Systems and methods have demonstrated the capability of rapidly cooling the contents of pods containing the ingredients for food and drinks.

Apparatus and method for forming beverages using a beverage cartridge and sonic energy. A cartridge may include a sonic receiver, such as a feature that extends into an interior space of the cartridge and is arranged to receive a sonic emitter that introduces sonic energy into the interior space. The sonic receiver may be excited by sonic energy, which causes the sonic receiver to itself introduce sonic energy into the cartridge.

Systems and methods have demonstrated the capability of rapidly cooling the contents of pods containing the ingredients for food and drinks.

A modular appliance apparatus is disclosed for use in the preparation of food products. The modular appliance apparatus may have a housing to contain internal components. The housing may contain a motor, a controller, and electronic circuitry. On a bottom portion of the housing, at least one base contact may be present. An attachment may secure to the bottom portion of the housing and contain at least one attachment contact. An electronic connection between the at least one base contact and at least one attachment contact may be interpreted by the controller to determine a speed of operation by the motor. Depending on the type of attachment secured to the housing, various different combinations of electronic connections may be made to operate the motor at different speeds to meet the requirements for food preparation by the specific attachment.

A device for use in a laboratory and operable as both a centrifuge and a magnetic stirrer includes a housing defining a cavity therein, a motor coupled to the housing, and a spindle driven by the motor and rotatable about a first axis. The device also includes a first rotor removably couplable to the spindle and configured to support at least one tube therein, and a second rotor removably couplable to the spindle and including at least one magnet. The device also includes a controller in communication with the motor and operable in a first mode of operation when the first rotor is coupled to the spindle and operable in a second mode of operation when the second rotor is coupled to the spindle.

A surgical system including a surgical tool and a navigation system for tracking the position of the surgical tool. The surgical tool comprising a housing including a variable speed motor and control module disposed within the housing. The navigation system comprising a navigation console in communication with the control module of the surgical tool, the navigation console may be configured to communicate instructions to the control module of the surgical tool based on the position of the surgical tool relative to a defined zone. The navigation console may be configured to deactivate the surgical tool based on the position of the surgical tool relative to the defined zone. The navigation console may also be configured to provide a user-selectable override option to allow continued operation of the surgical tool within the defined zone.

An industrial mixing machine is disclosed for mixing material to be mixed in mixing containers that are open on the connection side and differ in at least one feature of their design, wherein one mixing container is attachable in each case to the mixing head of the mixing machine for mixing the material to be mixed contained therein, and wherein at least two mixing tools differing in at least one feature of their design are mountable on a mixing head of the mixing machine. The mixing machine has a detection device which is configured to determine whether the mixing tool currently mounted on the mixing head matches with the mixing container which is to be connected to the mixing head and in which the material to be mixed is located, and a safety device in communication with the detection device, which prevents the mixing tool and the mixing container opening from being brought together when the detection device detects that the mixing tool mounted on the mixing head does not match with the mixing container.

Method of robot control is disclosed that includes the steps of: providing a user interface for introducing data indicative of a drug to be subjected to a reconstitution process; accessing an internal data base for outputting, for a selected drug, a list of primitive movements P1, P2, . . . Pi, . . . Pn to be used in the reconstructing process; operating the robot for executing sequentially the primitives and moving a container according to the instructions of the primitives; measuring, during the movement of the container under robot action, physical positions in the space and dynamic parameters of the container creating a list of registered data; comparing the measured positions in the space and the dynamic parameter with the corresponding ones of the primitive movements for selecting a list of eligible primitives if a sufficient approximation level is reached; elaborating selected eligible primitives together to generate instructions for the robot allowing a complex movement encompassing the simple movements; and using the robot for shaking the container according to the complex movement.

A system for receiving a single-use vessel containing a mixing device has a support structure adapted to receive the single-use vessel and a drive-unit adapted to power, to control, or to power and control a mixing of contents of the single-use vessel when the single-use vessel is arranged in the support structure. The support structure and the drive-unit are provided as separate components that may be arranged both in an operating position, where the drive-unit is connectable to the mixing device of the single-use bag in the support structure, and in a separated position, where the drive-unit is separated from the support structure. The drive-unit comprises a tag reader that, in the operating position, is arranged to read a vessel tag of the single-use vessel arranged in the support structure.

Provided herein are methods and devices for identifying and/or distinguishing UCA formulations and specifically activating such formulations to produce UCA suitable for in vivo use.