Sask. Polytech AI, robotics projects get $250K funding boost

Innovation Saskatchewan is committing $250,000 over five years to Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Digital Integration Centre of Excellence. Stacey Hein reports.

Innovation Saskatchewan is committing $250,000 over five years to Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Digital Integration Centre of Excellence (DICE) to help businesses develop and bring new technologies to market faster.

Since 2020, DICE has undertaken several projects, including creating a robotic dog that can take on tasks in the mining industry and a drone that can help detect minerals in the ground.

One project currently in development involves Saskatoon-based Metric Design, which uses artificial intelligence to help with interior design.

Shahrzad Golestani with DICE has been working on the project for about a year and a half.

Shahrzad said at first, the technology created images that didn’t stick to the structural elements of the room or come up with practical designs.

She said the program can be used anywhere, products and furniture can be purchased from its database, and it provides a more affordable option for customers.

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“Hiring a specific interior designer is expensive. So with this AI help, then you would be able to afford a much more cost-friendly service,” she said.

When it comes to concerns about AI, Innovation Saskatchewan CEO Kari Harvey said it’s important to balance privacy and safety while still allowing innovation to grow.

“Our role is really just to help alleviate those concerns and really show the balance between the opportunity and the things that need to be done to protect citizens,” Harvey said.

Warren Kaeding, minister responsible for Innovation Saskatchewan, said it’s important to keep pace with technological advancements.

“It’s incumbent on us to embrace the technology,” Kaeding said, adding it’s also important to ensure institutions are equipped with current technology to train the future workforce.

The announcement comes on the last day of Innovation Week, which aims to showcase the people, ideas and breakthroughs shaping Saskatchewan’s future, according to Innovation Saskatchewan.