Quake survivors develop rescue drone

Two student groups, who had experienced the Van earthquakes in 2011 and the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes in February, embarked on an innovative search and rescue mission project by developing a drone, drawing from their personal encounters.

Establishing a team known as "Robotec," the students designed a state-of-the-art drone named "Depron," derived from the fusion of the Turkish words for earthquake and drone. This remarkable drone encompasses a mobile data transfer system, enabling the sharing of vital data from disaster zones with hospitals and relevant authorities.

Featuring a software that can produce audible sounds for those trapped beneath rubble, the device also boasts a lighting system to facilitate nighttime operations.

As part of the project, earthquake survivors extricated from the debris will be documented and reported to the appropriate medical facilities, while the drone's batteries will be charged using solar energy.

Beyza Konuker, who found herself caught up in the February earthquakes in the southern province of Adıyaman, explained that she initiated this endeavor due to the deficiencies she witnessed during search and rescue operations.

Şuhedanur Halat, another quake survivor, said, "I began this project because of the shortcomings I observed during search and rescue operations, leading to many unfortunate fatalities due to delayed responses."

The earthquakes that occurred on Oct. 23 and Nov. 9, 2011, resulted in the tragic loss of 644 lives in Van.

The Feb. 6 earthquakes in the country's south claimed the lives of more than 50,000 people.