Core Processes in Intelligent Robotic Lab Assistants: Flexible Liquid Handling

Laboratory automation is a suitable solution to establish higher reproducibility with less manual work and thus higher quality standards in life sciences. To date, mobile robots are capable of performing autonomous pick-and-place tasks in the laboratory, and specialized pipetting machines can be used for sequenced liquid handling. However, the complex and creative process of developing new research protocols requires flexible robotic systems that can perform tasks such as pipetting in more versatile ways. In addition, the correct technique, according to ISO standards, has a great influence on precision and accuracy and therefore on reproducibility. This paper introduces our Intelligent Robotic Lab Assistants in the framework of our holistic, human-like, but standardized paradigm for collaborative lab automation, AI.Laboratory. Our system demonstrates mastery of pipetting following ISO 8655 as a force-sensitive robotic manipulation skill, which is a key component of our taxonomy of cell culture skills and the first steps toward true intelligent robotic laboratory assistants. This intelligent robotic pipetting skill is a versatile tool for general handling of µL-liquids, using only standard laboratory equipment that can be flexibly positioned in the robot's workspace. To demonstrate its pipetting performance, flexible handling of small volumes from 10 µL to 1000 µL was experimentally validated to the ISO 8655 standard, demonstrating superhuman performance that outperformed laymen, human experts, and other commercial and non-commercial robotic pipetting systems.