Laboratory Deck Setup Verification With Image-Based Labware Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual deck setup in laboratory workstations is prone to human errors, leading to unsuccessful automated processes, waste of samples, and potential equipment damage.
Innovation Solution
A laboratory workstation equipped with a display device for instructions, an imaging device for monitoring deck setup, and a processor for verifying the arrangement of labware using artificial neural networks, template matching, and image comparison to provide real-time feedback on correct placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual deck setup is performed by operator, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but human errors increase leading to unsuccessful automated processes
Solution Approach 1:
The system captures images of the deck setup and provides real-time visual feedback to the operator through an imaging device and display interface. The processor compares the captured image with the expected protocol configuration and highlights any mismatches, allowing the operator to correct errors before initiating the automated process.
Solution Approach 2:
An imaging device acts as an intermediary between the operator's manual deck setup and the automated protocol execution. The imaging device captures visual data of the deck configuration and transmits it to the processor for verification against the programmed protocol, serving as a bridge that ensures accuracy without requiring full automation of the setup process.
2Reliability
If deck setup is verified using traditional methods, then setup time is reduced, but errors are not detected until after the automated process fails
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs verification of the deck setup before the automated protocol is initiated. By capturing and analyzing images of the deck configuration in advance, the system detects potential errors before they can cause process failure, sample waste, or equipment damage.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional manual verification methods are replaced with an automated imaging and image processing system. The imaging device captures visual data and the processor automatically compares it with the expected protocol configuration, replacing manual checking with automated optical verification that is both faster and more accurate.
3Measurement precision
If real-time image verification is implemented, then error detection accuracy is improved, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the existing display interface of the laboratory workstation to present the captured deck setup images and verification results. By leveraging the already-present display hardware, the system avoids adding separate monitoring devices, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high verification accuracy through sophisticated image processing algorithms.
Data Source
AI summary
A laboratory workstation for preparing a sample according to a programmed protocol. The laboratory workstation may include a display device configured to display an instruction for loading a first item of labware onto a deck of the laboratory workstation at a position on the deck specified by the programmed protocol; an imaging device configured to monitor the deck of the laboratory workstation by creating one or more images of the deck; and a processor configured to recognize, in the one or more images created by the imaging device, an item of labware loaded onto the deck by an operator. In some embodiments, the processor may be configured to indicate on the display device whether the recognized item of labware loaded by the operator is arranged on the deck in accordance with the programmed protocol.