SUSTAINABLE MOBILE RESEARCH TESTBED (SMRT) Project

The Sustainable Mobile Research Testbed (SMRT) project is an exciting, forward-thinking student initiative that applies sustainable engineering design principles to some of the most pressing issues in communities worldwide. These issues include access to affordable housing, clean energy, and safe drinking water.

Our vision is long-term, but our need is immediate. We have been collaborating with engineers and architects from Builders Without Borders (BWB) to design mobile homes for BC communities in need.

This first prototype of the SMRT project is crucial to developing a robust design that we can test and improve further. It will be built on the UBC Vancouver campus which is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceeded land of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people.

Sustaingineering's SMRT project allows our subteams to implement their Core System projects in a real-world application through the modular design of the Tiny Home. These systems include: Solar-Powered Water Pump, 3G Remote Monitoring, Small-Scale Wind Turbine, Rainwater Harvesting, and Hybrid Energy Management System.

Our vision is to share our designs with communities in need – globally – and this critical testing iteration will ensure that our future Tiny Homes can be modified for different applications.