Hi Sudo Room,
CCL is looking to donate our large liquid handling robot in order to free
up some space in the lab. Would you or anyone you know like it? It's
important that any organization that CCL transfers the robot to is also a
501(c)(3).
Here are some specifics about the robot:
Capabilities:
- Liquid handling
- Freezer with automated door
- With a little TLC, could carry out many basic biology assays and
operations, like plate incubation, PCR, SDS-PAGE, and centrifugation.
The robot includes:
- Robot frame made of 80/20 aluminum bars
- A gantry with a pipette mounted to it that can move in 3-dimensions, plus
actuate the pipette aspirator. All dimensions have limit switches on them
- A Smoothieboard <http://smoothieware.org/smoothieboard> to run the
3D-movement motors
- An Arduino Uno to manage electrical relays
- A Raspberry Pi 2 that can be used to communicate to the Smoothieboard and
Arduino
- A top-loading freezer for storing samples. Parts included to automate
opening and closing the freezer.
- Custom-built table with deckspace for robot operation and storage space
underneath
- Various pieces of labware, including a microcentrifuge and custom-cut
acrylic to allow the robot to manipulate petri plates
State:
- Robot moves in 3 dimensions. The motor for the pipette jogger has been
shown to work, but is currently not connected
- All of the other, non-movement components are included but not assembled
- No software provided, but we can definitely share the documents we've
generated as we learned how to use it
I've attached a few pictures and a short video
<https://photos.app.goo.gl/GhuH4GS2qNGuR58M9> of the robot picking up a
pipette tip and ejecting it to help get an idea of the way it operates.
That said, the robot is very hacker-friendly, so alternative uses are
doable.
If you've got any leads, reach out to me, the CCL Board, or the CCL Space
Committee. Hoping to find a good home for this robot!
-Tim