yet2’s client is seeking technologies and innovative solutions to address the challenges of using Collaborative Robots (Cobots) within a complex laboratory environment to help fulfill the following tasks:
- Materials Handling of soft and flexible substrates – can include identification, picking and placing, manipulating, and transferring from different equipment.
- Dispensing/dosing and filling of liquids, powders, pastes and gels with a wide range of characteristics, to aid in the transferring of formulations from one container to another for either storage, analysis or preparing material for a scientist to use. Volumes range from a few ml to a litre. Particular interest is preventing cross contamination of reusable parts.
- Non-invasive assessment and measurements Giving the cobot awareness of the lab environment, is everything as expected?
Background
A Cobot, is a robot intended for direct human-robot interaction within a shared space, or where humans and robots are in close proximity. The client currently uses collaborative robots within their laboratories (handling materials and formulations) and is looking to identify technology solutions to expand the current range of applications and tasks/activities that could be undertaken by cobots. The types of formulations being handled include thick gels, powders, and pastes.
Possible Solution Areas
- Materials Handling of soft and flexible substrates (Materials can include soft fabrics and other delicate, tricky to handle objects)
- Novel gripping solution
- Transferable solutions from other industries e.g., Agro technology/automated fruit picking
- Haptics
- Dispensing/dosing and filling of a wide range of viscosities (formulations being handled include thick gels, powders, and pastes)
- Gravimetric Dosing
- Thick viscosity pumping mechanisms
- Fast, preferably automated change over to dispense different materials.
- Non-invasive assessment and measurements (of surroundings and reactions occurring)
- General awareness of the cobot’s environment and changes that occur e.g. whole lab/room/space
- Detailed specific awareness of a situation e.g. is this the labware it was expecting? Confirming if a door/guard is actually open on a piece of lab equipment.
- Safety Awareness software that complies with safety regulations
Desired Outcome of the Solution
Open to a variety of partnership avenues including: Supplier, collaboration, etc.
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Photo Credits: Samanta Pereira Ferdinandi Sam from Pixabay & Mathieu Lobstein on Unsplash
