Robotic arm interface assembly and vitrification freezing system for automated microfluidic operations

Abstract

The present invention discloses a robotic arm interface assembly, including a robotic arm interface and a matching piece used therewith; the robotic arm interface includes a first base and a first seal; the first base is provided with a first connection surface, a second connection surface and a liquid communication channel, and the first connection port and the first seal of the liquid communication channel are both provided on the first connection surface; the first seal is a sealing ring, the caliber of which is equal to the caliber of the liquid communication channel and is coaxially arranged with the liquid communication channel; the matching piece includes a second base and a second seal. The present invention can be used in conjunction with a robotic arm gripper to realize the automated grasping and releasing of microfluidic chips, thereby realizing automated microfluidic operations. Furthermore, the present invention also discloses a vitrification freezing system having the robotic arm interface assembly, which can not only achieve the precise and adjustable generation of a continuous liquid concentration gradient, but can also be well used for high-throughput vitrification freezing and thawing of biological samples.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of biological sample micromanipulation, and in particular relates to a robotic arm interface component and a vitrification freezing system for realizing automated microfluidic operation. Background Art

[0002] Cryopreservation of biological samples typically involves preserving living organisms in liquid nitrogen at ultra-low temperatures (minus 196 degrees Celsius) to maintain their activity after thawing. Cryopreservation technology is currently widely used for the long-term storage of cells, tissues, and organs and has achieved breakthroughs in many fields, such as assisted reproduction (freezing of eggs, sperm, and embryos) and stem cell freezing. Vitrification involves rapidly freezing cells at ultra-low temperatures (cooling at a rate of approximately 10,000 degrees Celsius per minute) by adding a high concentration of freezing fluid, forming an irregular, glass-like solid and avoiding the formation of ice crystals during the freezing process. Due to its rapid freezing rate and minimal cell damage (no ice crystals), vitrification rapid freezing is currently the most commonly used cryopreservation technology. However, a major difficulty with vitrification is that cells are exposed to high concentrations of freezing fluid, which is chemically toxic to cells. To solve this problem, a common solution is to gradually change the buffer solution and freezing solution with a concentration gradient for the cells, allowing the cells to gradually contact and adapt to the freezing solution with concentrations from low to high to slowly achieve a balance between internal and external osmotic pressures and reduce chemical toxicity.

[0003] There are currently two main ways to change cell fluids, one is manual fluid change, and the other is automated fluid change. However, both of these fluid change methods use traditional dilution methods similar to pipettes, which can usually only produce equilibrium solutions and freezing solutions with specific concentration gradients. It is difficult to produce gradients across multiple concentrations over a large range, and there is room for further improvement. In order to minimize the impact of the fluid change process on cell activity, the ideal fluid change method is to produce multiple, precise and controllable concentration gradients from low to high. Patent CN112430531A proposes a digitally operable device for microfluidic operations of biological samples. The digital droplet flowmeter integrated in the microfluidic chip realizes the precise quantitative removal of liquid aspiration, and the liquid concentration gradient around the biological sample can be continuously adjusted by using digital droplet generation. However, this solution can only be operated manually at present, and automated microfluidic operations cannot be achieved, which also limits its use in high-throughput application scenarios. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the above problems, the present invention proposes a robotic arm interface assembly for biological sample vitrification and freezing and thawing, which can be used in conjunction with an automated robotic arm gripper. It can use existing intelligent control technology to achieve automated grasping and release of microfluidic chips, thereby realizing automated microfluidic operations (i.e., microfluidic cell vitrification and freezing operations). Furthermore, the present invention also discloses a vitrification and freezing system having this robotic arm interface assembly, which connects the microfluidic chip and the digital droplet generation device through the robotic arm interface. It can not only achieve precise and adjustable generation of continuous liquid concentration gradients to maximize cell activity during the liquid exchange process, but the automated operation scheme can also be better used for high-throughput biological sample vitrification and freezing and thawing.

