Micropipette simulator
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- IMPERIAL COLLEGE INNVOATIONS LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-01-23
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-06
Smart Images
Figure GB2026050089_06082026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Micropipette simulator
[0002] Field
[0003] The present invention relates to a micropipette simulator.
[0004] Background
[0005] Virtual reality-based laboratory systems are known.
[0006] For example, WO 2011 / 127379 A2 describes an interactive mixed reality system comprising a physical model of an object and a virtual model of features of the object. An instrument or tool which can interact with the physical object can be tracked, and a representation of the tool can be displayed interacting with the virtual model.
[0007] WO 2019 / 200381 Al describes a system for utilizing laboratory equipment in a hybrid reality environment in which the position and orientation of a piece of laboratory equipment is tracked and a hybrid representation of the laboratory equipment is displayed.
[0008] WO 2023 / 183397 Al describes a system for providing an interactive virtual reality simulation for virtual reality training.
[0009] US 2023 / 0419614 Al which describes an interactive learning platform for users to learn and practice skills of handling genuine objects used in real-life scientific experiments from experiencing in a virtual space.
[0010] 138549PCT1Summary
[0011] According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a micropipette simulator. The micropipette simulator comprises a micropipette body and a plunger comprising a plunger rod and a plunger button. The plunger is moveable with respect to the body between a rest stop, a first stop and a second stop. The micropipette simulator also comprises a mechanism, for example, a spring mechanism, which is reliantly biased against depression of the plunger and configured to define the first and second stops, a rotatable volume-setting dial and a tip ejector button. The micropipette simulator further comprises at least one sensor including a position sensor for measuring the position of the plunger, and a network interface configured to transmit the position of the plunger to a remote.
[0012] The micropipette simulator can be used to teach a user, such as a student, to use a micropipette correctly, providing tactile feedback to the user as they practice aspirating and dispensing liquid.
[0013] The network interface may be a Bluetooth network interface. The micropipette simulator may further comprise a microcontroller configured to receive signal(s) from the at least one sensor. The network interface may be integrated into the microcontroller.
[0014] The mechanism may comprise a telescopic arrangement, and first and second resilient members arranged to act on the telescopic arrangement. The first resilient member may be a first spring which may have a large diameter and the second resilient member may be a second spring which may have a small diameter and sit inside the first spring. The first resilient member may have a low value of spring constant and the second resilient member may have a high value of spring constant.
[0015] The telescopic arrangement may comprise a base having a through hole, a tubular section having a bore, wherein the tubular section is inserted into the through hole and is slidable in the through hole through the base, a cylinder which is slidable inside the bore of the tubular section; and a cap, wherein the cylinder is attached to the cap.
[0016] The range of movement of the tubular section in the through hole may define the range of movement between the rest stop and the first stop. The range of movement of the cylinder in the bore may define the range of movement between the first stop and the second stop.The first sensor may be a linear potentiometer. The at least one sensor further may further comprise a second position sensor configured to measure the position of the rotatable volume-setting dial. The second position sensor may comprise a rotary potentiometer. The second position sensor may comprise a rotary encoder. The at least one sensor may further comprise a third sensor position configured to measure the position or state of the tip ejector button. The third position sensor may comprise a push-button switch.
[0017] The micropipette simulator may exclude a micropipette shaft, a tip cone and a tip ejector.
[0018] According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a system comprising the micropipette simulator of the first aspect and a virtual reality headset and / or a computer system in wireless communication with the micropipette simulator.Brief Description of the Drawings
[0019] Certain embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0020] Figure 1 is a first perspective view of a micropipette simulator;
[0021] Figure 2 is a second perspective view of a micropipette simulator;
[0022] Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the micropipette simulator shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a bottom view of the micropipette simulator shown in Figure 1;
[0023] Figure 5 is an exploded view of the micropipette simulator shown in Figure 1;
[0024] Figure 6 is a side view of a plunger, mechanism and plunger position sensor;
[0025] Figure 7 illustrates the mechanism when in the rest, first and second stops;
[0026] Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram of a micropipette simulator system; and Figure 9 is an image of a user wearing a VR headset and using the micropipette simulator.
[0027] Detailed Description of Certain Embodiments
[0028] Referring to Figures 1 to 5, a micropipette simulator 1 is shown.
[0029] The micropipette simulator 1 (herein referred to as a "micropipette", "simulator" or "controller") comprises a generally elongate micropipette body 2 (or "housing" or "grip") which can be held by a user in one hand.
