The world’s least expensive pipetting robot

In 2005, as part of a graduate course on robotics, the team of Melissa Morris, John Morris, Thomas Kelly and I set about repurposing a JOT automation system (http://www.jotautomation.com/) which housed a four axis Hirata robot (http://www.hirata.it/) and was donated to FAU from Motorola. The system, pictured below, was originally used to print and apply barcodes in the battery compartment of cellular phones. The goal of the repurposing was to complete a project whereby the system would be converted into a pipetting robot, capable of dispensing liquids into 96-well microtiter plates. This was accomplished on an extremely lavish budget of $0.

img1

Continue reading…

Yet Another Wiimote Controlled Robot

As part of the Scripps Florida grand opening celebration in 2009, the volunteer robotics team at Scripps Florida was tasked with repurposing a laboratory robot for use as demonstration unit and an Educational Outreach platform. This volunteer team consisted of Lina DeLuca, Dr. Louis Scampavia and myself. The goal of this project was to create a hands-on robotic system which could be used to showcase the unique technology used in the drug discovery process and more generally, to generate interest in science and engineering.

Scripps Grand Opening - Science Education Day 057

Continue reading…