Within the framework of the Fourth Industrial Revolution technology, South Ural State (National Research) University (SUSU) is now implementing a range of promising student projects, with one of them being "smart home," a smart grid-based energy efficient system, the university’s press service reports.
The smart home is an innovative type of housing characterized not only by the efficient consumption of energy (including electricity, heating and water) but also by being well-designed in terms of aesthetics and a comfortable interior and landscape design.
"The smart home system includes a wide range of components: renewable energy source-based power generating components, such as wind and solar power stations and so forth, energy-saving devices, such as smart meters and sockets and LED lighting, and other devices including smartphones and home component remotes, and also software," professor Yevgeny Solomin said.
Project-based training at SUSU is based on an interdisciplinary approach: to implement a project, a team of students from different programs, with varying levels of training, is formed. At first, there were a total of five master's degree students participating in the development of "smart home" system components. In the course of six months, the number of participants has increased to 17. Now, the list includes foreign students, with three Chinese and two Iraqi students participating.
"This project is cutting-edge and promising; it is in great demand commercially, and is of interest to any age, gender or level of training, since developments on the power supply and devices can be applied in the participants' own homes," said Sergei Vaulin, Director of SUSU’s Institute of Engineering and Technology.
Apart from smart home, SUSU students and researchers are now working on other smart-tech related projects including a mobile power generating complex-based energy supply system, a flywheel energy storage based smart battery, and a smart courtyard that features a parking lot equipped with car detection sensors, a courtyard surveillance system and a smart speed bump based power generating system.
