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PyLabRobot: An open-source, hardware-agnostic interface for liquid-handling robots and accessories

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Author(s)
Wierenga, Rick P
•
Golas, Stefan M
•
Ho, Wilson
•
Coley, Connor W
•
Esvelt, Kevin M
Date Issued
October 20, 2023
Journal
Device
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Citation
Wierenga, Rick P, Golas, Stefan M, Ho, Wilson, Coley, Connor W and Esvelt, Kevin M. 2023. "PyLabRobot: An open-source, hardware-agnostic interface for liquid-handling robots and accessories." Device, 1 (4).
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Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Liquid-handling robots are often limited by proprietary interfaces that are only compatible with a single type of robot and operating system, restricting method sharing and slowing development. Here, we present PyLabRobot, an open-source, cross-platform Python interface capable of programming diverse liquid-handling robots, including Hamilton STARs and Vantages, Tecan EVOs, and Opentron OT-2s. PyLabRobot provides an interface for a universal set of commands and deck layout representations while enabling the control of diverse accessory devices. The interface can work with any liquid-handling robot capable of aspirating and dispensing precise volumes of liquid within a Cartesian coordinate system. In addition to the already integrated robots, we include guidance on integrating new liquid-handling systems and accessories. We validated the framework through unit tests and application demonstrations, including a browser-based simulator, a position calibration tool, and a path-teaching tool for complex movements. PyLabRobot provides a flexible, open, and collaborative programming environment for laboratory automation.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Media Laboratory
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemical Engineering
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Persistent DSpace Link
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/165435
DOI of Published Version
10.1016/j.device.2023.100111
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