Smart Vending Machines dispense school projects—or any type of product—in retail locations

SMRT1 Technologies, in partnership with Midas Fab Labs has created a learning system that is easy and fun.

There are currently 6 Brain STEM Toolboxes set to roll out to BC schools in September. — Photo courtesy SMRT1 Technologies

British Columbia is leading the country by focusing its educational programming on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects. Teachers have to keep on top of the subject matter, students have to learn quickly and parents with little spare time need to support their children towards success. Bbut how does a parent get the components for a robotic school project? SMRT1 Technologies, in partnership with Midas Fab Labs has created a learning system that makes all of this easy and fun. The Brain STEM Toolbox gives students access to the project components right in the school.

There are currently 6 Brain STEM Toolboxes set to roll out to BC schools in September. Teachers who are already using the learning modules and projects are excited to have in-school access, allowing students to get working on projects immediately.

• Projects have enticing names like “Python Tutorials” and “Raspberry Pi 3”, have online learning modules that support the teacher and the student while honouring different learning styles.
• Post Secondary schools are increasingly shifting their criteria for selection away from grades and towards what the student has experienced or produced prior to application.
• Retail operators can use the Brain STEM Toolbox to have pop-up retail locations customized for their product line at a cost of less than $10,000.
• The name “SMRT1 is a homage to the iconic TV show the Simpsons and a nod to the shift away from defining educational success as “needing an A”.

“Refurbished vending machines are retro-fitted with our custom hardware which uses machine learning to interact with the student to help them choose the right project. It also allows a digital wallet to pay for the project which is then dispensed.  It was the best way I could think of to get the projects that pair with the online learning modules close to the students and the teachers. The Brain STEM Toolbox can shape-shift to have application to a wide variety of micro-niche retail sectors,” said Brad Pommen President of SMRT1 Technologies.

“As a teacher, I love using these tools to now guide the learning process instead of delivering the information myself. I will stand back and let a student struggle to work through a project as long as I see them trying different approaches and continuing to learn from their set-backs,” said Mike Page, Grade 5 teacher.

Event: SMRT1 Brain STEM Toolbox Preview at BC Tech Summit
Timing: May 14-16, 2018
Location: Vancouver Convention Centre, 1055 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC

About SMRT1 Technologies:

SMRT1 Technologies is a Nelson BC-based technology company specializing in solutions that are a fusion of 3d interactive learning, social marketing and instant product sales. Our kiosk uses a standard vending snack machine, 49” commercial touchscreen and custom hardware/software to connect the consumer to our branded experiences. Our system is also technology agnostic, meaning it connects the customer on any device, from handheld, tablet, computer or kiosk. We work directly with the education system, the payment processor Nayax to track interactions through a digital wallet, and our infrastructure can scale immediately to millions of machines on cloud-based, server-less technologies. For even further consumer potential, our system has machine learning components to provide a “recommendation engine” which assists with custom learning paths and consumer social engagement.