Abstract: An end effector configured to open and close a screw-type lid for closing an opening of a container body, is provided, which includes a container gripper configured to grip the container body, a lid gripper configured to grip the lid and be movable on a screw axis of the lid, a rotating part configured to rotate the lid gripper, a guiding part configured to guide the lid gripper being rotated by the rotating part to move on the screw axis, and a detector configured to detect that the lid gripper is moved to one of an opened position and a closed position of the lid. According to this, the end effector capable of appropriately opening and closing the screw-type lid while gripping the container body can be configured.

Abstract: A box unpacking device includes a robot, and a cutting device. A robot hand is attached to a wrist of the robot. The robot hand has a holding device configured to hold a packed box. The cutting device has a cutting blade of which the point is oriented downward or obliquely downward. The robot can move the box held by the holding device in a vertical plane, and change an angle of the box in the vertical plane.

Abstract: A testing system collects a specimen from a subject and measures the collected specimen to test the specimen, and includes a first unit to collect and receive the specimen, a second unit to be connected to the first unit and to preprocess the specimen before measurement, a third unit to be connected to the second unit and to measure the preprocessed specimen, and a robot provided in at least one of the first unit, the second unit, or the third unit to process the specimen.

Abstract: A testing system collects a specimen from a subject and measures the collected specimen to test the specimen, and includes a box to allow at least one of specimen collection for collecting and receiving the specimen, preprocessing for processing the collected specimen before measurement, or specimen measurement for measuring the preprocessed specimen to be performed therein.

Abstract: A testing equipment system collects a specimen from a subject and measures the specimen, and includes a first unit portion forming a collection room including equipment to collect the specimen, a second unit portion forming a measurement room including equipment to measure the specimen, separately from the collection room, and a third unit portion including equipment to output a measurement result. The testing equipment system is placed at a moving base for passenger transportation.

Abstract: In a dispensing system, a body is arranged outside a specimen processing cabinet, and in a state where a hand and a dispenser are inserted into the specimen processing cabinets, a specimen accommodated in a specimen container held by the hand is dispensed into a dispensing container by the dispenser.

Abstract: A computer-readable, non-transitory recording medium contains therein an image processing program. The image processing program is for generating learning data of a character detection model that at least detects, to recognize a character in a document contained in an image, a position of the character in the image, and configured to cause a computer to generate a cropped image by cropping the image, and adopt the cropped image not containing an image representing a split character as the learning data, instead of adopting the cropped image containing the image representing the split character as the learning data.

Abstract: A method includes: (a) causing a robotic arm to position a contacting structure of the arm laterally in a horizontal direction in relation to a first subject on a target object; (b) causing the arrn to bring the contacting structure into contact with at least three locations on the first subject; (c) detecting positions of the contacting structure in relation to the robot when contacting the locations; (d) detecting a position of the first subject in relation to the robot by using the detected positions of the contacting structure; (e) performing same steps as the steps (a) to (d) for a second subject on the target object; and (f) detecting a position of the robot in relation to the target object by using the positions of the subjects in relation to the robot and using positions of the subjects in relation to the target object.

Abstract: A dispensing apparatus that dispenses a sample into a well of a microplate, including a light emitter that emits light to the well, a light receiver that receives light emitted by the light emitter and returned from the well; and a control unit that determines whether foreign matter is present in the well based on information on the light received by the light receiver.

Abstract: A box unpacking device includes a robot, and a cutting device. A robot hand is attached to a wrist of the robot. The robot hand has a holding device configured to hold a packed box. The cutting device has a cutting blade of which the point is oriented downward or obliquely downward. The robot can move the box held by the holding device in a vertical plane, and change an angle of the box in the vertical plane.

Abstract: A dispensing robot of an assay robot system includes a first contact surface oriented in a downward direction or an obliquely downward direction in a vertical direction and dispenses when the dispensing robot operates a pipette that allows a tip to be attached to a lower end of the pipette and the attached tip to be detached by pressing a tip ejector, the dispensing robot comprising: a robot arm having a hand to hold a pipette holding piece attached thereto; and a controller controls the robot arm such that the robot arm holds the pipette with the tip attached thereto by causing the hand to hold the pipette holding piece and that the robot arm is elevated and the tip ejector is pressed by bringing an upper end portion of the tip ejector of the held pipette into contact with the first contact surface from the downward direction.

