This paper will trace the evolution of laboratory robotic automation systems from simple modules to today's highly intelligent modules and the changing role of the robotic arm to improve throughput and capacity. N...
This paper will trace the evolution of laboratory robotic automation systems from simple modules to today's highly intelligent modules and the changing role of the robotic arm to improve throughput and capacity. New advances to enhance workspace will be discussed including tracks, stacks and turntables, and when and how each can be used to increase sample capacity. The evolution of the robot-instrument interface will be presented including the many options available to today's automation specialist. Finally, a summary of economic factors useful in evaluating automation projects will be discussed.
The integration of laboratory robotics for automated sample processing is most desirable, but in many cases not feasible as the required sample throughput is too low to justify the expected costs. A robot system conce...
The integration of laboratory robotics for automated sample processing is most desirable, but in many cases not feasible as the required sample throughput is too low to justify the expected costs. A robot system concept has been developed, which can simultaneously be shared by different laboratories, for processing different sample test configurations in parallel. Application and system control is supervised by the software package CLARA running on a Motif-based DEC Alpha workstation.
Two laboratory robots provide analytical support to two laboratories within the Analytical Services Organization of the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant. One system prepares uranium metals and oxides for isotopic analysis by ther...
Two laboratory robots provide analytical support to two laboratories within the Analytical Services Organization of the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant. One system prepares uranium metals and oxides for isotopic analysis by thermal ionization mass spectrometry. The second system prepares and analyzes air filter samples for uranium content. The robots have proven to be excellent assets to the laboratories in productivity improvement, waste reduction, and personnel safety. robotics and automation will continue to provide substantial benefits to future analytical methodology within the Y-12 Plant.
Traditional approaches to diagnosis of manufacturing systems have yielded to artificial intelligence approaches over recent years, as system complexity has increased;but results have been mixed. Expert systems, using ...
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(纸本)0818634529
Traditional approaches to diagnosis of manufacturing systems have yielded to artificial intelligence approaches over recent years, as system complexity has increased;but results have been mixed. Expert systems, using symptom-based (shallow reasoning) approaches have been too limited, while structural-based (deep reasoning) approaches have required excessive computational resources. This paper presents a hybrid model for diagnostics that is computationally efficient, and at the same time incorporates the potential to improve its performance with use through a two-phase learning scheme.
Introducing automation principles into the clinical laboratory has been an evolutionary process. automation can be divided into two parts: (1) manipulation and assay of specimens at an individual workcell, and (2) mov...
Introducing automation principles into the clinical laboratory has been an evolutionary process. automation can be divided into two parts: (1) manipulation and assay of specimens at an individual workcell, and (2) movement of specimens between the individual workcells. Constructing a workcell from an automated piece of clinical laboratory instrumentation or from a variety of subcomponents requires integration of components not commonly used in the clinical laboratory. In order to successfully complete the transformation of a workbench or analytical instrument into a clinical laboratory workcell, electronic control over the workcell including bi-directional communication of orders, errors, and other information is required. Automatic manipulation of specimens requires the addition of an articulated robot and other feedback and control devices. The ideal workcell would be viewed as a black box with serial input and output of specimens, serial input and output of orders and results, and other information related to instrument operation. Movement of medical specimens throughout the laboratory is the second component to implementing an automation strategy in the modern clinical laboratory. Most of the manipulation and movement of specimens is based upon batch paradigm with the exception of STAT specimens. In order to facilitate the movement of specimens from workcell to workcell including STAT specimens and random access to workcells, a method of moving singular specimens throughout the laboratory is required. The University of Nebraska Medical Center has devised and constructed a multi-phased project which includes development of a specimen transport mechanism which provides random access delivery of specimens to workcells. The current paradigm at the University of Nebraska Medical Center consists of a single-lane conveyor which traffics individual specimens based on a bar code identifier from workcell to workcell. A Kodak Ektachem 700C analyzer has been incorporated in
automation of 'front-end' pre-analytic sample processing is one of the more interesting problems in the clinical laboratory today. The few successful attempts to do this with conventional technology seem to ha...
automation of 'front-end' pre-analytic sample processing is one of the more interesting problems in the clinical laboratory today. The few successful attempts to do this with conventional technology seem to have been incomplete (pipetting stations) or tailor-made and very expensive (such as robot-assisted sorting/centrifugation/aliquotting systems). Starting from robotic experiments (unsuccessful but illuminating) we have developed a relatively simple proprietary technology for aliquotting from a closed blood collection tube, which is well suited to the needs of the moderate- to high-volume clinical laboratory. An important part of the conceptual design and evaluation of this technology has been the use of discrete event simulation. This computer tool permits one to quantify operational characteristics of the technology and compare expected versus desirable throughput. Alternate designs can be evaluated without having to build many prototypes. Optimal staffing for different configurations, given variable input patterns, can be estimated before the commitment has been made. This permits the user to plan for implementation and prepare the staff. Simulation can be used to study the expected impact on specimen flow of various manual, semi-automatic and automated configurations. This approach can be generalized and we believe it should be more widely used. It would benefit anyone who is designing or applying innovative technology that will change the operational characteristics of the system, especially a system with the complexity of a busy clinical laboratory.
