CTV News Feature By Vanessa Wright
Published: October 07, 2026 at 9:46a.m. EDT
A group of students and community members took part in Dalhousie Demo Day, as part of Dal Innovation Week.
“It’s a week where we celebrate and feature all of the programs within Dal that are working on entrepreneurship, innovation and research. We get out into the different parts of campus to showcase and share with the community,” says Talis Apud-Martinez, director of the Idea Hub.
Brad Smith is the creator of Surf Robotics and says he was able to build an underwater robot through the Idea Hub program.
“This robot is sort of a taxi for underwater sensors. We’re trying to simplify access to the digital ocean,” says Smith. “We can use the same sensors that a lot of these larger companies can use, and we’re able to do that in a much simpler way.”
He says Tuesday’s event has given his start-up the boost it needs.
“This is a great way for us to kind of promote the tool and promote the company. Dal has a really large oceanographic community. We’ve talked to a few folks who are interested, but it’s really it’s great exposure for us.”
Rabjot Kaur is the founder of PetBuddy, an AI enabled dog collar.
“It tracks different health metrics, like health activities, sleep, rest, heart rate,” says Kaur. “Think of it like an Apple watch but for pets. It’s basically like a better way to monitor your dog’s health and keep track of their wellness.”
She says she’s already secured $10,000 for research and the prototype.
“I definitely believe that this is really good exposure. We might run into some opportunities that might get us some funding. You never know.”
The founders also took part in a pitch competition.
“Students and researchers get to share their ideas for different tech products, ai products, and physical products with the community, and there’s prizes and there’s just an opportunity to celebrate all their hard work,” says Apud-Martinez.
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