Project Details
Projekt
Mobile Laboratory Robot System
Subject Area
Systems Engineering
Term
Funded in 2021
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 491224713
The automation of processes in the life sciences is becoming more and more important due to increasing cost pressure and a steadily increasing number of samples. While extensive concepts for full automation have already been developed / implemented in the field of automation of biological screening processes, the automation of numerous classic laboratory processes, in particular the necessary sample preparation processes, is still in its infancy. Classic laboratory processes usually consist of a large number of sub-processes. In addition, very different samples with different target substances and methods, ranging from material synthesis to element and structure specific analysis as well as enzymatic and cellular assays to product-oriented quality control processes, often have to be processed.Automation lines for fully automatic processing of the samples are more likely to be found in the areas of specialized processing of large numbers of samples with identical targets, such as in the automatic analyzers known from diagnostics.Typical laboratories and the research and development area will continue to be spatially and functionally distributed systems consisting of several sub-stations with different degrees of automation. The transport of samples / labware between the systems to be operated is carried out by the laboratory staff in a classic manual way of working. This limits a 24/7 operation or requires a considerable amount of additional personnel to implement it.The mobile laboratory robot system applied for takes this into account and is designed as a hybrid robot platform and as a distributed system with 3 mobile transport robots and 4 interface robots, which enable the system integration of workstations with different degrees of complexity and automation. (Existing workstations and interface robots in the laboratories of the applicant should also be adapted to the mobile laboratory robot system). The laboratory robot system to be procured enables the parallel processing of several different workflows. The overall system is controlled and parameterized by a hierarchically structured workflow management system, so that a common resource management is possible for all workflows, which in particular takes into account the automation-induced increase in efficiency for the extremely cost-intensive analytical measurement technology.The mobile laboratory robot system is based on already established and robust robot technology with regard to all subcomponents and forms the central element of a fully automated laboratory complex and the research activities in the ERC Synergy Grant Autonomous Development of Advanced Materials (ERC 856405) and other related research projects.
DFG Programme
Major Research Instrumentation
Major Instrumentation
Mobiles Laborrobotersystem
Instrumentation Group
2320 Greif- und Hebewerkzeuge, Verladeeinrichtungen
Applicant Institution
Universität Rostock
