Development of an intelligent sample changer

Outlines work concerned with the design of a self-optimizing `intelligent´ sample changer. The need for such systems arises from the fact that laboratory analysis has become largely automated. But the lack of sensors and intelligence in such systems is still a draw back. The authors describe a vision system which has been added to an AERE Harwell sample changer which is a cylindrical geometry robotic arm and controlled by a BBC microcomputer. The intention was to provide the sample changer with a real-time low-cost vision system which in a second stage would optimize the search and thus the overall performance of the system. The main task of the system is to register and recognize labels affixed to radioactive samples and placed on the robot´s working area. The authors outline techniques for digitization, image processing and classification which were developed to cope with real-time operation