Over the next several weeks, we’ll be promoting video examples of our scientific virtual assistants in action. To kick off this series of blog posts, we’re going to focus on a dynamic process: solution preparation.
In many ways, the execution of protocols and methods in the lab are similar to following a recipe in the home kitchen. There’s perhaps no better example of this analogy than solution preparation: you need a certain amount of ingredients that will change depending on how much you’d like to make.
Solution preparation is fraught with challenges - minor and major - that can impact the quality of the experiment. Comfortability with a certain recipe could cause one to work quickly, but also inadvertently skip a step or two. The opposite holds true as well: inexperienced scientists could spend too much time looking back-and-forth at instructions and productivity grinds to a halt. Then there are times when working with a static interface, like a piece of paper or computer screen, is more of a burden than would initially appear. PPE could make it hard to handle a pencil or keyboard. Working in a fume hood or contamination-sensitive environment would prevent frequent page-turning or scrolling.
We’ve built solution preparation workflows (or as we call them, “labflows”) that users employ to receive real-time guidance as they move through the process. Not only are these performed at a pace comfortable to each user, it ensures that every step will be completed without being a drag on productivity.
In this video, you’ll see how LabVoice provides the user with a number of solutions that they can prepare. The list of available solutions is either configured in LabVoice or pulled from an existing database, like Excel or an ELN.
When it’s time to calculate how much of each ingredient needs to be added, LabVoice calculates the volume for the user. No more chicken-scratch math on the back of a glove or instrument.
And what's more: all of this is easily editable. If a user wants to add another solution to the mix, they can update their protocol repository or add it in using our Designer tool with a few clicks. Once built, they can update as often they'd like, ensuring that processes don't go stale and ushering in a new generation of workflows.
Interested in seeing your own solution prep instructions turned into a labflow? Reach out to us at info@labvoice.ai!