Viola Robert, Walsh Jace, Melka Alex, Womack Wesley, Murphy Sean, Riboldi-Tunnicliffe Alan, Rupp Bernhard
Square One Systems Design, Jackson, WY 83002, USA.
J Struct Funct Genomics. 2011 Jul;12(2):77-82. doi: 10.1007/s10969-011-9103-5. Epub 2011 Mar 23.
The demonstration unit of the Universal Micromanipulation Robot (UMR) capable of semi-autonomous protein crystal harvesting has been tested and evaluated by independent users. We report the status and capabilities of the present unit scheduled for deployment in a high-throughput protein crystallization center. We discuss operational aspects as well as novel features such as micro-crystal handling and drip-cryoprotection, and we extrapolate towards the design of a fully autonomous, integrated system capable of reliable crystal harvesting. The positive to enthusiastic feedback from the participants in an evaluation workshop indicates that genuine demand exists and the effort and resources to develop autonomous protein crystal harvesting robotics are justified.
能够进行半自动蛋白质晶体采集的通用微操作机器人（UMR）示范单元已由独立用户进行了测试和评估。我们报告了计划部署在高通量蛋白质结晶中心的现有单元的状态和能力。我们讨论了操作方面以及诸如微晶处理和滴注式冷冻保护等新特性，并推断了能够可靠采集晶体的全自主集成系统的设计。评估研讨会上参与者积极到热烈的反馈表明存在实际需求，开发自主蛋白质晶体采集机器人的努力和资源是合理的。
