Technological Futures

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Founder networks and community foster investment-ready startups

by Naomi Grosman, Velocity

Empowered by a network of peers and advisors, nearly 20 Velocity-linked founders pitched to international investors, pharmaceutical companies and other global med tech stakeholders at the recent Ontario Biosciences Innovation Organization’s Investment Summit in Toronto.  

Monday, March 4, 2024

Academic-industry partnerships are critical in driving health care innovation

by Jordan Flemming, University Relations

Rapid technological progress is reshaping health care on a global and personal level. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the future of health by enabling predictive analytics, personalized treatment plans and medical image analysis. By 2027, the global AI in health care market is expected to reach $51.3 billion USD, as AI-driven solutions become increasingly integrated into health practices globally.

Friday, March 1, 2024

Waterloo to host Times Higher Education Digital Health 2025

by Jordan Flemming, University Relations

Announced at Times Higher Education (THE) Digital Health 2024 summit in Stanford, California, the University of Waterloo will take up the banner as host of next year’s Digital Health summit. The event, slated for April 10 to 11, 2025, will mark an important occasion in the University's continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of health care delivery through technological innovation.

President and Vice-Chancellor Vivek Goel underscored Waterloo's commitment to sustainable and responsible innovation in a video message.

Thursday, February 29, 2024

And the Oscar goes to…

by Val Maloney, Faculty of Engineering

Most people don’t leave the cinema commenting on the picture’s colour contrast, saturation and brightness levels. Yet, the look of the movie can influence our enjoyment of it, and how well it does on the cinema circuit.  

University of Waterloo alum Mike Perkins (BASc, '90), a principal product developer at local audio-visual solutions company Christie, led the development of a digital projector that takes movie-watching to a whole new level — illuminating the theatre screen with darker darks, brighter brights and colours not seen before in the cinema.  

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Beating the heat without warming the planet 

by Naomi Grosman, Velocity

There’s an irony to air conditioning.  

Traditional air conditioners condense water out of the air, a very energy-intensive process which pumps greenhouse gases into the environment. So, as we cool our indoors, we heat the climate even more.  

Velocity-based company Evercloak can break this cycle. The clean-tech startup has raised $2 million from Bioindustrial Innovation Canada, Greensoil Proptech Ventures, GroundBreak Ventures, Ontario Centre for Innovation (OCI) and angel investors.  

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Building green tech one metallic layer at a time

by Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Engineering

In the quest to reach zero emissions by 2050, Waterloo engineering researcher Dr. Xianguo Li and Dr. Samaneh Shahgaldi from Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) are working with industry partners to develop more efficient, durable, cost-effective fuel cells.  

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Collaboration can advance the greening of materials

by Office of Research

Dr. Sushanta Mitra is the executive director of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN), Canada’s largest nanotechnology institute and a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering.

His research interests focus on how fluids move around in micro and nano-sized spaces with applications in energy, water and biological systems. Outside of teaching, research and administration, he is an entrepreneur leading several startups.

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Innovating through technology, business and design

by Olivia Vanderwal, Faculty of Arts

Waterloo’s Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business launched its professional graduate program way back in 2011. Today the Master of Digital Experience Innovation (MDEI) is offered entirely online while continuing to deliver a unique, project-based experience combining creativity, technology and business.