Grant: Applied Research Tools and Instruments Grants

The Kootenay Development Region served by Selkirk College is located in Southeastern British Columbia. The region is large (6.2% of BC) and fragmented by mountains and the Columbia River. The largest community population is approximately 20,000. The Kootenay region has the highest median age of all of BC’s economic regions and unemployment has consistently exceeded the provincial rate (5.7% October 2023). The region has a history of natural resource dependence. Primary sectors retain a strong presence: in 2019, approximately 10% of all regional employment was in primary resource sectors, largely forestry and mining, but over time the region has diversified economically relative to other rural BC regions. Kootenay has a high number of jobs in goods-producing industries, the second highest proportion of any of BC’s regions. In this ARTI proposal, we are seeking $194,420 from NSERC to support the acquisition of a medium-range spherical laser scanner. The Surphaser 100HSX IR is currently the model that meets most requirements outlined by our team’s research and recommendations from our industry partners. This advanced 3d scanning technology finds applications in diverse fields such as architecture, industrial metrology, surveys and inspections, forensic analysis, heritage preservation, mining and geology, environmental monitoring, and digital twinning. This infrastructure addresses a current gap identified by our industry partners specific to the 3D scanning and metrology capabilities at the STAC. Currently, our 3D scanning equipment comprises the Creaform Handiscan Black Elite, Creaform Metrascan Black Elite, Geoslam Zeb Horizon, and the Hexagon CMM Arm, complemented by an extensive array of manual measuring tools. Our current tools are excellent at 3d scanning and measuring objects and features smaller than 10mm3 up to a maximum of 16 m3, with the exception of the Zeb Horizon, which can scan a much larger area but does not meet the accuracy and detail requirements our industry partners' projects demand. The need to scan much larger volumes at sub-millimeter resolution is the scale and accuracy our industry partners have requested. The Surphaser 100HSX laser scanner will significantly enhance the STAC’s 3D scanning capabilities, filling the gaps of our current technology. Notably, its rapid data capture, maintaining accuracy even in time-sensitive projects, marks a considerable improvement over our existing equipment.