[0005] The first aspect of the present invention discloses a robotic arm interface assembly for realizing automated microfluidic operations, which mainly includes a robotic arm interface and a matching part used therewith; the robotic arm interface includes a first base and a first seal fixedly connected thereto; the first base is provided with a first connecting surface, a second connecting surface and a liquid connecting channel, the liquid connecting channel has a first connecting port and a second connecting port, the first connecting port and the first seal are both arranged on the first connecting surface; the first seal is a sealing ring, the caliber of which is equal to the caliber of the liquid connecting channel and is coaxially arranged with the liquid connecting channel; the matching part includes a second base and a second seal fixedly connected thereto.

[0006] As an optional solution, the first connection surface and the second connection surface are arranged to face each other; and the second connection port is arranged between the first connection surface and the second connection surface.

[0007] As an optional solution, the first substrate and the second substrate are made of a hard bio-inert material that can be sterilized, and the first sealing member and the second sealing member are made of a flexible or elastic bio-inert material that can be sterilized.

[0008] As an optional solution, the hard bioinert material is a polymer, metal or ceramic, the metal includes stainless steel and aluminum, and the polymer includes PP, PS, PMMA, COC, and COP; the flexible or elastic bioinert material includes any one of PE, PP, PEEK, PTFE, FEP, and ETFE.

[0009] As an optional solution, the first sealing member and the first substrate, as well as the second sealing member and the second substrate are bonded and fixed by biocompatible adhesive.

[0010] As an optional solution, the overall thickness of the robotic arm interface is equal to the overall thickness of the mating part, wherein the thickness of the first substrate and the second substrate is 0.01mm to 20mm, and the thickness of the first seal and the second seal is 0.01mm to 5mm.

[0011] As an optional solution, the robotic arm interface further includes at least one first positioning pin, which is circumferentially arranged along the outer edge of the first sealing component.

[0012] As an optional solution, the fitting component further includes at least one second positioning pin, and the second positioning pin is circumferentially arranged along the outer edge of the second sealing component.

[0013] As an optional solution, the mating component adopts the same structural design as the robot arm interface, wherein the second base has the same structure as the first base, and the second sealing component has the same structure as the first sealing component.

[0014] The second aspect of the present invention discloses a vitrification freezing system for realizing automated microfluidic operations, which mainly includes a microfluidic chip, a digital droplet generation device for digital droplet generation and removal, and a robotic arm interface assembly for realizing automated microfluidic operations; when in use, the microfluidic chip and the digital droplet generation device are connected via a liquid communication channel of the robotic arm interface; when the robotic arm interface has a first locating pin or a first and a second locating pin, the microfluidic chip is provided with a pin hole for use therewith.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] (1) The present invention uses a specially designed robotic arm interface component for automated microfluidic operations, which can use existing intelligent control technology to achieve automated grasping and release of microfluidic chips and connectivity between the microfluidic chip and a digital droplet vitrification freezing device, thereby enabling microfluidic operations to develop towards intelligent and unmanned operations.

[0017] (2) The present invention provides a positioning mechanism on the robotic arm interface assembly to ensure rapid positioning and high-precision alignment of the chip and the interface during clamping, thereby ensuring the airtightness and reliability of the automated connection of the microfluidic chip.

[0018] (3) The present invention also proposes an automated vitrification freezing system, which combines the digital droplet generation method and automated control technology, which can not only realize the continuous and precise adjustment of the digital concentration gradient, but also automatically realize continuous digital liquid dilution, greatly improving the cell activity during the liquid exchange process and ensuring the liquid exchange efficiency.

[0019] (4) The vitrification freezing system disclosed in the present invention for realizing automated microfluidic operation can achieve high throughput in operating biological samples, effectively save labor costs, and facilitate user operation. More importantly, it can also achieve standardization of the biological sample vitrification freezing process and improve the consistency of the freezing effect of the corresponding biological samples. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the robotic arm interface structure described in Example 1, wherein A is the main view and B is the side view.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the robotic arm interface described in Example 1.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the robotic arm interface component described in Example 2.

[0023] Figure 4 This is another schematic diagram of the robotic arm interface structure, where A is the main view and B is the side view.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the robotic arm interface component described in Example 3.

