Tongji students play a part in quake relief efforts

Later that day, a seven-strong research and development team was set up.

Bai and Zhang, both of whom live in Shanghai, were responsible for purchasing and assembling of the power box, while their other teammates contributed ideas to the design and compiled the equipment instructions and usage manuals in Chinese and English. They also helped to communicate with the Turkish representative for donations.

The team later realized it was also necessary to include a usage manual in Turkish. To create this manual, they sought the help of an international student from Turkmenistan who is proficient in Turkish.

Though portable power boxes are readily available in the market, Bai said the power box they have created is different as they are tailor-made for the situation — the power, capacity, size and other parameters were determined based on the sunshine conditions in Turkiye and Syria and current disaster relief needs.

The portable power box created by the team weighs around 15 kg and is equipped with a 10-watt LED light bulb that can provide 30 to 40 hours of lighting on a single charge.