AI-generated illustration

University students in Hatay who were affected by the earthquakes of 6 February 2023 have developed an AI-powered device that measures the condition of building columns, aiming to prevent loss of life in future disasters.

The team, formed by students and their professor at Iskenderun Technical University, won second place in the Smart Cities and Transportation category at TEKNOFEST and is now continuing to develop the device at the university's technopark.

A team formed after the earthquakes

Prof. Dr. Abdulla Sakallı, head of the Industrial Engineering Department at Iskenderun Technical University (ISTE), lost a home to damage in the earthquakes of 6 February. After the disaster, Sakallı brought together students who had also been affected by the quakes: Akın Tanrıverdi, Abdulsamed Önder, Ali Attar, Berk Kılınç and Vahit Can Ezircan. Together they set up a group called the ISTEM Team.

The group decided to design a project that could measure the strength of building columns in order to prevent deaths in future earthquakes. Under Sakallı's guidance, the students developed an AI-supported device named AURACORE that measures the moisture level, tension and bending of columns and the strength of concrete.

Second place at TEKNOFEST

The students entered the project in TEKNOFEST, held at Şanlıurfa GAP Airport from 30 September to 4 October, and took second place in the Smart Cities and Transportation category. They are continuing to work on the device at the technopark run by the university.

Second-year industrial engineering student Akın Tanrıverdi said the team was happy to place second. Tanrıverdi was in Adana when the earthquakes centred on Kahramanmaraş struck and lost five relatives.

Continuous monitoring of load-bearing systems

Sakallı, the project adviser, told an AA reporter that the device was built to prevent loss of life during disasters. It measures fatigue, corrosion and rising moisture in load-bearing systems, then uses artificial intelligence to calculate fatigue and deformation coefficients and report the building's current condition to the relevant people. According to Sakallı, the data can show whether a building might collapse without an earthquake, which direction it would fall in, and the state of risky supporting columns, so that officials can begin a decision-making process.

Tanrıverdi said the device provides continuous monitoring and gathers data at all times. Buildings can be affected by rain, damp and humidity, and that moisture leads to corrosion, Tanrıverdi said. When a change appears in a load-bearing column, the device detects it automatically, assigns a risk level, determines the urgency or the time available for repairs, and sends a warning.

Sakallı said the prototype was built together with the students to spare others the suffering of 6 February. "Our main goal is the construction of earthquake-resistant cities," Sakallı said, adding that the hope was to take precautions before a quake through such smart cities and minimise its losses.

Integration with emergency authorities

Fourth-year student Ali Attar, who was in Samandağ district during the 6 February earthquake and lost 15 relatives, said the device could also identify the condition of buildings that collapse or sustain damage after an earthquake if it were integrated with authorised bodies such as AFAD.

Key takeaways

• Students affected by the 6 February 2023 earthquakes formed the ISTEM Team with Prof. Dr. Abdulla Sakallı at Iskenderun Technical University.
• Their AI-supported device, AURACORE, measures column moisture, tension, bending and concrete strength.
• The project won second place in TEKNOFEST's Smart Cities and Transportation category, held at Şanlıurfa GAP Airport.
• The device continuously monitors load-bearing systems and sends warnings when it detects change and a risk level.