Tip engagement without force controller
To evaluate the impact of the force controller, we conducted comparative experiments on tip engagement, assessing performance both with and without force control.
Manual pipetting and related repetitive tasks in chemical and biological laboratories are time-consuming and prone to human error. To address this, we developed a fully automated robotic pipetting system. First, we designed a custom pipetting end-effector—capable of aspirating samples, dispensing them, and ejecting used tips—and mounted it on a UR5e robotic arm. Next, we engineered a specialized work plate to securely hold pipette tip racks and receiving vessels in fixed positions, and used robot teaching to register their precise coordinates. Our control strategy uses vision-guided waypoint generation to precisely locate tip boxes and vessels, directing the robot to the correct coordinates. To guarantee reliable tip engagement, we overlay a force controller that monitors and regulates contact force during insertion and removal, dramatically boosting engagement success rates. We validate the complete system through experimental trials, demonstrating its ability to perform complex pipetting operations consistently and with minimal human intervention. This robotic solution significantly reduces manual labor and improves repeatability.
To evaluate the impact of the force controller, we conducted comparative experiments on tip engagement, assessing performance both with and without force control.
@patent{zhao2022_robot_end_pipetting,
author = {Ziqi Gao},
title = {Vision- and Force-Integrated Robotic Pipetting: Automated Tip Engagement, Ejection, and Liquid Handling},
number = {CN114917975A},
date = {2022-08-19},
type = {Patent Application},
institution = {China National Intellectual Property Administration},
}
}