A member of the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute has developed a robotic coronavirus testing system to expedite COVID-19 testing.

The robotic cell, developed by Wilder Systems, features a 7-axis robotic arm, liquid handlers, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing prep, an RT-qPCR analyzer, control software and a hazardous waste bin.

According to developers, the robotic cell automates the process of completing quantitative identification of nucleic acids from infected organisms, thereby expediting the testing process and increasing the number of tests that can be analyzed.

Source: Wilder Systems

The system will reportedly expedite the speed with which samples are analyzed and results are available by running for 24 hours uninterrupted, with minimal human involvement, and analyzing roughly 2,000 samples a day.

The system, which was developed as part of the ARM Institute — a 300-plus member consortium sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense that seeks to strengthen U.S. manufacturing via innovations in robotics and workforce development — is expected to address issues associated with COVID-19 testing including the lack of personnel available for analyzing samples and the limited availability of lab space to perform COVID-19 tests.