Türkiye AI & Robotics for Disaster Relief
- Following teh 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Syria and Türkiye two years ago, killing over 55,000 and displacing millions, researchers and students are leveraging AI and robotics to improve...
- The grant supplied 100 NVIDIA Jetson Nano Developer Kits and $50,000 in funding to eight awardees.
- This initiative complements the more than $1.9 million in donations from NVIDIA employees and company matching funds that supported earthquake victims.
Following the devastating earthquake in Türkiye, AI and robotics are being deployed to bolster disaster relief efforts. NVIDIA grants,in collaboration with the Bridge to Türkiye Fund,are supporting innovative initiatives across the region. These projects, ranging from advanced search-and-rescue robots to sophisticated pathogen screening tools, are reshaping disaster response strategies. University students gain hands-on experience, building crucial skills in simultaneous localization, mapping, and other vital areas. The impact is profound, as researchers leverage NVIDIA technologies for a faster and more effective reaction. News Directory 3 recognizes the importance of these advancements, highlighting how technology can save lives.Discover what’s next for these innovative solutions.
AI and Robotics Aid Turkey Earthquake Recovery Efforts
Updated June 4, 2025
Following teh 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Syria and Türkiye two years ago, killing over 55,000 and displacing millions, researchers and students are leveraging AI and robotics to improve disaster response in the region. NVIDIA, in collaboration with the Bridge to Türkiye Fund, provided a Disaster Response Innovation and Education Grant to support these efforts.
The grant supplied 100 NVIDIA Jetson Nano Developer Kits and $50,000 in funding to eight awardees. These resources have fueled projects focused on AI-powered inspection, search and rescue, and robotics education. Grant recipients have trained robots for search-and-rescue, developed tools for pathogen screening, and launched programming courses at Turkish universities.
This initiative complements the more than $1.9 million in donations from NVIDIA employees and company matching funds that supported earthquake victims. Harun Bayraktar, senior director of libraries engineering at NVIDIA, emphasized the company’s commitment to making a difference and saving lives. Bayraktar and Berra Kara, a senior GPU power architect, both natives of Türkiye, led the grant program to promote disaster response awareness and expertise in AI and robotics.
Researchers Build Unmanned Ground vehicle for Search and Rescue
At Ankara University, researchers created a modular unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) for post-earthquake search-and-rescue. The UGV, equipped with thermal and RGB-D cameras and an NVIDIA Jetson Nano Developer Kit, scans environments in 3D and detects thermal activity to locate potential survivors safely. Mehmet Cem Çatalbaş, an associate professor at Ankara University, noted that NVIDIA’s program accelerated their research, transforming an innovative concept into a life-saving solution.
Hacettepe University integrated NVIDIA Jetson Nano Developer Kit-based projects into its computer engineering courses to teach students simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) and other robotics skills. Students built “Duckiebots” with SLAM capabilities, simulating paths and operations for robots that could navigate collapsed buildings or fires to find and rescue people.
Researchers Enable Fast Pathogen screening in Disaster-Stricken Areas
Bilkent University researchers developed a mini supercomputer cluster using NVIDIA Jetson nano Developer Kits for rapid metagenomic analysis. This portable cluster can be deployed in disaster areas to quickly identify pathogens in water and food sources, preventing disease outbreaks. The team used the Cuclark library for metagenomic classification, enabling fast and accurate DNA screening.
University Students Learn the Fundamentals of AI and Embedded Systems
The Izmir Institute of Technology used NVIDIA Jetson Nano devices, CUDA, and NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute teaching kits to teach nearly 80 undergraduates the fundamentals of AI, accelerated computing, and robotics. Işıl Öz, an assistant professor at the university, stated that this hands-on experience makes learning more engaging and effective for the next generation of innovators.
“After the earthquake, we didn’t want to be bystanders. We wanted to invest our time and efforts to make a difference and save lives next time.”
What’s next
The ongoing projects and educational initiatives are expected to further enhance Turkey’s disaster preparedness and response capabilities,fostering a new generation of experts in AI and robotics.