[0030] The micropipette body 2 may be a full-size model of the body of a working micropipette, which may be a specific model of micropipette or a generic micropipette having the typical shape and typical dimensions of a micropipette. The micropipette body 2 may have the same or similar surface finish and / or the same or similar materials.
[0031] In this case, the micropipette simulator 1 excludes the micropipette shaft, the tip cone and the tip ejector, as well as the disposable tip. These parts may, however, be included.
[0032] As will be explained in more detail hereinafter, the micropipette simulator 1 may be used to train users to use a micropipette, for example, a micropipette marketed by Eppendorf (RTM) (such as its Research Plus model), Gilson (RTM) (such as its Pipetman Neo model), Sartorius (RTM), Accuris (RTM), VWR (RTM), OmniPETTE (RTM) or other manufacturer.The micropipette simulator 1 has a plunger 3 comprising a rod 4 which extends out from the top 5 of the body 2 and a button 6 disposed at the top 7 (or "distal end") of the rod 4, a mechanism 8 (or "assembly") (best shown in Figure 5) which acts on the plunger 3, a dummy rotatable aliquot volume-setting dial 9 and a dummy tip ejector button 10. The mechanism 8 may be referred to as a "biasing mechanism" or "resilient mechanism".
[0033] The plunger 3 is moveable longitudinally along its length with respect to the body 2 between a rest stop (or "rest position" or "default position"), a first stop and a second stop. The mechanism 8 is resiliently biased against depression of the plunger 3 and defines the first and second stops.
[0034] The micropipette simulator 1 is configured (that is, it is shaped and dimensioned) to be held and operated by a user with one hand. In particular, when the micropipette simulator 1 is held by the user, the user can depress the plunger button 6 and the dummy tip ejector button 10 using their thumb. Furthermore, the plunger 3 and mechanism 8 are configured to imitate the range of movement and the spring action of the plunger of a working micropipette. The micropipette simulator 1 preferably has the same or similar weight to a working micropipette and / or the same and similar centre of mass as a working micropipette.
[0035] Thus, the micropipette simulator 1 differs in several different ways from a virtual reality controller, such as an Oculus Quest controller.
[0036] Referring in particular to Figures 3, 4 and 5, the micropipette body 2 is formed of first and second parts 2i, 22 which are held together by screws 11 or other fastening means (such as, snap-fit connectors). The micropipette body 2 is formed of a suitable plastic material.
[0037] The two parts 2i, 22 of the micropipette body 2 define an interior space 12 which houses some of the other parts of the micropipette simulator 1, such as the mechanism 8. The micropipette body 2 may be constructed in different ways, for example, not split longitudinally, but laterally, and / or may have a different number of parts, for example, three or more parts.
[0038] The micropipette simulator 1 includes the mechanism 8, for example, a spring mechanism, a plunger position sensor 13, a dial position sensor 14, a tip ejector button switch 15, a microcontroller 16 having a wireless interface 17, an push button18 for switching on and off the microcontroller 16, an LED 19, a reset button 20, an on / off button 21, a USB charging port 22, and a battery 23. Other screws 24 are used to secure internal parts of the micropipette simulator 1 to the micropipette body 2.
[0039] The microcontroller 16 takes the form of a Seeed Studio XIAO nRF52840 microcontroller which is based on a Nordic nRF52840 microcontroller and which has integrated Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.
[0040] The plunger position sensor 13 takes the form of a linear potentiometer. Other forms of position sensor, however, can be used, such as Hall sensors working in conjunction with permanent magnets. The dial position sensor 14 takes the form of rotary potentiometer. Similarly, other forms of position sensor, however, can be used, such as a rotary encoder. The tip ejector button switch 15 may take the form of a momentary pushbutton switch.
[0041] Referring also to Figures 6 and 7, the mechanism 8 (hereinafter referred to as the "spring mechanism") imitates operation of a micropipette piston and spring and is connected to the other end 27 of the plunger rod 4.
[0042] The spring mechanism 8 is a compressible, spring-loaded, telescopic arrangement similar to those found in working micro pipettes.
[0043] The telescopic arrangement includes a base 31 having a through hole 32 running through the base 31 between first and second ends 33, 34 (or "bottom 33" and "top 34") of the base 31 and a tubular section 35 having a bore (not shown), first and second ends 37, 38 and an annular collar 39 at its second end 38. The first end 37 of the tubular section 28 is inserted into the through hole 32 and the tubular section 35 is slidable in the through hole 32 through the base 31. The base 31 is fixed (in other words, held or anchored) to the micropipette body 2, for example, by protrusions (not shown) on the inside of the body 2.
