Yaskawa Electric Corporation (Junji Tsuda, Representative Director, Chairman and President) developed robot systems that utilize the company’s industrial robots (dual arm robots) for preprocessing operations for reagent and specimen analysis in the medical care and bioresearch fields. These systems went on sale in June of 2013.

　Up until now in the medical care and bioresearch fields, subsequent to preprocessing operations involving dispensing miniscule amounts of specimen and reagents into several small containers to be agitated and then separated, multiple analyzers were utilized to carry out minute analysis involving the manual implementation of complex and delicate procedures. However, these manual operations involved certain underlying issues such as discrepancies and mistakes brought on by individual differences, contact with potentially dangerous poisons and germs and long periods of tedious work.
　The robot service developed by Yaskawa liberates the researcher from this dangerous environment as well as from extended periods of tedious work. By utilizing the dual arm robot for the system, it can continue to use the same analyzers, containers and other items that the researchers have used, making for a highly flexible and scalable system.　Moreover, with procedures carried out by robots capable of reproducibility beyond what humans can provide, the system is able to produce highly reliable experimental data.
　This robot system is most suitable for large-scale proteomics (*1) research and quantitative experiments where a high level of reproducibility is desired.
(Research cooperation provided by: the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, the Molecular Profiling Research Center for Drug Discovery)

(1)Excellent Reproducibility
・ Eliminates discrepancies, individual differences and mistakes associated with manual operations, helping to realize a level of reproducibility beyond what humans can produce.
・ Visualization and standardization of skills involving implicit knowledge, enabling repetition as needed.

(2)Replacement of Manual Operations
・ Frees the researcher from a dangerous work environment and long periods of tedious work, allowing for undivided attention to be given to his or her creative studies.

(3)Flexible & Space-Saving
・ Analyzers, containers and similar items can continue to be utilized “as is”, making for flexible support of those modifications to the manufacturing process and equipment made possible by technological progress.
・ A diverse range of bench work (*2) is possible utilizing the same space as occupied by a human worker.

-Preprocessing operations for proteomics analysis
-Preprocessing operations for gene analysis
-Screening operations, including those in the regenerative medical field

(1)Sales start date: June 1, 2013
(2)Sales schedule:　100 systems in FY 2015
(3)Pricing:　Open pricing

*1 Proteomics:　A generic term for the technology involved in the comprehensive analysis of the structure and functions of proteins made up of cells and tissue in vivo. The results of this analysis are then made available for use in the advanced medical technology field for clinical medicine and drug development efforts.

*2 Bench work:　Various experiments involving dispensation and cultivation according to protocol in the life sciences field.

Contact:
Corporate Communication Group
YASKAWA Electric Corporation
E-mail: web_mstr@yaskawa.co.jp