Abstract: To simplify the process of preparing tissue specimens on slides, an advanced automated slide processing device is disclosed. The automated slide processing device comprises a robotic arm that both senses input and delivers output. The input sensing may include sensing radio frequency identifiers (RFIDs). The output includes arm movements, the acquisition and delivery of reagents. A control program runs on a computer system for controlling the robotic arm. The robotic arm delivers reagents to individual slide modules that each feature a controllable heating element and a controllable chamber unit that can form a small chamber on the top of a slide for retaining chemical reagents.

Abstract: To simplify the process of preparing tissue specimens on slides, an advanced automated slide processing device is disclosed. The automated slide processing device comprises a robotic arm that both senses input and delivers output. The input sensing includes sensing radio frequency identifier tags (RFIDs) and the output includes writing to RFID tags. This allows the automated slide processing device to read RFID tags on chemical reagent containers, specimen slides, and slide processing modules. The information on the RFID tags can be used to program the automated slide processing device for a slide processing run, add new slide processing protocols, and determine what chemical reagents are available and where each chemical reagent containers is located.