A Smart Centrifuge for Automated Sample Processing with Liquid Handling Robot

Abstract

Recent advances in the development of automation hardware, such as liquid handling robots, offer accelerated and less labor-intensive workflows for material synthesis and diagnostic assays. Furthermore, greatly increased data redundancy and removal of the experimenter variability are expected to contribute to higher reliability and reproducibility of communicated results. One current limitation for further deployment, especially in open hardware solutions, is the integration of centrifuges in automated workflows. Conventional centrifuges are often not suitable for portable or modular applications and, crucially, do not offer the required positional control over the samples. This work presents a centrifuge with infrared sensor-derived positional control based on open-source design and cost-effective manufacturing. Users can accurately control the centrifugation parameters via a serial port. Besides, this device is built with modular components, allowing for further customized adaptations. The manuscript presents the design, construction, and general validation, as well as the functionality testing and quality control. By using an adaptive bottom plate, the smart centrifuge is compatible with various deck configurations, here demonstrated for the open-source pipetting robot OT-2 (Opentrons). This accessible platform offers flexible use in automated synthesis and sample processing across various research fields in life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering.

Keywords

• liquid handling
• automated synthesis
• centrifuge
• pipetting robot