A robotic arm as a simple sample changer for a diffractometer with very low component costs

Lian, D.; Swainson, I. P.; Cranswick, Lachlan M. D.; Donaberger, R. L.

doi:10.1107/s0021889809036164

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Thanks not least to the evolution of movements such as Open Source and Maker, along with 'freemium' pricing models from software providers, end users have access to tools to create bespoke apparatus at low cost and without formal design training (Lian et al, 2009;Pearce, 2013). Starting at least as far back as the introduction of programmable integrated circuits in the 1970s (Augarten, 1974), and continuing with popular microcontroller-powered electronics modules, end users are similarly able to generate sophisticated sensing and control systems without in-depth electronics or software training.…”

Section: Observations On Developing Hardware As a Bench Scientistmentioning

confidence: 99%

The low-cost Shifter microscope stage transforms the speed and robustness of protein crystal harvesting

Wright¹,

Collins²,

Koekemoer³

et al. 2021

Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol

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Despite the tremendous success of X-ray cryo-crystallography in recent decades, the transfer of crystals from the drops in which they are grown to diffractometer sample mounts remains a manual process in almost all laboratories. Here, the Shifter, a motorized, interactive microscope stage that transforms the entire crystal-mounting workflow from a rate-limiting manual activity to a controllable, high-throughput semi-automated process, is described. By combining the visual acuity and fine motor skills of humans with targeted hardware and software automation, it was possible to transform the speed and robustness of crystal mounting. Control software, triggered by the operator, manoeuvres crystallization plates beneath a clear protective cover, allowing the complete removal of film seals and thereby eliminating the tedium of repetitive seal cutting. The software, either upon request or working from an imported list, controls motors to position crystal drops under a hole in the cover for human mounting at a microscope. The software automatically captures experimental annotations for uploading to the user's data repository, removing the need for manual documentation. The Shifter facilitates mounting rates of 100–240 crystals per hour in a more controlled process than manual mounting, which greatly extends the lifetime of the drops and thus allows a dramatic increase in the number of crystals retrievable from any given drop without loss of X-ray diffraction quality. In 2015, the first in a series of three Shifter devices was deployed as part of the XChem fragment-screening facility at Diamond Light Source, where they have since facilitated the mounting of over 120 000 crystals. The Shifter was engineered to have a simple design, providing a device that could be readily commercialized and widely adopted owing to its low cost. The versatile hardware design allows use beyond fragment screening and protein crystallography.

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Section: Observations On Developing Hardware As a Bench Scientistmentioning

confidence: 99%

The low-cost Shifter microscope stage transforms the speed and robustness of protein crystal harvesting

Wright¹,

Collins²,

Koekemoer³

et al. 2021

Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Over many years there have been a variety of automatic sample changers designed at neutron research facilities, ranging from those costing as little as CAD$1000 (Lian et al, 2009) to sophisticated devices available commercially that also cool the sample to cryogenic temperatures (Rix & Webber, 2007). An essential part of samplechanger systems affecting their design is the sample container (size, shape, material), and efforts have also been made to develop lowbackground sample holders (Potter et al, 2007;Bailey, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A 100-position robotic sample changer for powder diffraction with low-background vacuum chamber

2010

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At the new Australian OPAL research reactor, experiments carried out at room temperature use a substantial fraction of beam time on the high‐resolution powder diffractometer, Echidna. With an average data collection time of 2 h and a complicated safety interlock system to protect users, the need for a fully automated and remotely controlled system was quickly realized. This report presents a solution based on a commercial four‐axis robot capable of loading samples from two 50‐position sample trays, in any order, into an automatically evacuated chamber. This chamber significantly reduced background signal arising from air scattering, with the effect being especially pronounced at low and high 2θ angles. In the case of textured or inhomogeneous samples, the system may be re‐configured so that the robot rotates the sample in the beam or translates it vertically through the beam.

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“…This presents practitioners with great opportunities for innovation. With often free design software, end-users have access to tools to create bespoke apparatus at low-cost (Lian, Swainson, Cranswick, & Donaberger, 2009;J. M. Pearce, 2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Low-Cost, Semi-Automated Shifter Microscope Stage Transforms Speed and Robustness of Manual Protein Crystal Harvesting

Wright

Collins

Talon

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Synopsis A motorised X/Y microscope stage is presented that combines human fine motor control with machine automation and automated experiment documentation, to transform productivity in protein crystal harvesting. AbstractDespite the tremendous success of x-ray cryocrystallography over recent decades, the transfer of crystals from the drops where they grow to diffractometer sample mounts, remains a manual process in almost all laboratories. Here we describe the Shifter, a semi-automated microscope stage that offers an accessible and scalable approach to crystal mounting that exploits on the strengths of both humans and machines. The Shifter control software manoeuvres sample drops beneath a hole in a clear protective cover, for human mounting under a microscope. By allowing complete removal of film seals the tedium of cutting or removing the seal is eliminated. The control software also automatically captures experimental annotations for uploading to the user's data repository, removing the overhead of manual documentation. The Shifter facilitates mounting rates of 100-240 crystals per hour, in a more controlled process than manual mounting, which greatly extends the lifetime of drops and thus allows for a dramatic increase in the number of crystals retrievable from any given drop, without loss of X-ray diffraction quality. In 2015 the first in a series of three Shifter devices was deployed as part of the XChem fragment screening facility at Diamond Light Source (DLS), where Acta Crystallographica Section D research papers 2 they have since facilitated the mounting of over 100,000 crystals. The Shifter was engineered to be simple, allowing for a low-cost device to be commercialised and thus potentially transformative as many research initiatives as possible.

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A robotic arm as a simple sample changer for a diffractometer with very low component costs

Cited by 4 publications

References 6 publications

The low-cost Shifter microscope stage transforms the speed and robustness of protein crystal harvesting

The low-cost Shifter microscope stage transforms the speed and robustness of protein crystal harvesting

A 100-position robotic sample changer for powder diffraction with low-background vacuum chamber

The Low-Cost, Semi-Automated Shifter Microscope Stage Transforms Speed and Robustness of Manual Protein Crystal Harvesting

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