Since the 1983 publication by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of its 'Bluebook', the role of computer systems in compliance to good laboratory practice (GLP) has had an increasing level of visibility...
Since the 1983 publication by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of its 'Bluebook', the role of computer systems in compliance to good laboratory practice (GLP) has had an increasing level of visibility for both regulatory authorities and laboratory managers around the world. Recent publication by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1991 of the good automated laboratory practices (GALP) guideline has enabled a closer examination of the critical issues surrounding validation of laboratory data from automated instruments and laboratory information management systems (LIMS). This paper discusses factors important to laboratory managers who are looking to be compliant with GLP regulations for computer systems that gather, store, transform, and report data for safety, quality, and efficacy submissions to regulatory authorities. It discusses the type of vendor support one should expect for GLP compliance and the concerns of regulatory inspectors looking at computer systems in laboratories operating under GLP regulations.
Pipetting robots are ideal for automating manually intensive areas of the clinical chemistry laboratory. Glycosylated hemoglobin (GHb), which is helpful in monitoring long term glucose control in diabetics, requires e...
Pipetting robots are ideal for automating manually intensive areas of the clinical chemistry laboratory. Glycosylated hemoglobin (GHb), which is helpful in monitoring long term glucose control in diabetics, requires extensive technologist time for analysis. Since separation of GHb is achieved on individual disposable columns, we were able to minimize technologist 'hands on' time required by programming a Hamilton Microlab 2200 automated pipetting Cartesian robot to complete the procedure from aspiration of blood specimen from the vacutainer tube to transfer of the separated GHb and non-GHb fractions to a microtiter plate for absorbance reading. After demonstrating that we could use unwashed red blood cells without interferences, we evaluated the system for throughput, precision, linearity, recovery and lyse method. The robotic system can analyze, in parallel, 96 specimens including patient specimens and control material in approximately 3 h. The Hamilton robotic method decreased the required technologist time relative to the manual method by 80% in 'hands on' time and decreased the analysis time by 40%. The precision at different levels of GHb, ranged from 1.6 to 3.5% within-run and from 2.7 to 3.5% day-to-day. The method correlated with the Accuflex semi-automated robot which used the identical disposable column. automation of the GHb procedure improved throughput, precision and laboratory safety with the added benefit of reduced labor cost.
One of the specialized tasks of clinical chemistry concerns the diagnosis of over 300 hereditary inborn errors of metabolism (IEM);among these, approximately 75 are treatable. Defects have been defined since the early...
One of the specialized tasks of clinical chemistry concerns the diagnosis of over 300 hereditary inborn errors of metabolism (IEM);among these, approximately 75 are treatable. Defects have been defined since the early 1960s, thereby allowing a rational therapeutic approach for common cases. However, many disorders are rare and show a wide clinical and biochemical variability. In those cases the absence of homogeneous disease populations does not allow a statistical approach for diagnosis. Automating the diagnosis using a knowledge-based system makes expert knowledge more widely accessible. Furthermore, it allows verification of the coherence of specialist knowledge and reasoning. Finally, it requires explicit formulation of diagnostic knowledge, thereby facilitating communication. Knowledge of diseases is most naturally available in the form of models which describe the symptoms that must, must not or might be present in a patient with a disease. Classical rule-based expert systems translate this knowledge into diagnostic rules which map symptoms into likely diseases. This representation is unsuitable as an expression of the expert's knowledge and reasoning, since it hides knowledge of diseases in diagnostic rules. Furthermore, the experience required to formulate certainty factors of diagnostic rules is not available. In this article, we describe CLICHE (CLInical CHemist Expert system), a computer program based on abductive model-based reasoning for the diagnosis of IEM. CLICHE uses qualitative evaluations of clinical and interpreted biochemical data to establish diagnostic hypotheses which explain these observations. The user defines and extends the knowledge base using a graphical interface which allows input of disease models in a natural way. A truth maintenance system (TMS) manages different possible diagnoses and indicates diseases which are best supported by the data available. CLICHE currently accommodates fifty diseases. Initial testing in a clinical envir
AuRA (autonomous robot architecture), a hybrid, schema-based software architecture encompassing aspects of both deliberative and reactive control is described. A flexible, real-time, message-passing hardware platform ...
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AuRA (autonomous robot architecture), a hybrid, schema-based software architecture encompassing aspects of both deliberative and reactive control is described. A flexible, real-time, message-passing hardware platform for the development of AuRA and other software architectures is also presented. To demonstrate their flexibility and portability, they were integrated within a very short period to be used in a mobile robot competition. The experience confirmed the advantages of onboard computational capability in mobile systems.< >
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