AUTOMATION OF THE MICROPIPETTE PROCESS USING THE CRS A255 ROBOT Lim Wei Liang Samuel, Marcelo H.

Ang Jr. Abstract This project aimed to investigate the feasibility of using the CRS A255 robot to automate the micropipette process. This was done by simulating the process in the laboratory using the robot, micropipette and other necessary equipment. It was found that, with a few extensions, the A255 is perfectly capable in this area, although it is perhaps not as cost-efficient as other commercial solutions available today. Also, at higher speeds, the nature of this 5-axis robot makes its movement slightly unpredictable. This is a potential safety hazard and should be taken into account when evaluating the overall effectiveness of the robot. Introduction Micropipettes are widely used in many laboratory experiments. They are of particular use in transferring small quantities of solutions and chemicals from one point to another, when the substance involved has to be measured out with a reasonable amount of precision. Occasionally, when many sets of a certain quantity of a substance are required for a particular experiment, the process of measuring out these sets can be repetitive and time-consuming. This investigation aims to research the feasibility of alleviating this problem through automation of the micropipette process using the CRS A255, an industrial robotic arm. The robot used in this investigation was equipped with a Servo Gripper, also produced by CRS Robotics. 1. Setup The robotic arm was setup as shown in Fig. 1, with the robot base located at area A. The supply of micropipette tips was placed at area B and the disposal area for used tips is at area E. The source solution is situated at area C and the target area is area D. The robotic arm has a power source and is controlled through the use of a touch pendant (not shown in figure) and robot program. According to specifications provided with the A255, it is capable of payloads up to 2 kilograms and is also able to reach all areas within our workspace, making it suitable for our purposes.

Fig. 1

The A255s Servo Gripper, unfortunately, was not equipped with a device that would enable it to depress the adjusting knob and tip ejector of the micropipette at the appropriate times. As such, it was necessary to design an extension for the robotic arm to achieve this end. This extension consisted of two solenoids to be mounted above the servo gripper and controlled via the robots controller and touch pendant. When activated, the solenoids would be able to operate, separately, both the adjusting knob and the tip ejector of the micropipette. It should be noted, however, that this extension was not actually built, as the solenoids available in the laboratory were insufficiently strong to carry out this function, as were other solenoids that were readily available commercially. SRP student, Anglo-Chinese Junior College Adviser, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore

2. Process & Programming The automation process is relatively simple. The micropipette is first calibrated to the desired volume. The servo gripper is then used to hold it firmly in place. We can then begin the automatic sequence pre-programmed into the controller through the touch pendant (Fig. 2) . In this process, the A255 will first take the micropipette to area B, where a set of disposable pipette tips will be available (Fig. 3). It will then proceed to plunge the micropipette into the source, thus causing the disposable tip to adhere to the micropipette. Following this, robotic arm will rise up once more and swivel to position C, where it will gently immerse the micropipette tip in the source solution. The solenoid controlling the adjusting knob will then be activated and the knob will be depressed momentarily, causing the micropipette to draw in the required volume of solution. Following this, the robotic arm will, once again swivel to bring the micropipette to area D, the target area. Here, the appropriate solenoid will once again be activated to eject the absorbed solution into a suitable container.

Fig. 2: Touch Pendant

Fig. 3: Robot and Controller

Finally, the robotic arm proceeds to the disposal area for used pipette tips and the second solenoid is activated to eject the used pipette tip. The used pipette tips are all collected together here for easy disposal and the process begins once more for the required number of repetitions. There are a number of details about the research process that should be noted. To begin with, the micropipette used in this experiment was ergonomically designed and thus crafted to the contours of the human hand (Fig. 4). As such, the gripper initially experienced some difficulty in firmly grasping the micropipette in question. This was overcome by constructing a structure around the micropipette with a regular, rectangular shape, thus providing the gripper with a steady hold on the micropipette. The adjusting knob of the micropipette also had two separate levels to which it could be depressed, to ensure that all the liquid in tip had been completely ejected. A design incorporating a number of solenoids operating both independently and in conjunction with one another enabled this to be done. The A255 was programmed through the touch pendant and using RAPL-II, a programming language specially designed for its robots by CRS robotics.

Fig. 4 Micropipette (with parts labeled) 3. Results & Conclusions The robotic arm, in a simulation conducted in the laboratory, successfully carried through the process, going through all the stages described earlier. Although the robot was shown to be capable of carrying out the procedure, we also have to consider other relevant factors in our research. These include the efficiency, safety, ease of setup and operation, and cost effectiveness of the system. Regarding efficiency, the A255 is capable of rather rapid movement, as such, it is able to execute given instructions with acceptable speed. However, when the robot is operating at higher speeds, the issue of safety comes into question. A rapidly moving robotic arm is potentially dangerous and, should a mishap occur, it could cause serious injury or damage to equipment. A solution therefore would be to operate the robot at lower speeds or, alternatively to avoid using a robot with a jointed spherical design and to use one with an altogether different structural design which would have much more visibly predictable paths of movement. The system employed in this experiment is reasonably easy to operate once it has been properly setup, the process of setting up the equipment is also relatively simple. The equipment does take up quite a large amount of space though, and this should be brought into consideration. The A255 is a versatile small articulated robot and is capable of performing many different functions. As such, in terms of cost, it is not the most suitable choice for our purposes. A specialized, custom-built robot for this purpose would certainly be available for a lower price. To summarise, the micropipette process was successfully automated in my research, after programming the main robot and designing necessary extensions to the robot. It was found, however, that there are more cost effective solutions to the problem available commercially. 4. References: William C. Burns Jr. and Janet Evans Worthington. 1986. Practical Robotics: systems, interfacing and applications. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall