CASE STUDY: Microscope Slide Automation
Industry: Biotechnology
The Situation
The early detection of cervical cancer is a critical need, however traditional diagnostic techniques are cost prohibitive, especially in third world regions. A startup biomolecular diagnostics company developed a cost-effective screening technology to assist in the early detection of cervical cancer and needed to automate the loading and scanning of slides under a microscope.
The Challenge
Providing easy to use automation that met the accuracy, reliability, and cost targets required a unique approach. An important architectural decision was to interface to a wide range of off-the-shelf microscopes to reduce the diagnostic labs investment. This required a very flexible automation design. Ease of slide loading was important to protect the sample and simplify training.
The Solution
In close collaboration with our customer, Owens Design designed and built a fully automated system for testing, image analysis and image capture in less than 14 weeks. The automation interfaced to the customer’s existing controls and software while providing fully automated slide handling with ±10 µm accuracy. Focus on precision mechanical design, industrial design and ergonomics created an easy to use, cost effective product ready to enter clinical trials.
Additional Information
Case Studies
Microscope Slide Automation 
