An improved system, method and interface for automated rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is disclosed which includes, in one aspect, a carrier population station comprising a workstation having a graphic user interface (GUI). The GUI accepts information from a lab technologist, including information related to a scope of testing to be performed on a microorganism containing sample. The GUI controls intelligent assignment of microorganism containing samples to test panels in a manner that maximize utilization of the test carrier by grouping together samples of similar tests scopes and advantageously testing those samples using one multiplexed test panel. Customizing workflow in accordance with test scope to facilitate parallel processing of multiple samples advantageously reduces laboratory waste, decreases test latencies, increases AST system throughput and efficiency, and thus lowers the costs to the AST lab.

A method for dosing liquid by using a pipette and a syringe, including releasably connecting the syringe to the pipette. Then displaying the dosing volume corresponding to a set dosing increment by using a display apparatus. Next, sucking liquid into the syringe by actuating a drawing lever. Next, detecting a respective position of a drive element along its path of movement when the drive element is shifted along the path. Finally, determining and displaying by the display apparatus a possible maximum number of dosing steps with the set dosing increment without refilling the syringe after executing a reverse stroke starting from a position of the drive element reached at the end of filling.

A pipette device comprises a pipette channel filled with compressible working gas, a pipette piston movable along the pipette path, a piston drive, which drives the pipette piston, a control device, a data memory connected to the control device for signal transmission, a pressure sensor which detects the pressure of the working gas and which is connected to the control device, a position sensor which detects a position of the pipette piston and which is connected to the control device. The control device is designed to determine a quality of a dispensing sequence on the basis of a target residual quantity value, which represents the target residual quantity of dosing liquid remaining in the pipette channel, of a working gas pressure and of an end position of the pipette piston, in each case after the end of the dispensing sequence, and to output the determined quality.

An electronic pipette comprising a piston actuated in a cylinder by a motor, a control system for carrying out pipette operations, and a user interface for operating the pipette, which user interface comprises a display, wherein the main menu of the user interface comprises a user defined shortcut to a specific pipetting application.

An apparatus includes a media that includes an encoded pattern to indicate a location of each of a plurality of dispensing locations on a receiving area for a pipette dispenser. The encoded pattern is employed to guide the pipette dispenser to dispense a volume to a selected dispensing location from the plurality of dispensing locations based on a predetermined dispensing location on the receiving area.

A multiple-antenna positioning system with a single drive element, providing reduced weight and complexity over systems that have a drive element for each antenna. In certain examples, each antenna can be coupled with a rotating spindle, with each antenna spindle being coupled with a pair of link arms. By driving a single drive spindle, each of the antenna spindles in the system can be rotated by the associated pair of link arms. The link arms can have an adjustable length, such as through a turnbuckle mechanism, to reduce backlash in the system, and in some examples can apply a preload to the system. By reducing backlash, the multiple antenna positioning system can have improved responsiveness to a rotation of the single drive element, as well as improved stability of the positioning of each antenna when the drive element is held in a fixed position.

The present disclosure relates to a method for operating a multi-channel pipettor, comprising: creating an access plan having a plurality of transfer blocks, each comprising a source access and a destination access, wherein the creating includes: reading of position lists which contain the positions of all source and destination containers and assigning source containers to destination containers; performing a transfer analysis in which the source or destination accesses and the movements of the pipetting head and/or the container holders are determined by forming the difference between the current channel position and the source position or the destination position on the two-dimensional plane; and performing a transfer optimization, whereby the source or destination accesses and the movements of the pipetting head respectively required for the source or destination accesses are sorted into the transfer blocks; and operating the multi-channel pipettor on the basis of the created access plan.

For the simplified, intuitive and reliable operation of laboratory apparatuses, it is proposed that the laboratory apparatus be equipped with a control device comprising a touch-sensitive display unit (100), wherein the display unit (100) is configured to display a plurality of control elements (111, 112, 113 etc), which are assigned to different control functions of the laboratory apparatus, wherein the control elements are embodied (111, 112, 113 etc) to set parameters (121, 122, 123) of the control functions. At the same time, at least two of the control elements (111, 112, 113, 114) are assigned to the same control function and embodied differently for setting the same parameter (121) of this control function. Therefore, the user is always offered a plurality of ways for setting a parameter or for operating the apparatus, such as, for example, for setting the rotational speed of a centrifuge. The touch-sensitive display unit is preferably embodied as a multi-touch screen, which is also able to recognise finger movements of the user, so-called gestures, as operator commands.

A sample distribution system 1 has a regulator 4 for receiving a pipetting unit 2 that has at least one exchangeable pipette tip 3, wherein the regulator 4 is configured to change the position of the pipetting unit 2 in relation to a base plate 5, and to detect the presence or absence of pipette tips 3 with a sensor unit 12. According to the invention, the sensor unit 12 is a photoelectric sensor, in particular a reflection photoelectric sensor, with a detection range. The sensor unit 12 and the pipetting unit 2 can also move in relation to one another, in order to determine the presence of a pipette tip 3, if the pipette tip is in the detection range of the sensor unit 12.

The invention relates to a method, a computer program and a system for operating a hand-held, computer-controlled piston-stroke pipette as well as a corresponding piston-stroke pipette as well a data processing device cooperating with that, wherein a precise pipetting of liquid with a vapor pressure higher than that of water is rendered possible by means of a sequence of prewettings of the pipette tip.