Industrial Research

Through strong collaborations and dedicated research, UBC Mechanical Engineering has helped overcome many challenging problems in the field, paving the way for innovative solutions that set new standards for modern mechanical systems.

A Safer Hockey Helmet

Helios Global Technology Ltd. is collaborating with the Orthopaedic and Injury Biomechanical Group and the STAR initiative (UBC Okanagan) to develop a hockey helmet that reduces the severity of impacts to the head.

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Lower-cost Stroke Rehabilitation

Dr. Van Der Loos and his team in the CARIS Lab are creating novel rehabilitation methods for stroke and cerebral palsy using social media frameworks and low-cost robotic devices.

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Energy Reduction in Mechanical Pulping

The Advanced Fibre Processing Lab is collaborating with fourteen pulp and paper industry partners and NSERC CRD to develop a 5-year, $4 million program to reduce total pulp and paper energy consumption by at least 20%.

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Industrial Robot – Human Interaction

General Motors is collaborating with Dr. Croft and her team in the CARIS Lab to improve interaction between industrial robots and employees on GM’s door assembly line. The project is supported by NSERC CRD & NSERC Discovery grants.

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Improving Train Wheel Lifespan

LB Foster is collaborating with Dr. Phani and his team to decrease the lifetime maintenance costs of train wheels and tracks.

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Affordable, Painless Microneedles

The Stoeber Lab is collaborating with dermatological and pharmaceutical science researchers at UBC to develop a painless microneedle patch that will cost only 10 cents apiece.

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Implantable Drug Delivery Devices

QLT Inc. has collaborated with the Microsystems and Nanotechnology Group and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science to develop the proof of concept for an on-demand, battery-less MEMS drug delivery device.

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Reducing Train Fuel Consumption & Noise

Kelsan Technologies Corp. is collaborating with the Applied Fluid Mechanics Lab to develop a non-Newtonian spray to decrease train track friction and wheel noise. The research is funded by Kelsan and NSERC CRD.

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Next-Generation HDPI in Diesel Engines

Westport Innovation Inc. is collaborating with the Kirchen Research Group to improve Westport’s unique High Pressure Direct Injection device, which allows diesel engines to run on 90% natural gas with no loss in performance.

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Optimization of Wing Airflow Simulations

In collaboration with the US Air Force, Virginia Tech, and ANSYS Canada, Dr. Ollivier-Gooch’s team is developing methods to compute more accurate and reliable results for complex aerodynamics problems.

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