Recipient: Fraunhofer Society for the Promotion of Applied Research
Funding: Go-Bio initial (01/10/2022 to 30/09/2023, EUR 99,986.74)

Project description:

The complexity of diagnostic laboratory processes is constantly increasing, but time requirements and error rates are expected to decrease continuously. Automation is indispensable for this. One possible approach to this is cobots, small robots that work in collaboration with humans. This is exactly where the MICRO-HEAD project comes in and expands the cobots with laboratory-relevant functions. At this moment cobots are limited to picking, positioning and depositing workpieces – pick & place tasks for short.

Within the scope of the MICRO-HEAD project these capabilities are to be expanded to include the fields of pipetting, mixing and filtration and, in the future, analytics. The technological basis for this is provided by advanced microfluidic systems. Cobots equipped in this way could also be used decentrally and cost-effectively in smaller diagnostic laboratories.

In the exploratory phase the chances of transferring the technology into practical application and thus ultimately commercial exploitation are to be explored. For this purpose the market and competitive situations are being analysed, technical challenges are being defined and potential partners are being identified. As a result of the project, prioritised exploitation options are to be developed. An additional implementation strategy for market entry will be designed.