Browsing by Author "Chiu, Shih-Hao"

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Dual robotic arm "production line" mass spectrometry assay guided by multiple Arduino-type microcontrollers
(2017-02)
Chen, Chih-Lin
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Chen, Ting-Ru
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Chiu, Shih-Hao
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Urban, Pawel L.
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應用化學系
Chemistry-related procedures often involve a substantial investment of manual work. Automated procedures have been developed to reduce the burden of sample processing and analysis. Here, we demonstrate an automated system for sequential sample processing and delivery to a mass spectrometer. This new platform referred to as RAMSAY-2 incorporates two robotic arms. The arms are guided by several inexpensive, open-source, electronic modules. RAMSAY-2 performs various operations on the samples. Two robotic arms work synchronously to process multiple samples. The system recognizes the delivered samples, aliquots solutions (e.g., substrates of biochemical reactions, diluents), incubates the samples with the reagents, delivers the processed samples to the ion source of the mass spectrometer, and initiates data acquisition. The increased efficiency and versatility are due to implementation of two arms, several microfluidic pumps, fast servos, and the modular design of the control unit. RAMSAY-2 handles multiple sample processing workflows encoded in radio frequency identification tags attached to the samples and can easily be reprogrammed according to the specific requirements of sample processing before mass spectrometric detection. As an example, we demonstrate that RAMSAY-2 can autonomously collect data to evaluate enzymatic activities in enzyme samples supplied by the user. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Robotics-assisted mass spectrometry assay platform enabled by open-source electronics
(2015-02-15)
Chiu, Shih-Hao
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Urban, Pawel L.
;
應用化學系
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應用化學系分子科學碩博班
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Department of Applied Chemistry
Mass spectrometry (MS) is an important analytical technique with numerous applications in clinical analysis, biochemistry, environmental analysis, geology and physics. Its success builds on the ability of MS to determine molecular weights of analytes, and elucidate their structures. However, sample handling prior to MS requires a lot of attention and labor. In this work we were aiming to automate processing samples for MS so that analyses could be conducted without much supervision of experienced analysts. The goal of this study was to develop a robotics and information technology-oriented platform that could control the whole analysis process including sample delivery, reaction-based assay, data acquisition, and interaction with the analyst. The proposed platform incorporates a robotic arm for handling sample vials delivered to the laboratory, and several auxiliary devices which facilitate and secure the analysis process. They include: multi-relay board, infrared sensors, photo-interrupters, gyroscopes, force sensors, fingerprint scanner, barcode scanner, touch screen panel, and internet interface. The control of all the building blocks is achieved through implementation of open-source electronics (Arduino), and enabled by custom-written programs in C language. The advantages of the proposed system include: low cost, simplicity, small size, as well as facile automation of sample delivery and processing without the intervention of the analyst. It is envisaged that this simple robotic system may be the forerunner of automated laboratories dedicated to mass spectrometric analysis of biological samples. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.