Abstract: A transport device transports a container used in a sample measurement device or a rack housing the container. The transport device may include: a robotic arm configured to transport the container or the rack between a first sample measurement device and each of other sample measurement devices different from the first sample measurement device; and a controller that controls operation of the robotic arm.

Abstract: An end effector is to be attached to a tip-end part of a robotic arm and unpacks a cardboard box of which one or more flaps provided to one end of a side wall are fixed mutually or to the side wall to constitute one of end walls. The end effector includes a body part to be attached to the tip-end part of the robotic arm, a box holding part provided to the body part and configured to hold the cardboard box by holding a part of the cardboard box other than the one end wall, and a punching part provided to the body part and configured to form a through-hole in a wall of the cardboard box other than the one end wall.

Abstract: An end effector configured to open and close a screw-type lid for closing an opening of a container body, is provided, which includes a container gripper configured to grip the container body, a lid gripper configured to grip the lid and be movable on a screw axis of the lid, a rotating part configured to rotate the lid gripper, a guiding part configured to guide the lid gripper being rotated by the rotating part to move on the screw axis, and a detector configured to detect that the lid gripper is moved to one of an opened position and a closed position of the lid. According to this, the end effector capable of appropriately opening and closing the screw-type lid while gripping the container body can be configured.

Abstract: A sample pretreatment apparatus includes: a plurality of sample pretreatment sections, each of which executes a sample pretreatment prior to a measurement; and a robotic arm including: an articulated arm member; and a hand attached to the articulated arm member. The plurality of sample pretreatment sections includes a sample dispenser that dispenses a sample in a first sample container into a second sample container. For a first measurement, the robotic arm holds the second sample container with the hand and transports the second sample container to a pretreatment group of the plurality of sample pretreatment sections, the pretreatment group including the sample dispenser. For a second measurement, the robotic arm holds the second sample container with the hand and transports the second sample container to another pretreatment group of the plurality of sample pretreatment sections, the another pretreatment group including the sample dispenser.

Abstract: The present invention provides a lid closing device and a lid closing method, each of which does not require a high degree of accuracy when performing a lid closing operation. A holding portion moves such that a lid is located at a position above a container. Holding of the lid by the holding portion is released at the position above the container. The lid falls to cover the container. Thus, the lid closing operation is performed.

Abstract: A method of attaching a tip to a pipette, which is executed in a robot system, includes: making an end effector of a robot hold a pipette; bringing a vicinity portion of a distal end of the pipette into contact with or close to an edge of an opening formed in a base of a tip while tilting an axis direction of the pipette by a predetermined angle with respect to an axis direction of the tip; attaching the tip to the pipette by inserting the distal end of the pipette and the vicinity portion of the distal end of the pipette into the tip while raising the pipette such that the axis direction of the pipette is aligned with the axis direction of the tip; and separating the pipette and the tip attached to the pipette from the predetermined spot.

Abstract: A liquid surface detecting apparatus including: a retaining section that retains liquid as sample or reagent; a light emitter that emits light toward the liquid retained in the retaining section; an image capturing device that captures an image of the liquid retained in the retaining section; and a detecting device that detects a level of a liquid surface of the liquid retained in the retaining section based on the image of the liquid captured by the image capturing device, wherein the image capturing device is provided at a position such that the light, emitted by the light emitter and reflected by the liquid surface of the liquid, directly enters the image capturing device.

Abstract: A robot and a working method by the robot is capable of favorably carrying out a specific work without requiring a jig for fixing an object, such as a workpiece etc., a device for adjusting the posture of the object, etc. One example of the robot includes a first robotic arm having at a tip end a hand part according to a specific work to be performed to an object, and a second robotic arm having at a tip end a hand part according to an assisting work to assist the specific work. The first robotic arm is configured to perform the specific work to the object. The second robotic arm is configured to perform the assisting work to regulate a movement of the object in a given direction, when the first robotic arm performs the specific work.

Abstract: Life of a non-volatile memory is extended without increasing processing time due to turning power ON/OFF. An EEPROM stores counter information and setting information, a first RAM and a second RAM store counter information and setting information, a memory management unit manages a storage area in the first RAM for the counter information and setting information so as to be updatable and manages a storage area in the second RAM for the counter information and setting information so as not to be updatable, and a system control unit, when a change in contents of the counter information and the setting information occurs, rewrites the counter information and the setting information in the first RAM in accordance to the changed contents, and when the power is turned OFF, reads and compares the counter information and the setting information in the first RAM with the counter information and the setting information in the second RAM, and writes only different data to the EEPROM.