[0025] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of the vitrification freezing system described in Example 4.

[0026] Figure 7 4 is a cross-sectional view of the microfluidic chip in Example 4, wherein A is a main view and B is a side view.

[0027] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of the digital droplet generating device in Example 4.

[0028] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of automated microfluidic manipulation using a two-finger robotic gripper.

[0029] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of another robotic arm interface and microfluidic chip, where A is a cross-sectional view of the robotic arm interface, B is a cross-sectional view of the microfluidic chip, and C is a schematic diagram of the coordinated use of the robotic arm interface assembly and the microfluidic chip. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] In the description of the present invention, if terms such as "upper", "lower", "inside", and "outside" appear to indicate orientation or positional relationships, they are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only used to facilitate the description of the present invention and simplify the description. They do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, if terms such as "first" and "second" appear, they are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or relative importance. If a description appears that A is connected to B, it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through a structure such as a pipeline. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood in combination with specific circumstances. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, but may include other units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these products or devices.

[0032] It is understood that the cells involved in the present invention include biological samples such as oocytes, embryos, sperm, stem cells and blastocysts of humans or other organisms.

[0033] Combine Figures 1 to 3 As shown, Example 1 discloses a robotic arm interface 10 for cooperating to realize operations such as automated grasping and removal of microfluidic chips. The robotic arm interface 10 mainly includes a base 11 and a seal 12 fixedly connected thereto. The base 11 includes a first connection surface 111 and a second connection surface 112, and a liquid circulation channel 113 integrated inside, wherein the first connection surface 111 is mainly used to connect to the microfluidic chip, the second connection surface 112 is mainly used to connect to the robotic arm gripper, and the liquid circulation channel 113 is used to connect the microfluidic chip and the digital droplet generation device. More specifically, the first connection port 113a of the liquid circulation channel 113 can be connected to the digital droplet generation device through a hose, and the second connection port 113b can be directly connected to the channel of the microfluidic chip. The outer contour of the base 11 can be circular ( Figure 1 As shown), rectangle ( Figure 4 The seal 12 is provided on the first connection surface 111 and is specifically a sealing ring with a diameter equal to that of the liquid flow channel 113, and the two are arranged coaxially. The first connection surface 111 and the second connection surface 112 are arranged on the back side. The liquid communication channel 113 can be designed as an L-shaped structure, with the first connection port 113a located on the first connection surface 111 and the second connection port 113b located between the first connection surface 111 and the second connection surface 112.

[0034] The material of the substrate 11 can be selected from hard bio-inert materials that can be sterilized, including polymers, metals, ceramics, etc. Among them, the metal can be selected from lightweight metals such as stainless steel and aluminum, and the polymer can be selected from materials such as PP (polypropylene), PS (polystyrene), PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), COC (cyclic olefin copolymer), COP (cyclic olefin copolymer). The thickness D1 of the substrate 11 can be 0.01mm to 20mm, preferably 5mm to 10mm. The seal 12 can be selected from flexible or elastic bio-inert materials that can be sterilized, such as PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PEEK (polyetheretherketone), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene), ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene), etc. The thickness D2 of the sealing ring can be selected from 0.01mm to 5mm, preferably 0.5mm to 1mm. The sealing member 12 and the base 11 can be bonded and fixed by a biocompatible adhesive. For example, a high-viscosity sterilized bio-inert adhesive can be used, including CA (acrylic resin), PU (polyurethane) and silicone resin.

[0035] In actual use, the robot arm interface 10 is usually installed on a two-fingered robot arm gripper. The two fingers of the robot arm gripper operate synchronously, so they need to be assembled into matching components for use.

[0036] Example 2 discloses a robotic arm interface assembly, comprising a robotic arm interface 10 and a mating component 20 for use therewith. The robotic arm interface 10 may employ the structural design described in Example 1. The mating component 20 primarily ensures that when the robotic arm gripper grips an object, the two fingers are at an equal distance from the object, ensuring a secure grip when the two fingers move synchronously. Based on the above considerations, the mating component 20 generally only needs to have an overall thickness equal to that of the robotic arm interface 10.

