Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

Rumidifier Home Comforts Inc. (Rumidifier) approached Niagara Research, the research and innovation department atNiagara College, to collaborate on an Advanced Manufacturing research project. The scope of the project is to create andtest a prototype product using a concept developed by Rumidifier of an electric-free baseboard humidifier.Rumidifier has established a successful business based on the development, production, and distribution of a non-electricfloor vent humidifiers and identified through market research a gap in the marketplace for a baseboard humidifier. While itscurrent product is designed for floor vents, the new product concept works by utilizing the heat given off by baseboardheaters. In operations since 2011 as a Canadian controlled private corporation, Rumidifier sells its products through onlineand in-store channels such as: Home Depot, Home Hardware, Shop.ca, and Amazon.com.This research project presents several areas of expertise Niagara Research could assist with including: engineeringdesign, product development, product testing, technology development, and problem-solving. Throughthese activities, a team of research students and faculty leads will work together with the project partner,Jeri Rodrigs of Rumidifier Home Comforts Inc., to advance the technology in this field. Together, the teamwill utilize Niagara Research's leading edge equipment and computing power including the Fortus400M 3D Prototyping Machine and 3D CAD software, among others.While the current Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the idea or concept is at TRL-1, with theassistance of Niagara Research it can be brought to TRL-4. TRL-4 represents a prototype model whichhas been tested in a simulated environment. Once the prototype is ready and testing is completed, ourindustry partner will advance to the next stages of TRL and commercialize the product for online and instoresales.