Young inventor develops gadgets for overseas Chinese students' safety
By Terry Guanlin Li
People's Daily app
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Ma delivering a speech at his national tour. (Photo from Tizi Technology's weibo)

Ma Jiarui, daunted by the idea of a loved one becoming a victim of an accident or crime, decided to help his friends and other international students by creating a credit card-sized device which allows its user to contact law enforcement agents.

Ma, who is an international Chinese student studying at Columbia University, developed the device with a team and named it Tizi Technology Mini Black Card, according to Huanqiu.com.

“Tomorrow and accidents, which comes first?” Ma said over WeChat. “If possible, please don’t let yourself be the one being hurt.”

The Mini Black Card, which was announced for presale on May 29, features a one-click SOS function to let its user quickly reach out to law enforcement agents whenever necessary. 

The device can also be paired with a mobile phone and use global positioning technology to gather detailed information to assist with police investigations.

Ma said his hope is for the Mini Black Card to become the safety protection hotline for all international students.

Ma is deeply dedicated to his invention and his studies, splitting his time between being a graduate school freshman and getting his project online. He makes monthly trips between China and the US to accomplish both of his goals. Working, studying, and preparing business materials during his airplane trips have become a habit for Ma.

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The Mini Black Card production photo (Photo from Tizi Technology's weibo)

Ma’s inspiration for safety

Several years ago, Ma experienced a temporary loss of communication with his sister while she was studying abroad. When Ma saw his parents worrying about his sister, he decided to do something that would benefit the safety of international students like his sibling. 

After applying for graduate school, Ma gathered a team and started working on the Mini Black Card project. 

“I emailed many university principals and told them about the safety issues Chinese international students had while staying overseas,” Ma said. “I proposed our smart hardware to them and hoped we could cooperate to solve the issues.” 

Ma first contacted Columbia University’s principal on the subject and received a positive response not only from the school’s administration but also the campus’ security department.

Ma said he was encouraged to continue his work after receiving his positive reception from Columbia University – and worked to quickly discuss his invention with several other schools. 

Within one year of his initial proposal, Ma ended up connecting with 167 universities across several countries including the US, UK, and Canada.