[0037] like Figure 3 As shown, the robotic arm interface assembly disclosed in Example 2 is primarily composed of a pair of identical robotic arm interfaces 10. The robotic arm interfaces 10 can employ the structural design described in Example 1. In this embodiment, the mating component 20 employs the same structural design as the robotic arm interface 10. During use, the robotic arm gripper does not need to distinguish between different directions when gripping an object, making operation more convenient.

[0038] like Figure 5As shown, Example 3 discloses another robotic arm interface component. In this embodiment, the fitting 20 mainly includes a base 21 and a sealing member 22 fixedly connected thereto. The base 21 also includes a first connecting surface 211 and a second connecting surface 212. The first connecting surface 211 is mainly used to connect to the microfluidic chip, and the second connecting surface 212 is mainly used to connect to the robotic arm gripper. Unlike the base 11, there is no need to open a liquid circulation channel inside it, and a solid structure design can be adopted. The sealing member 22 can adopt the same structural design as the sealing member 12, such as a circular sealing ring structure, or it can directly adopt a round cake or rectangular sealing gasket structure, and its outer contour is the same as that of the sealing member 12. In this embodiment, the structural design of the fitting 20 is simplified, which has more advantages in processing technology and cost.

[0039] Combine Figures 6 to 9 As shown, Example 4 discloses a vitrification freezing system for realizing automated microfluidic operation, wherein the vitrification freezing system mainly includes a robotic arm interface assembly, a microfluidic chip 30 and a digital droplet generating device 40 .

[0040] Among them, the robotic arm interface component can adopt Example 2, which is mainly composed of a robotic arm interface 10 and a matching part 20. Of course, in other embodiments, the robotic arm interface component described in Example 3 can also be adopted.

[0041] like Figure 7 As shown, the microfluidic chip 30 mainly includes a chip body 31, a microfluidic pipette 32 and a cell screen 33 integrated on the chip body 31. The two ends of the fluid channel in the microfluidic pipette 21 are respectively a pipette tip 32a and a liquid connection port 32b. Among them, the cell screen 33 is mainly arranged in the microfluidic pipette 32, and is used to intercept and capture cells sucked from the pipette tip 32a, so that they cannot escape from the liquid connection port 32b. The material of the microfluidic chip 30 can be selected from a bio-inert material that can be sterilized and has high thermal conductivity and high thermal diffusivity. For example, PP (polypropylene), PS (polystyrene), PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), COC (cyclic olefin copolymer), COP (cyclic olefin copolymer), etc. can be selected. The thickness of the microfluidic chip can be 0.01mm to 5mm, preferably 0.1mm to 2mm. This thin-film design can improve thermal conductivity efficiency.

