A Universal Micromanipulation Robot for Crystallography

描述(由申请人提供)：理性药物发现和结构基因组学领域研究步伐的加快，产生了对高效、高通量晶体自动化的迫切需求。虽然已经开发了各种用于结晶设置的自动化设备，但在晶体收获领域仍然存在限制产量的瓶颈。Square One Systems Design提出了一种模块化、多功能的机器人系统，能够解决这些剩余的过程瓶颈。这种通用微操作机器人(UMR)基于创新的关节臂设计，具有执行复杂任务的精度和灵活性，这些任务到目前为止还无法实现自动化。末端执行器的交换能力将赋予单个机器人收获晶体、应用低温缓冲器和配体、执行播种操作以及将低温别针转移到浸入液氮的储存盒中的能力。在第一阶段，Square One计划与劳伦斯·利弗莫尔国家实验室(LLNL)的大分子结晶学和结构基因组组合作开展一项应用研究计划，以确定通用微操作机器人的可行性。操纵者将接受评估。将为所选的机械手创建控制体系结构，使UMR既可以自主操作，也可以作为人类操作员的扩展。将设计、制造和测试特定于任务的末端效应器。现有的机器视觉工具将得到改进。第一阶段将最终创建一个功能性UMR原型，并将在LLNL进行测试。如果成功，这一第一阶段的工作将成为在第二阶段开发具有扩展功能的商业性普遍医疗保险的基础。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The accelerating pace of research in the fields of rational drug discovery and structural genomics has created an acute need for efficient, high throughput crystallography automation. While a variety of automated equipment has been developed for crystallization setup, throughput-limiting bottlenecks still exist in the area of crystal harvesting. Square One Systems Design proposes a modular, multi-function robotic system capable of addressing these remaining process bottlenecks. This Universal Micromanipulation Robot (UMR) is predicated on an innovative, articulating arm design that has the precision and dexterity to perform complex tasks that until now have been impractical to automate. An end-effectors exchange capability will grant a single robot the ability to harvest crystals, apply cryobuffers and ligands, perform seeding operations and transfer cryo-pins into storage cassettes submerged in liquid nitrogen. During Phase I, Square One plans to conduct an applied research program in cooperation with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) Macromolecular Crystallography and Structural Genomics Group in order to establish the feasibility of the Universal Micromanipulation Robot. Manipulators will be evaluated. A controls architecture will be created for the manipulator of choice that will allow the UMR to operate both autonomously and as an extension of a human operator. Task-specific end-effectors will be designed, built and tested. Existing machine vision tools will be refined. Phase I will culminate in the creation of a functional UMR prototype that will be tested at LLNL. If successful, this Phase I effort will serve as the basis for the development of a commercial UMR with expanded functional capabilities during Phase II.