"Awarded to a project demonstrating engineering, geological or geophysical skills and representing a substantial contribution to technical progress and the betterment of society. The Association will give credit to those firms and/or persons assuming key roles in bringing the project to completion."

Dynastream Innovations Inc. (SpeedMax Gait Speedometer)

In August 2000, Health Canada issued a challenge to the increasing number of sedentary workers: increase their level of physical activity or suffer the inevitable consequences. Dynastream Innovations Inc., a small and innovative company in Cochrane, Alberta has already risen to this challenge in developing SpeedMax, a unique gait speedometer concept that integrates signals from miniature, foot-mounted accelerometers to yield speed and distance information to a user in real time. Such a novel concept is having immediate applications, from healthy social runners and walkers to patients undergoing rehabilitation from injury and professional and amateur athletes who need to monitor and increase their performance.

Dr. Ken Fyfe, P.Eng., developed an accurate means to determine foot angle and position, stride length and velocity using state of the art, low-cost accelerometer technology (currently used in air-bag deployment) and basic accelerometry principals. Although accelerometers are becoming more widespread, they suffer from degradation in accuracy over time. Through their research, Dynastream has developed and patented technology to fully exploit the sensors without the accuracy degradation.

Wireless transmission of SpeedMax's speed and distance information to a wrist-mounted readout to the user (while the activity was under way) resulted in the creation of the Nike techlab sdm[triax100 product. As well as providing this crucial instant information to the user, the same data also could be downloaded and further processed to provide comparison information against previous activities of that person, as well as relative to other people.

The perseverance and combined talents of Dynastream founders Kip Fyfe, P.Eng., Jim Rooney, P.Eng., Wade Bortz, Vicki Brilz, P.Eng., and Ken Fyfe, P.Eng., along with the growing staff at Dynastream, has resulted in a wireless, fully manufactureable, compact and cost-effective product with enormous applications throughout a person's development, whether healthy or undergoing rehabilitation.

SpeedMax's unprecedented accuracy stems from the actual fact that it tracks the motion of the foot through its stride. This means that in addition to the basic speed and distance features delivered in the sdm[triax100, SpeedMax's functionality allows it to generate more detailed analytical information such as stride length, foot lift and actually recreate a digital image of the foot stride. The intelligence inherent in SpeedMax will allow trainers to set limits and alarms to interact with the athlete while in motion.

Because of its multidimensional motion tracking ability, the current SpeedMax technology is being targeted for use in many health and rehabilitation applications, as well as weight management programs and prosthetic solutions.

Previous Recipients

2000 Wabasca Horizontal Well Network Drilling Project
1999 Dow Chemical Fort Saskatchewan Hydrocarbons Expansion Project
1998 The Canadian Liquefaction Experiment (CANLEX) Project
1997 European Technologies Inc. - Development of Can-Balance Automatic Balancing Technology for Rotation Equipment
1996 Canadian Water Filtration Process (D. H. Manz, P.Eng., PhD)
1995 Simon-Stanley Joint Venture and Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc.
-- New Technologies in Commercialization and Sound Environmental Practices
1994 Revolve Technologies Inc., Calgary
-- Design and Implementation of a Digital Magnetic Bearing System
1993 The University of Calgary
-- The Consortium for Research in Elastic Wave Exploration Seismology (CREWES) Project
1992 AGT Limited
-- Individual Line Service Program, 1991 Hyprotech Ltd.
-- Hysim Process Simulator, 1990 Alberta Special Waste Treatment Centre and the Town of Swan Hills
-- Design and Construction of The Alberta Special Waste Treatment Centre
1989 Award not presented
1988 NOVA Corporation of Alberta,
-- NOVA Dry Seals
1987 Esso Resources Canada Limited
-- Cold Lake Production Project
1986 Western Research, a division of Bow Valley Resource Services Ltd.
-- Sulphur Plant Instrumentation and Controls
1985 AGT Mobile Communications and NovAtel Communications Ltd.
-- AURORA Cellular Mobile Telephone System
1984 Jan Bobrowski and Partners Ltd.
-- Olympic Saddledome (Calgary) Structural Design Concept
1983 Dome Petroleum Limited
-- Artificial Island Construction in Beaufort Sea
1982 Buffalo Engineering Limited
-- Buffalo Sloped Bin Elevator
1981 Sheltech Canada
-- Doppler Satellite and Inertial Surveys
1980 City of Edmonton
-- Light Rail Transit