[0042] The digital droplet generation device 40 is mainly used for droplet generation and removal. It has an air-sealed chamber to generate an air-liquid interface. Furthermore, the generated liquid can be temporarily stored after removal. Figure 8As shown, the digital droplet generation device 40 mainly includes a base 41 and a digital droplet flowmeter 42 and a liquid reservoir 43 integrated into the base 41. Among them, the digital droplet flowmeter 42 is also called a "digital droplet generator 42". It can achieve accurate quantitative liquid suction and removal, making the liquid concentration gradient around the biological sample continuously adjustable. Its specific working principle is not the focus of this patent. Please refer to the technical solutions in U.S. Patent US16538307 and Chinese Patent CN112430531A, which will not be repeated here. The digital droplet flowmeter 42 has an air-sealed cavity 421 and a droplet generation part 422 and a droplet removal part 423 respectively arranged at the inlet and outlet of the air-sealed cavity 421. The droplet generation part 422 is used to connect to the liquid connection port 32b of the microfluidic chip 30, and the droplet removal part 423 is connected to the liquid reservoir 43 through a liquid circulation channel 424. The digital droplet flowmeter 42 is also provided with a gas circulation channel 425, one end of which is connected to the vent of the air sealing chamber 421, and the other end is connected to an external air pressure source. The digital droplet flowmeter 42 is also provided with a gas circulation channel 426. The liquid reservoir 43 mainly stores the liquid that is sucked from the microfluidic pipette 41 in the microfluidic chip 30 and removed by the droplet removal part 423. On the one hand, the liquid interface 431 of the liquid reservoir 43 is connected to the droplet removal part 423 at the outlet of the digital droplet generator 12 through the liquid circulation channel 424; on the other hand, the gas interface 432 of the liquid reservoir 43 is also connected to the gas circulation channel 425 of the digital droplet flowmeter 42 through the gas circulation channel 426. It should be noted that the gas interface 432 of the liquid reservoir 43 is usually arranged above the liquid interface 431, that is, the gas interface 432 of the liquid reservoir is arranged higher than the liquid interface 431. When the liquid level in the liquid reservoir 43 is about to reach the same level as the gas flow channel 426, the use of the digital droplet generation device 40 is terminated and the entire substrate 41 is discarded. The size of the liquid reservoir 43 can be designed according to needs, and its capacity can generally be designed to be 1 to 5 mL. This capacity can usually be used approximately 10 to 20 times, which can fully meet the needs of the same user. Of course, in other embodiments, the digital droplet flowmeter 42 can also adopt other similar structural designs, as long as it can achieve the digital droplet generation and removal functions. The present invention does not limit its structure.

[0043] Furthermore, the vitrification freezing system may also include an air pressure source 50, which is connected to the digital droplet generation device 40 via a connecting pipe 70. The air pressure source 50 can be connected to a positive pressure air source or a negative pressure air source. The connecting pipe 70 is provided with a solenoid valve 80, which can output positive or negative pressure by controlling the opening or disconnection of the solenoid valve 80 to apply to the connecting pipe 70. It should be noted that the connecting pipes in the present invention can all be made of sterilizable bioinert materials, such as PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PEEK (polyetheretherketone), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene), ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene), etc. The airtightness of both ends of the connecting pipe 70 can be ensured by an interference fit during the connection. Among them, the solenoid valve 80 can be a high-precision solenoid valve with a millisecond response, but a manual valve, a solenoid valve, or other types of valves can also be selected, as long as it can achieve the switching function of controlling the gas entering the channel.

[0044] like Figure 9 As shown, when the vitrification freezing system is assembled and used, the robotic arm interface 10 and the matching piece 20 included in the robotic arm interface assembly are first installed on the two fingers of the two-finger robotic arm gripper 60 respectively, and the fixing method includes but is not limited to glue, bolts and other mechanical structures. The spacing between the robotic arm grippers 60 can be adjusted autonomously, so that the spacing between the robotic arm interface 10 and the matching piece 20 fixed thereon can be adjusted, and then the precise positioning of the microfluidic chip 30 is achieved through the high-precision positioning and movement function of the robotic arm. When it is necessary to grab the microfluidic chip 30, the gripper is first opened, and then the two-finger robotic arm gripper 60 equipped with the robotic arm interface assembly is moved to the microfluidic chip 30 by the robotic arm, and the microfluidic chip 30 is automatically clamped by the two-finger robotic arm gripper 60 to achieve subsequent operations. During this process, the microfluidic chip 30 is sealed against the robotic arm interface 10 and the mating component 20 by a sealant. The fluid channel within the microfluidic chip 30 is connected to the digital droplet flow meter 42 of the digital droplet generation device 40 via the liquid flow channel 113 of the robotic arm interface 10. This allows for multiple airtight connections between the microfluidic chip 30 and the digital droplet generation device 40 to be achieved through automated operation.

