SBIR Phase I: Plate-scale liquid handling robotics

小型企业创新研究(SBIR)项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力将是一种新型液体处理机器人。目前，生物学研究中的大多数液体处理都是人工进行的。由于自动化系统的复杂性和高成本与手动仪器的易用性和低成本相比，自动化主要使少数工业、高吞吐量应用程序受益。然而，新的想法和发现通常发生在小得多的规模上，因此，通过可重复科学的方式，自动化所承诺的巨大影响被削弱了。该项目提供了一种易于使用的工具，价格与手动吸管持平，这可能会对世界各地的生物研究实验室产生立竿见影的积极影响。通过将可重复的方案和降低的复杂性推向市场，该项目将改变生物学家接近台式科学的方式，提高可重复性和生命科学的创新率。该SBIR第一阶段项目建议开发一个基于微型液体处理机器人的实验室液体处理自动化平台，该机器人通过一种新的语言控制以捕获生物方案。它就像一个盖在微量滴定板的顶部，它可以伴随着平板进行长达数天的程序，甚至在孵化器中也可以，并执行程序中的所有或大部分液体处理步骤。此外，随附的软件将被设计来改善板凳生物学工作的重复性和记录保存。其目标是保持精确的体积分配，同时最大限度地减少交叉污染，并在微型机器人中提供连续监测和液体管理。这将需要一个机器人在四个轴上精确移动，同时被限制在大约一杯咖啡的体积内。该软件将被设计为创建一种用于捕获生物协议的通用语言。该项目旨在提高实验室标准，并允许交流实验设计。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project will a new type of liquid-handling robot. Currently, most liquid handling in biology research is carried out manually. Due to the complexity and high cost of automated systems compared with the ease-of-use and low cost of manual instruments, automation primarily benefits a few industrial, high-throughput applications. However, new ideas and discoveries typically take place on a much smaller scale, and, thus, the tremendous impact, by way of repeatable science, promised by automation is diminished. This project provides an easy-to-use tool, priced on par with manual pipettors, which may have an immediate positive impact on biology research labs worldwide. By bringing repeatable protocols and reduced complexity to the market, this project will change the way biologists approach bench-top science, improving repeatability and the rate of innovation in the life sciences.This SBIR Phase I project proposes to develop an automation platform for laboratory liquid handling based on a miniature liquid handling robot controlled by a new language to capture biological protocols. It fits like a lid on the top of a microtiter plate, and it can accompany the plate for the duration of a days-long protocol, even in the incubator, and carry out all or most of the liquid-handling steps of the protocol. In addition, the accompanying software will be designed to improve reproducibility and record-keeping in bench biology work. The goal is to maintain precision volume dispensing while minimizing cross-contamination and providing continuous monitoring and liquid management in a miniature robot. This will require a robot moving precisely in four axes while constrained to the approximate volume of a cup of coffee. The software will be designed to create a general language for capturing biology protocols. This project aims to improve laboratory standards and allow exchange of experiment designs.