Canada is known for its history of innovation. In 1874, the telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell. That was followed by Universal Standard Time in 1883 and the Insulin in 1922, leading up to more recent inventions like the electric wheelchair to help war veterans or the wonderbra to lift women’s spirits, and breasts. The Canadarm was the first of its kind to deploy, maneuver, and capture payloads in space.
As the pandemic continues and frays, the shift towards digital technology becomes more acute than ever. Canadian tech companies realize the need to make advances and build better systems. Advances occur daily, and with the onset of AI and expertise in health and clean technologies, Canada is confronting everything that matters from climate change to interpersonal relations.
Here are 3 new technologies that are shifting the way we interact, live, and work.
Resumes are out, personalities are in: The dream job route made easier
Traditional hiring tactics that depend on pieces of paper with a prospect’s qualifications are things of the past. Recruiting is less randomized now with a company called Plum, which uses psychological strategies to assess an applicant’s value by analyzing their personality traits, social intelligence, and problem-solving skills. Plum takes the guesswork out of hiring by building a bridge between open opportunities and the best-fitting candidates for any position. Plum takes into account a prospective employee’s preferences and goals–people hired through the platform are more likely to succeed in their matched job than prospects picked with resumes. Plum is also an equal-opportunity third-party, meaning they don’t take into account factors like race, gender, and disability status. They rely on a mission of fairness and equality.
The future lies in cricket farming: AI as a growth tool
In London, Ontario, Aspire Food Group is making waves, or should we say cricket calls, by building the world’s largest cricket farming facility. The plant aims to produce 12,000 metric tons of food-grade crickets annually, with the aid of sensors and artificial intelligence to maintain a positive growth atmosphere.
The crickets bred here will be turned into nutritious powders for humans to eat, like their Loblaws protein bar. There are also pet foods on the market with crickets that aim to reduce the carbon footprint of animals.
The company’s co-founder is Mohammed Ashour, and he believes that insects will need to become a part of human diets if we are to build a sustainable growing planet. Alternative proteins are on the rise as climate change’s threat looms larger every year.
Open-Sourced Public Research: The First Quantum Computer
Anyon Systems, a Canadian quantum computing company located in Montreal, is gearing up to launch Canada’s first quantum computer for public research. It will go to Calcul Quebec, a top-performance computing center involved in the Digital Research Alliance of Canada.
The new quantum computer will be integrated into a high-performance computing infrastructure, called Narval. Quantum computing is a relatively new and rapidly evolving technology that takes quantum mechanics and solves complex problems that average computers can’t. This will have major impacts on national security and a wide array of industries.
Overall
Focused on harnessing the global potential for clean energy, smoother work operations, and solving difficult problems, Canada’s latest tech is only increasing in innovation and knowledge, outpacing the rest of the world.