[0045] like Figure 10As shown, as an improvement, the present invention can also optimize the structure of the manipulator interface assembly and the microfluidic chip 30. Taking the manipulator interface assembly described in Example 2 as an example, a positioning pin 14 can be set on the first connection surface 111 of the base 11 of the manipulator interface 10. The positioning pin 14 can be one, two or more, and is arranged circumferentially on the outer edge of the seal 12. Optionally, a positioning pin corresponding to the manipulator interface 10 can also be set on the mating piece 20. Similarly, if the manipulator interface described in Example 3 is taken as an example, a positioning pin 14 can also be set on the first connection surface 111 of the base 11 of the manipulator interface 10, and a positioning pin 24 can be set on the first connection surface 211 of the base 21 of the mating piece 20 (not shown in the figure). In conjunction with this, a pin hole 34 can be set on the chip body 31 of the microfluidic chip 30. The position, number and size of the pin hole 34 can match the positioning pin. Through this improvement, during automated operation, precise positioning and rapid alignment of the manipulator interface assembly and the microfluidic chip 30 can be achieved.

[0046] In summary, the present invention can be used in conjunction with a two-finger robotic arm gripper through specially designed robotic arm interfaces and components, and can achieve automated microfluidic operations with the help of intelligent control technology.

[0047] Finally, it should be noted that although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific embodiments and application fields. The above-mentioned specific embodiments are merely illustrative and instructive, and not restrictive. Under the guidance of this specification, those skilled in the art can also make many forms without departing from the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention, and all of these forms are protected by the present invention.

Claims

1. A robotic arm interface assembly for realizing automated microfluidic operations, characterized in that: The invention comprises a robotic arm interface and a matching piece used therewith; the robotic arm interface comprises a first base and a first sealing piece fixedly connected thereto; the first base is provided with a first connecting surface, a second connecting surface and a liquid communication channel, the liquid communication channel has a first connecting port and a second connecting port, the first connecting port and the first sealing piece are both provided on the first connecting surface; the first sealing piece is a sealing ring, the diameter of which is equal to the diameter of the liquid communication channel and is coaxially arranged with the liquid communication channel; the matching piece comprises a second base and a second sealing piece fixedly connected thereto; The first connection surface and the second connection surface are arranged in back-to-back relationship; the second connection port is arranged between the first connection surface and the second connection surface; The first substrate and the second substrate are made of a hard bio-inert material that can be sterilized, and the first sealing member and the second sealing member are made of a flexible or elastic bio-inert material that can be sterilized; The robotic arm interface further includes at least one first positioning pin, which is circumferentially arranged along the outer edge of the first seal.

2. The robotic arm interface assembly for realizing automated microfluidic operations according to claim 1, wherein: The hard bioinert material is a polymer, metal or ceramic, the metal includes stainless steel and aluminum, and the polymer includes PP, PS, PMMA, COC, and COP; the flexible or elastic bioinert material includes any one of PE, PP, PEEK, PTFE, FEP, and ETFE.

3. The robotic arm interface assembly for realizing automated microfluidic operations according to claim 1, wherein: The first sealing member and the first substrate, as well as the second sealing member and the second substrate, are bonded and fixed by biocompatible adhesive.

4. The robotic arm interface assembly for realizing automated microfluidic operations according to claim 1, wherein: The overall thickness of the robotic arm interface is equal to the overall thickness of the mating component, wherein the thickness of the first substrate and the second substrate is 0.01 mm to 20 mm, and the thickness of the first seal and the second seal is 0.01 mm to 5 mm.

5. The robotic arm interface assembly for realizing automated microfluidic operations according to claim 4, wherein: The fitting component further includes at least one second positioning pin, which is circumferentially arranged along the outer edge of the second sealing component.

6. The robotic arm interface assembly for realizing automated microfluidic operations according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The matching component adopts the same structural design as the robot arm interface, wherein the second base has the same structure as the first base, and the second sealing component has the same structure as the first sealing component.

7. A vitrification freezing system for realizing automated microfluidic operation, characterized in that: The invention comprises a microfluidic chip, a digital droplet generation device for digital droplet generation and removal, and a robotic arm interface assembly for realizing automated microfluidic operations according to any one of claims 1 to 6; when in use, the microfluidic chip and the digital droplet generation device are connected via a liquid communication channel of the robotic arm interface; when the robotic arm interface has a first locating pin or first and second locating pins, the microfluidic chip is provided with a pin hole for use therewith.

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