POSE: Phase I: Pathways to Open-Source Hardware for Laboratory Automation

科学实验是高度多样化的，需要深厚的专业知识和专业设备。虽然实验室自动化提高了科学实验的精度和效率，但科学实验并不一定存在一刀切的解决方案。创客运动为计算机控制的任务引入了开源硬件工具包，实现了低成本、可定制和可扩展的自动化技术。迄今为止，这些工具包主要用于数字制造应用，例如三维（3D）打印。然而，科学家们越来越多地为实验室自动化任务定制这些技术。该项目将把开发和使用实验室自动化开源硬件的科学家社区聚集在一起，共同合作共享，审查和维护科学和工程研究的开源硬件。开源硬件的生态系统不如开源软件的生态系统那么完善，这个项目将提供对这些新生社区的深入了解。该项目的重点是可以在不依赖集中生产和供应链的情况下生产的开源硬件。这是有意义的，因为它提高了部署这些技术的灵活性。在本项目背景下开发的协作和共同创造机制，对于面临可制造设计、分布式制造、可靠硬件和质量控制等类似挑战的其他人来说，将是有价值的。该项目将通过支持社区使用，开发和维护开源模块化自动化技术的生态系统来降低实验室自动化的障碍。这种资源可以提高实验效率/产量，提高再现性/可重复性，并加速不同学科的科学进步。通过降低成本增加获取将扩大应用空间，使更多的科学家能够利用自动化的精确性，并使自动化工具能够纳入实践教育课程。该项目的详细信息可在http://depts.washington.edu/machines/scienceautomation上获得，包括当前开源硬件技术的链接和加入对话的方式。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Scientific experiments are highly varied and require deep domain expertise and specialized equipment. Although, laboratory automation increases precision and the efficiency of science experiments, a one-size-fits-all solution does not necessarily exist for science experiments. The Maker Movement has introduced open-source hardware toolkits for computer-controlled tasks, enabling low-cost, customizable, and extensible technologies for automation. These toolkits have so far predominantly been used for digital fabrication applications such as three dimensional (3D) printing. However, these technologies are increasingly customized by scientists for laboratory automation tasks. This project will bring a community of scientists developing and using open-source hardware for laboratory automation together to collaborate on ways of sharing, vetting, and maintaining open source hardware for science and engineering research. Ecosystems for open-source hardware are less well established than their open-source software counterparts -- this project will provide insight into these nascent communities. This project focuses on open-source hardware that can be produced without relying on centralized production and supply chains. This is of interest as it improves the flexibility with which these technologies can be deployed. The collaboration and co-creation mechanisms that will be developed in the context of this project will be valuable to others facing similar challenges stemming from fabricatable designs, distributed manufacturing, trustworthy hardware, and quality control. This project will lower the barrier to laboratory automation by supporting a community using, developing, and maintaining an ecosystem of open-source modular automation technologies. This resource may increase experimental efficiency/yield, improve reproducibility/repeatability, and accelerate scientific progress across different disciplines. Increased access through lower costs will broaden the application space, enabling a larger number of scientists to take advantage of the precision of automation and enabling automation tools to be included in hands-on educational curricula. Details of the project are available at http://depts.washington.edu/machines/scienceautomation including links to current open-source hardware technologies and ways to join the conversation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.