[0044] The telescopic arrangement also includes a stepped cylinder 40 comprising a first, small-diameter section 41 which is slidable inside the bore (not shown) of the tubular section 35 and a second, large-diameter section 43 which is attached via a collar 44 to a cap 45 to which the plunger rod 4 is attached. Thus, the cap 45 is moveable along a central axis 46 relative to the base 31.The spring mechanism 8 comprises a first spring 46 which has a large diameter and a low value of spring constant, ki, which runs between the base 31 and cap 45 and a second spring 48 which has a small diameter and a high value of spring constant, k2, which runs between the annular collar 39 and the cap 41 and sits inside the first (larger) spring 43. The springs 46, 48 take the form of metal coil springs. However, the springs 46, 48 need not be formed of metal and may be formed from a suitable material, such as a plastic or an elastomer. The springs 46, 48 need not take the form of coils and can take the form of, for instance, compressible rods or cylinders.
[0045] Referring in particular to Figure 7, the plunger 3 starts at the default position, or rest stop 50.
[0046] As the user depresses the plunger 3 (Figure 6) and the plunger rod 4 is pushed down, the first spring 46 is compressed and the tubular section 35 is pushed down through the base 31 until, at the first stop 51, the annular collar 39 abuts the top 34 of the base 31.
[0047] As the user further depresses the plunger 3 and the plunger rod 4 is pushed down further, the second spring 48 is also compressed and the smaller-diameter section 41 of the cylinder 40 is pushed into the tubular section 35 until, at the second stop, the top annular collar 44 abuts the top of the middle annular collar 39. The user feels an increased resistance as both springs are compressed. Thus, to reach the second stop, the user needs to apply more force. In this way, the tactile feel of a working micropipette can be replicated by the micropipette simulator 1.
[0048] The position of the plunger 3 is measured by the sensor 13. As the user presses or releases the plunger 3, the position of the plunger 3 is transmitted wirelessly, for example, via a Bluetooth (RTM) link.
[0049] Referring to Figure 8, a micropipette simulator system 100 is shown.
[0050] The system 100 includes micropipette simulator 1 and may include a virtual reality (VR) headset 101 and / a computer system 102 having or connected to a display 103. The computer system 102 may take the form of a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet or mobile device.
[0051] The micropipette simulator 1 which includes a controller 16, which in this case takes the form of a microcontroller, or other controller circuitry. The controller 18 includesan analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) 61, at least one processor 62, memory (not shown) which stores application software (not shown), and a wireless network interface module 17. A microcontroller can implement the ADC 61 and the wireless network interface module 17 in a single chip.
[0052] The micropipette simulator 1 may include a multi-axis accelerometer (not shown) to detect the position and orientation of the micropipette simulator 1 in space.
[0053] During operation, the processor(s) 18 take measurements of the sensors 13, 14, 16, for example, taking resistance measurements, which are converted into a digital signal by the ADC 61 and passes the measurements to the wireless interface module 65 for transmission. The measurement may include the position of the plunger and / or the speed of the plunger.
[0054] The VR headset 101 comprises a wireless network interface module 111, at least one processor 112, memory (not shown) which stores simulation application software (not shown), and a display 115.
[0055] The computer system 102 comprises a wireless network interface module 121, at least one processor 122, memory (not shown) which stores simulation application software (not shown), and a user interface 116 which may include user input device(s) (not shown) and user output devices (not shown).
[0056] Referring also to Figure 9, the simulation may be implemented using Unity 3D or other suitable game engine. Thus, the micropipette simulator 1 may be used as a gamepad or game controller. A virtual environment which is familiar to the user can be created and to display a virtual micropipette 201. As the user operates or moves the micropipette simulator 1, the simulator can display the corresponding operation or movement for the virtual pipette.
[0057] In a simple system, the micropipette simulator 1 can be connected to a personal device, such as a laptop, which can allow a user to practice pipetting skills using a simple simulation. This can be used for on-line training, where students are studying from home.
[0058] The micropipette simulator 1 can have one or more advantages.For example, compared to using a mouse or game controller (which involves simply clicking buttons), the micropipette simulator 1 can provide a realistic feel in the user's hand and more realistic simulation of a working micropipette.
