Two years ago, Daniel Asadi (EngSci 2T4 + PEY) and his teammates on the U of T Formula Racing Team were trying to solve a technical problem with their vehicle’s brakes — but they had no idea they were also about to kick-start a whole new model for on-campus academic-industry partnerships.
“Each year, our team builds an entirely new vehicle from scratch,” says Asadi.
“In 2022, we had just made the switch from an internal combustion vehicle to an electric one, and in 2023, we slowly started to integrate self-driving capability into the mix. That added so many new challenges, because now we had to deal with additional sensors, software and electronic actuators.”
In a traditional vehicle, brakes are powered hydraulically: when the driver pushes the pedal, the force of their foot is multiplied and transferred to the brake pads via fluid-filled hydraulic brake lines.
But in a self-driving vehicle, the brakes have to be triggered electronically by a computer, which means a simple foot pedal no longer works.
“We reached out to Deutsche Hydrapro because they are one of the world’s leading distributors of electric-over-hydraulic (EOH) brake actuators,” says Asadi.
“Pretty soon, we were talking to folks at their parent company, Aston Dynamics, who design and manufacture the braking systems.”
Asadi says that currently, the main application for EOH actuators is in trailers that require their own brakes. But as he and his team started explaining how they wanted to use them in their electric, driverless vehicle, the designers at Aston Dynamics became intrigued by possible new applications and features for the technology.
Aston Dynamics expressed interest in continuing to work with Asadi and his teammates, including Mo Taban (MechE 2T5), Clive Fellows (MechE 2T5) and Robert Hou (MechE 2T5). The only challenge: the company’s headquarters and main research facilities are in Australia.
“It would have been a pain for us to all have to relocate,” says Asadi.
“It made much more sense for us to remain in close proximity to U of T, so we could continue to draw on the expertise that we have built up with the Formula Racing Team, and the university in general.”
In 2024, the company founded a new branch, Aston Dynamics Canada. Asadi and his teammates became the first batch of employees, working part time as interns while they were still completing their undergraduate degrees.
The team set up shop at the U of T Engineering Partnerships Office at 800 Bay Street. This dynamic space aims to put companies closer to the action, enabling startups and established businesses alike to co-locate with U of T Engineering and thereby gain access to resources, facilities, talent and expertise.
“Having a common working area close to campus where we could get together was crucial,” says Asadi.
“We were one of the first companies in that space, but now there are lots of them, and we all kind of learn from each other in that big, open environment. It’s pretty clutch.”
In addition to the original interns, Aston Dynamics Canada has now hired several more U of T Engineering students and graduates through a variety of mechanisms, including internships funded by Mitacs, work terms through U of T Engineering’s Professional Experience Year Co-op program and, by offering them full-time, permanent jobs after graduation.
“The program has been very successful,” says Jennifer Murphy, Project Manager with Aston Dynamics.
“We have been able to find amazing students through the PEY Co-op program, both from the formula racing team and not. The skills and knowledge they bring to the table far exceeded our expectations, and because of their talent and drive, we have been able to bring multiple projects into the development stage in the past year.”
At Aston Dynamics Canada, the team has focused on ways to enhance and add functionality to EOH braking systems. Asadi says that these include sensors that can enable automatic adjustments of braking strength, as well as integrating GPS, data logging and Bluetooth control.
“The analogy I’d give is of going from an iPod, which is just a music player, to an iPhone, which can be used for all kinds of different things,” he says.
“This partnership allows us to work closely with talented students who bring new perspectives and problem-solving approaches that accelerate our research and development of electric-over-hydraulic braking systems,” says Murphy.
“By combining their academic innovation with our industry expertise, we’re able to explore and validate ideas we couldn’t pursue as effectively on our own.”
Asadi recently moved on from both U of T and Aston Dynamics: earlier this fall, he moved to Metzingen, Germany to take a job with Neura Robotics, which makes robotic arms, humanoid robots and several other products in the robotics space.
Still, he feels that his time with U of T provided the perfect preparation for his new career.
“The application is very different, but in my new company we use the exact same software stack as we did on the driverless vehicle,” says Asadi.
“The stuff I learned in class, and the skills I developed putting it into practice on the Formula Racing Team were all so useful. The Formula Student competition challenged me more than almost anything else, and I continue to draw on those experiences every day.”
