Middle East Technical University President Prof. Dr. Mustafa Verşan Kök has made statements about various projects and programs carried out in the distance education process started by METU. These programs have been carried out without compromising the quality of education and within the framework of the statements made by the Higher Education Council on the measures taken against coronavirus.
Firstly, President Prof. Kök provided information about the projects and applications developed by METU academics for coronavirus pandemic. His talk about the wide variety of studies ranging from designs that can be used by healthcare workers at METU to a biological control robot is as follows: “The robot developed by the Space and Accelerator Technologies Application and Research Center (IVME-R), of which METU Physics Department faculty member Prof. Dr. Bilge Demirköz is the director, in cooperation with Elektroland, one of the defense industry companies, will be used for disinfection of closed areas without the need for human power. The robot can be controlled remotely in any area where mobile communication is possible. It aims to neutralize viruses and microorganisms with its five-liter disinfectant tank and 180-degree rotating spray device, as well as ultraviolet lamps that can work for 8 hours without interruption, and the ability to climb stairs.”
Prof. Kök said that METU Design Research and Innovation Center (METU Design Factory) produces solutions that can benefit every individual, especially healthcare professionals, during the pandemic. He stated that the aim of the project is to deliver protective products that many people can use, produce and even develop, if they want, to the healthcare personnel in the fastest way. “We produce designs such as the protection shield designed for all employees who have to work with people face to face, especially for healthcare workers working on the front lines for us, which can be produced with a single material laser cutter or, alternatively, by hand; and an apparatus that allow the door handles to be opened and lift buttons to be used untouched, as these days we are trying to reduce our contact with surfaces. We also share the production details and drawings for free at tf.metu.edu.tr,” his statement continued. He added that this project was supported by 3D printers owned by the METU Community and Science Application and Research Center.
Further, Prof. Kök drew attention to the development of an artificial intelligence-based search engine for coronavirus (Covid-19) research with the project called Carnap, which was implemented by METU Laboratory for Computational Ontology’s Assoc. Dr. Aziz Fevzi Zambak, Erdem Ünal, Onur Yeşil and Tennur Baş. Prof. Kök emphasized that this search engine is able to reach the right sources among thousands of articles and data, which are the most frequently encountered in scientific research, and to analyze them more effectively than existing systems.
Related news can be accessed via https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/bilim-teknoloji/odtuden-pandemiyle-mucadeleye-yuksek-teknolojili-robot-ve-yazilim-destegi/1801566 in Turkish and https://basinda.metu.edu.tr/.
