Human-Cobot system for ergonomic pipetting

Worldwide, millions of laboratories operate in service of science, environmental monitoring, healthcare, food production and many more areas of society. Among the most common tasks in laboratories is the transfer of precise amounts of liquid between test tubes, sample plates and other containers: Pipetting. Pipetting is a repetitive task, often performed over several hours daily, while processing hundreds of samples. Consequently, repetitive strain injuries in the wrist and the shoulder are highly prevalent among lab personnel, in connection with the repeated pressing motion of the thumb when obtaining and releasing liquid samples, and the frequent lifting of the arm when moving the pipette between test tubes. Pipetting robots are available and used in larger laboratories. However, these highly automated and computerised instruments, even in their smaller-scale versions, are beyond the budget of most research and hospital laboratories, smaller governmental laboratories and non-profit or start-up organisations. Even more so in low- and middle-income countries.

To relieve lab personnel from the health risks of manual pipetting, we want to create an ergonomic solution for the pipetting task, that is both, affordable and versatile to fit the needs of small to mid-sized laboratories. Our idea is to design a pipetting collaborative robot (cobot). In contrast with a traditional robot, a cobot acts as an assistant device in direct interaction with the human operator. This allows for an affordable design, that is adaptable to a wide range of pipetting tasks, since cobots do not require expensive sensors, and sophisticated control algorithms. In a human-cobot collaboration, the operator is in charge of the task at all times, while the cobot aids the operator in the most strenuous repetitive movements, so that a more ergonomic workflow is created.

Our design focuses on three main principles:

• Comfort of use.
• Versatility.
• Affordability.