McDermott Samuel, Bowman Richard, Harrington Kerrianne, Wadsworth William, Cicuta Pietro
Department of Physics, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK.
Department of Physics, Bath University, Bath, UK.
R Soc Open Sci. 2023 Feb 1;10(2):221236. doi: 10.1098/rsos.221236. eCollection 2023 Feb.
Making user interaction with laboratory equipment more convenient and intuitive should promote experimental work and help researchers to complete their tasks efficiently. The most common form of interaction in current instrumentation is either direct tactile, with buttons and knobs, or interfaced through a computer, using a mouse and keyboard. Scripting is another function typical of smart and automated laboratory equipment, yet users are currently required to learn bespoke programming languages and libraries for individual pieces of equipment. In this paper, we present two open-source, novel and intuitive ways of interacting with and scripting laboratory equipment. We choose the OpenFlexure family of microscopes as our exemplar, due to their open-source nature and smart control system. Firstly, we demonstrate 'OpenFlexure Voice Control' to enable users to control the microscope hands-free. Secondly, we present 'OpenFlexure Blockly' which uses the Blockly Visual Programming Language to enable users to easily create scripts for the microscope, using a drag and drop Web interface. We explain the design choices when developing these tools, and discuss more typical use cases and more general applications.
让用户与实验室设备的交互更加便捷和直观，应该能够促进实验工作，并帮助研究人员高效地完成任务。当前仪器中最常见的交互形式要么是通过按钮和旋钮进行直接触觉操作，要么是通过计算机使用鼠标和键盘进行交互。脚本编写是智能自动化实验室设备的另一项典型功能，但目前用户需要为每台设备学习定制的编程语言和库。在本文中，我们展示了两种与实验室设备进行交互和编写脚本的开源、新颖且直观的方式。由于其开源性质和智能控制系统，我们选择了OpenFlexure系列显微镜作为示例。首先，我们展示“OpenFlexure语音控制”，使用户能够免提控制显微镜。其次，我们展示“OpenFlexure Blockly”，它使用Blockly可视化编程语言，通过拖放式网络界面，使用户能够轻松为显微镜创建脚本。我们解释了开发这些工具时的设计选择，并讨论了更典型的用例和更一般的应用。