[0059] The micropipette simulator 1 can help to develop fine motor skill, in other words, to provide muscle training.
[0060] The micropipette simulator 1 can provide feedback more quickly and / or with finer granularity.
[0061] The micropipette simulator 1 can be used to train a user much more cheaply using a real micropipette since it does not require a laboratory, or materials, or require disposal of used material. It can also be safer since the user is not exposed to hazardous reagents. Also, the cost of the micropipette simulator 1 can be much less than that of a real micropipette, which can be expensive to replace if damaged or contaminated.
[0062] It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the embodiments hereinbefore described. Such modifications may involve equivalent and other features which are already known in the design, manufacture and use of micropipettes and component parts thereof and which may be used instead of or in addition to features already described herein. Features of one embodiment may be replaced or supplemented by features of another embodiment.
[0063] The micropipette simulator may simulate a multichannel micropipette, for example, by reflecting the feel of the plungers for a multichannel micropipette and / or by being suitably weighted. The micropipette simulator may simulate an electronic
[0064] micro pipette.
[0065] The springs need not be compression coil springs. The springs need not be formed from metal, but can be formed from a suitable resilient material, such as plastic or elastomer.
[0066] The mechanism need not be telescopic, but can be any suitable form of mechanism and may include gears and other forms of resilient members.
[0067] Although claims have been formulated in this application to particular combinations of features, it should be understood that the scope of the disclosure of the presentinvention also includes any novel features or any novel combination of features disclosed herein either explicitly or implicitly or any generalization thereof, whether or not it relates to the same invention as presently claimed in any claim and whether or not it mitigates any or all of the same technical problems as does the present invention. The applicants hereby give notice that new claims may be formulated to such features and / or combinations of such features during the prosecution of the present application or of any further application derived therefrom
Claims
Claims1. A micropipette simulator, comprising:■ a micropipette body;■ a plunger comprising a plunger rod and a plunger button, the plunger moveable with respect to the micropipette body between a rest position, a first stop and a second stop;■ a mechanism which is reliantly biased against depression of the plunger and configured to define the first and second stops;■ a rotatable volume-setting dial; and■ a tip ejector button;■ at least one sensor including:- a position sensor for measuring the position of the plunger; and ■ a network interface configured to transmit the position of the plunger to a remote receiver.
2. The micropipette simulator of claim 1, wherein the network interface is a Bluetooth network interface.
3. The micropipette simulator of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:■ a microcontroller configured to receive signal(s) from the at least one sensor.
4. The micropipette simulator of claim 3, wherein the network interface is integrated into the microcontroller.
5. The micropipette simulator of claim 1 or any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the mechanism comprises:- a telescopic arrangement, and- first and second resilient members arranged to act on the telescopic arrangement.
6. The micropipette simulator of claim 5, wherein the first resilient member comprises a first spring having a large diameter and the second resilient member comprises a second spring has a small diameter and sits inside the first spring.
7. The micropipette simulator of claim 5 or 6, wherein the first resilient member has a low value of spring constant and the second resilient member has a high value of spring constant.
8. The micropipette simulator of claim 5, 6 or 7, wherein the telescopic arrangement comprises:- a base having a through hole;- a tubular section having a bore, wherein the tubular section is inserted into the through hole and is slidable in the through hole through the base;- a cylinder which is slidable inside the bore of the tubular section; and - a cap, wherein the cylinder is attached to the cap.
9. The micropipette simulator of claim 1 or any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the first sensor is a linear potentiometer.
10. The micropipette simulator of claim 1, or any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the at least one sensor further comprises:- a second position sensor configured to measure the position of the rotatable volume-setting dial.
11. The micropipette simulator of claim 10, wherein the second position sensor comprises a rotary potentiometer.
12. The micropipette simulator of claim 10, wherein the second position sensor comprises a rotary encoder.
13. The micropipette simulator of claim 1 or any one of claims 2 to 12, wherein the at least one sensor further comprises:- a third sensor position configured to measure the position or state of the tip ejector button.
14. The micropipette simulator of claim 13, wherein the third position sensor comprises a push-button switch.
15. The micropipette simulator of claim 1 or any one of claims 2 to 14, wherein the micropipette simulator excludes a micropipette shaft, a tip cone and a tip ejector.
16. A system comprising:■ the micropipette simulator of claim 1 or any one of claims 2 to 15;■ a virtual reality headset and / or a computer system in wireless communication with the micropipette simulator.