Take any test tube, register its barcode, unscrew the lid, take a sample and move it, throw off the tip... the automated solution for the initial handling with samples, such as COVID-19, which was introduced two years ago by researchers from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Brno University of Technology (BUT) with the support of the team of the University Hospital of Brno, has reached another level in form of its second generation called openTube2. According to scientists, the new system has substantially surpassed its predecessor. The public has a chance to see the robot "in action" at the International Engineering Fair in Brno.

The openTube2 system was tested for over two months in the live operation of the laboratory of the Center for Molecular Biology and Genetics at the Internal Hematology and Oncology Clinic of the University Hospital Brno. In the lab, the robot was handling with real, potentially infectious samples tested for Covid-19. An experienced laboratory technician who supervised the sample processing process also participated in the validation of the openTube2 system to ensure that the whole process meets the required standards.

Right at first glance the robot differs from its predecessor. "Although we logically named the system openTube2, it represents a completely new solution. First of all, we respected the basic requirement, namely the fitting of the entire device in a standard type of a laminar box used in the University Hospital Brno. Thanks to this, the level of safety for work with biohazard samples of class II according to the standards of the hospital is guaranteed. We also selected a completely different type of robot," explains Radomil Matoušek, the head of the research team and Director of the Institute of Automation and Computer Science at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of BUT.

Instead of a seven-axial collaborative robotic arm, a SCARA-type robot became the focal point of the system. Compared to its predecessor, it can handle heavier objects weighing up to three kilograms with great dynamics, which scientists have evaluated as optimal. The complex calculations took into account, for example, the forces required to open or close the tubes and to put on or remove the pipette tips, but also the forces that are exerted on the lamellar box during the robot's movement. The system now also includes safety and adaptive features that the original openTube, which had been created rapidly during the first wave of the pandemic, failed to have.

"The preparation of the workplace itself is facilitated by a service application. Without the basic instrumentation, such as tips, sample holders, and PCR tubes, the system will not start at all. Other automatic checks will take place before the start itself. The process begins with the identification of samples, that is, tubes containing the mucous samples obtained from patients. Using image processing methods, the system finds the tubes and starts processing them. During this processing many checks are carried out, such as the successful opening of the tube, the deployment of the tip, as well as the supply of instrumentation. For example, in case that the system runs out of tips, the system stops and waits for the lab technician to replenish. Registration of samples is ensured by means of bar codes. It is also worth mentioning our own design of an electronic pipette based on the Pipetman technology, thanks to which we are able to dispense samples with a resolution of two microliters. The entire openTube2 system is designed to cooperate with the hospital`s laboratory information system, so in addition to the robot itself, there is also a lot of IT work behind," says Matoušek.

The development of the device would not be possible without intensive cooperation and consultations with experts from the Brno University Hospital. "Tuning of the handling protocol, the characteristics and parameterization of the robot with regard to the instrumentation and nature of the samples, the system calibration itself, laboratory protocols, as well as the understanding of the safety standards were carried out in close cooperation with us," adds Associate Professor Martina Lengerová, speaking on behalf of the laboratory of the University Hospital Brno.

The first version of openTube was introduced to the public in May 2020. Further development and testing of openTube2 eventually required two years of intense work. "Many of the elements may look similar, but behind, there is a completely new approach and technology, and therefore intensive research and development. Funding was also a problem. In the end, we managed to raise money thanks to a project of the Ministry of Industry, which helped a lot," says Matoušek.

It takes less than a minute for the robot to process one sample. The lab technician works at a similar speed, but the system does not get tired and enables the professional staff to deal with other work. The entire robotic workplace has its digital twin, thanks to which minor adjustments to the system settings can be made remotely. Researchers from the Brno University of Technology installed the system in the laboratory of the University Hospital Brno in the premises of the Children's Hospital in June this year, while the tests and full operation in pilot mode were running until the beginning of September. "Of course, the opentTube2 system is not tied to Covid-19 solely, it can process similar samples for subsequent PCR, where during primary handling there is a sample, a medium and, for example, a swab brush in the test tube," adds Lengerová.

"In the context of sample processing, it is a fairly versatile solution for Class II biohazard laboratories. Thanks to the past two years of development and intensive cooperation with the hospital, I dare to say that openTube2 is ready for laboratory handling with samples in a form that has the potential to succeed on the market. It is a logical symbiosis of humans, IT technologies, cybernetics, robotics and artificial intelligence. Those interested will see our system live from 4 to 7 October at the International Engineering Fair in Brno, where it will be part of the BUT exposition," concludes Matoušek, inviting visitors to the fair.

The development of the openTube 2 system was possible thanks to financial support from the project of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic. The development was also helped by cooperation with SMC (automation), opticontrol (robotics), Sipoch (laboratory instrumentation), KRD (lamellar boxes), MANN+HUMMEL (special design) and ABB Robotics.