Biotech robot could speed up diagnosis of Covid-19

A new robotic system designed by the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, alongside Mitsubishi Electric, Labomatica and Perlan Technologies claims to be able to speed up the diagnosis of Covid-19.

Reportedly capable of testing as many as 15,000 samples daily, the machine uses a mix of new automation technologies with AI, which could see use in other healthcare sectors, such as gathering data for the creation of new drugs or developing bespoke cancer therapies or even creating cosmetics.

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Dubbed "Agamede", the robot runs on a closed-loop system, meaning it can set variables and operate without the need for human intervention. Work on the project commenced in 2015 and it was originally envisioned to work with cellular reprogramming and regenerative medicines.

Operators simply need to define a parameter for work, then the robot can prepare the experiment, read the results at a specified time and interpret data 24 hours a day to discern the next course of action.

The institute described the merger of automation and AI as a "breakthrough" for the healthcare sector, as many automated systems still require human operators to read results and plan ahead.

Increased autonomy and more efficient processing could significantly speed up the diagnosis of diseases and potentially allow for significantly more cases to be flagged each day. At the very least, it would bring results back to patients in a more timely manner.

"Thanks to the AI module, [the robot] interprets the experiments without human involvement, based on mathematical models", said Radosław Pilarski,  the inventor and chief engineer of the system.

"The system can be used by central diagnostic laboratories, pharmaceutical companies in drug development, oncology laboratories in search of personalised therapies for patients, but also in R&D departments of chemical and biotechnology companies to optimise bioprocesses".

Despite its origins in regenerative medicine, particularly looking to implant cells into hearts following cardiovascular problems, Agamede's focus was shifted firmly to aiding with the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.

The Institute's director, Professor Marek Figlerowicz claims theirs was the first in Poland to develop a test for the coronavirus and soon decided to utilise Agamede's automation capabilities to more efficiently conduct and read tests.

15,000 tests per day are the robot's "true potential", he added, owing to the IBCH not having an accredited diagnostic laboratory.

"This is an outstanding result, because when analysing samples manually, one person can process a few hundred samples a day at the most", he concluded.

Mitsubishi claims that one of the project's biggest challenges came as a result of it being spread over a number of academic fields such as computer science, industrial design, robotics, among others, which made defining and ultimately reaching a goal more difficult. 

This was ultimately achieved by finding a common "technical language" that allowed experts from different fields, such as computer science, industrial design, and robotics to communicate on the same level and make expectations clear.

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"It was often difficult to bridge the gap between the academic world, which thinks in abstract terms, and the industrial world, which typically follows a fixed pattern", according to Mitsubishi engineer Tomasz Scholz.

The robot is installed in a clean room with glass panes installed to allow for observation without the need for protective suits. The installing of 4K resolution cameras also facilitates a degree of remote working for observers.

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