tregs. CREDIT Institute for Basic Science

New effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis utilizing a nanoparticle-based system as a solution

Researchers from MIT and Northeastern University developed a liquid crystal elastomer fiber that can change its shape in response to thermal stimuli. The fiber, which is fully compatible with existing textile manufacturing machinery, could be used to make morphing textiles, like a jacket that becomes more insulating to keep the wearer warm when temperatures drop. Credits:Credit: Courtesy of the researchers

Shape shifting morphing fabrics

A research team member who is blind uses acoustic touch to locate and reach for an item on the table. Photo: Lil Deverell CC-BY 4.0

This technology has the potential to transform the lives of those who are blind or have low vision

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

Rowan University

UC Davis researchers find adding crushed volcanic rock to farmlands can remove carbon dioxide from the air. This'enhanced' rock weathering works even in dry climates. (Amy Quinton/UC Davis)

Adding crushed volcanic rock to cropland could play a key role in removing carbon from the air

(A-B) Remarkable cycling performance of the battery at both room temperature and subzero temperature. (C) Pressure tolerance of the battery up to 40 atmospheric pressure. (D) Non-flammability of the aqueous electrolyte compared to flammable commercial Li-ion electrolyte.

A high-performance, high energy density and quasi-solid-state magnesium-ion (Mg-ion) battery

Learning and remembering “on the fly” with a new nanowire “brain” network

A team led by scientists at the University of Cambridge has invented a reliable and transparent way of estimating the benefit of carbon stored because of forest conservation. Credit: Marije Schaafsma

Restoring faith in carbon credits via new offset markets

Using radio waves to monitor nuclear weapons stockpiles