Protocol Chart Conversion for Robotic Experiment Execution
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Solution Overview
Problem
In biochemistry and biotechnology, the reproducibility of experiments is hindered by human error and the lack of a standardized format for describing protocols, making it difficult to automate robotic operations without expert intervention.
Innovation Solution
An operation command generation device that determines the execution order of process symbols on a protocol chart and converts them into jobs for a robot system, allowing for automated execution of experiments based on predefined protocols, including initial symbol conversion, transfer rule setting, and parallel or consecutive process execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If protocols are described in non-standardized formats, then flexibility in describing diverse experimental procedures is maintained, but automation of robotic operations becomes difficult without expert intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The protocol description is segmented into standardized symbolic elements (process symbols representing containers, reagents, operations) that can be systematically parsed and converted into robotic commands. This segmentation allows diverse experimental procedures to be broken down into discrete, automatable steps while maintaining descriptive flexibility through symbolic representation.
Solution Approach 2:
A protocol chart serving as an intermediary representation is introduced between the human-readable protocol description and the robotic execution system. The chart uses standardized symbols and relationships to mediate the conversion process, enabling automated interpretation of diverse protocol formats without requiring expert intervention for each specific case.
2Productivity
If multiple processes are executed sequentially, then execution order is simple to determine, but total experiment time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The execution order determination is extended from a single-dimensional sequential approach to a two-dimensional approach by considering both the vertical arrangement (process flow) and horizontal arrangement (parallel execution groups) of process symbols on the protocol chart. This dimensional expansion enables automatic identification of parallel executable processes while maintaining clear execution order rules.
3Adaptability or versatility
If protocol formats change to accommodate new experimental procedures, then adaptability to new methods is improved, but compatibility with existing automation systems deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The protocol chart uses universal symbolic elements that can represent diverse experimental operations without requiring format-specific parsing logic. Each symbol type (container, reagent, operation) has a standardized meaning that remains consistent across different protocol formats, enabling existing automation systems to reliably interpret new protocol types through the same symbolic language.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is an operation command generation device (1) including: an execution order determination unit (21) configured to determine, based on respective arrangement positions of a plurality of process symbols (103) each representing a process for a process subject on a protocol chart including the plurality of process symbols, an execution order of the plurality of process symbols; and a process symbol conversion unit (16) configured to respectively convert the plurality of process symbols into jobs for a process system (200) including at least a robot (3) so that processes represented by the plurality of process symbols are executed in the execution order determined by the execution order determination unit.