Nov 28
It might look more like an engine from an aging car than a piece of engineering fit for space, but this machine was a pioneering piece of apparatus that allowed astronauts to experiment with fluids in space.
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Jul 17
This robot is being developed to automate the management of laboratory animal colonies used by pharmaceutical companies and research institutions, primarily those that raise from 10,000 to 30,000 mice or rats. It’s currently under development by Nikkyo Technos and Yaskawa Electric.
“The biggest problem in raising animals is that diseases can spread from people to the animals. If that happens, all the animals have to be killed and replaced with new ones. So, infection by people must be prevented. By managing animals using robots in an enclosed space, it’s basically possible to eliminate the spread of diseases from animals to people or from people to animals.”
This six-axis, vertical, multi-jointed robot can mimic the motions of a human. It can change cage sheets, top up the food, and change the water. Taking out cages, changing sheets, and topping up food are each done with separate tools, which the robot picks up in turn. In this model, the amount of food remaining isn’t taken into account. But in the next model, a camera will be used to see how much food is left, so the robot can add the right amount.
“Mice, especially, are nervous animals, so the robot handles the cages gently. These tasks account for about 80% of the work involved with lab animals. So, our aim is to automate the hard, dirty, and dangerous task of dealing with so much dust and droppings.”
This robot also can also work in coordination with a robot that carries cages from the rack to the workbench, and a monitoring system for the animal facility. In this way, it can automate all aspects of animal raising, from surveillance to care.
“The animals can be monitored with cameras 24/7. So, people can check their own cages from the monitoring station. The animals’ body temperature can also be managed. It takes about two hours for the cages to come back from the lab, but data can be viewed directly from a PC in the monitoring room. So, people can see the cages they want right away, wherever they are.”
“Doing this work with robots makes it much faster, so lots of cages can be handled in a short time. Also, using cameras to monitor food and water is safer and more reliable than having people do it. We’d like to complete the system this year, and next year, we’d like to produce several sets, so we can make at least a provisional start.”
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Aug 26
It’s hard to find a good specialist on earth, let alone when you’re floating 240 miles above it. That’s why NASA will test the Microflow, a breadbox-sized device that instantly detects cancer and infectious diseases, and can even sense the presence of rotten food. The Canadian-made device is a “flow cytometer,” which works by analyzing microparticles in blood or other fluids and replaces hospital versions weighing hundreds of pounds. Here on Earth, the device could let people in remote communities be tested more quickly for disease, or permit on-site testing of food quality, for instance. It will be particularly advantageous in space, however, where Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield will test it during his six-month ISS mission, allowing crew to monitor, diagnose and treat themselves without outside help. Now, if we could just get it down to a hand size, and use some kind of radio waves instead — oh wait, that’s not until Stardate -105352.
Continue reading NASA to launch mini lab, test for cancer and disease in space
NASA to launch mini lab, test for cancer and disease in space originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Aug 2012 04:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug 07
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Posted in: Today's Chili
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Posted in: Today's Chili
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