Integrated laboratory system with autonomous mobile robots
AssigneeFormulatrix International Holding Ltd.
InventorsDavid WIKHOLM, Rasmus LINDBLOM
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rover-based integrated laboratory system including autonomous mobile robots is disclosed. Namely, a rover-based integrated laboratory system is disclosed comprising a workspace; a laboratory component within the workspace, the laboratory component being adapted to perform a laboratory technique; a labware component within the workspace that is adapted to be used in the laboratory technique; and a rover component within the workspace that is operatively connected to the laboratory and the labware components, the rover component being an autonomous mobile robot.
Claims20
An automated laboratory system for liquid handling, comprising:
- (i) a workspace, comprising:
- fiducial markers forming a 2D coordinate system;
- rover component that can navigate freely across the 2D coordinate system;
- a plurality of vertically arranged levels;
- an elevator to raise and lower the rover component to each of the plurality of vertically arranged levels;
- a labware component within the workspace that comprises an RFID tag;
- and
- a laboratory technique of a pipetting operation;
- (ii) the rover component within the workspace, comprising
- an RFID reader configured to read the RFID tag on the labware component;
- one or more cameras, wherein the one or more cameras is used to identify a location of the rover component within the workspace by identification of the fiducial markers in the workspace;
- an omni-wheel based drivetrain capable of moving in any direction without turning around;
- a labware component carrier platform with capacitive sensing regions to sense presence of the labware component positioned on the labware component carrier platform;
- and
- a spatula mechanism that is adapted to transfer the labware component from the rover component to a location within the workspace;
- (iii) a fleet controller to command the rover component within the workspace to engage the labware component for the laboratory technique of the pipetting operation.
A method for an automated laboratory for liquid handling, comprising:
- (i) providing a workspace, comprising:
- fiducial markers forming a 2D coordinate system;
- an rover component that can navigate freely across the 2D coordinate system;
- a plurality of vertically arranged levels;
- an elevator to raise and lower the rover component to each of the plurality of vertically arranged levels;
- a labware component within the workspace that comprises an RFID tag;
- and
- a laboratory technique of a pipetting operation;
- (ii) engaging the rover component within the workspace, comprising:
- an RFID reader configured to read the RFID tag on the labware component;
- one or more cameras, wherein the one or more cameras is used to identify a location of the rover component within the workspace by identification of the fiducial markers in the workspace;
- an omni-wheel based drivetrain capable of moving in any direction without turning around;
- a labware component carrier platform with capacitive sensing regions to sense presence of the labware component positioned on the labware component carrier platform;
- and
- a spatula mechanism that is adapted to transfer the labware component from the rover component to a location within the workspace;
- (iii) commanding with a fleet controller the rover component within the workspace through wireless communication to perform the laboratory technique of the pipetting operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.