Medical Design Briefs - April 2023 - 20

Powering Research and Discovery with Micromotors
Micromotors play a key
role in scientific study and
experimentation.
EMS Berkshire, UK
While new ideas, creative leaps, and
pure chance can all play a role in new
scientific discoveries, technological advances
provide the supporting resources
to make new concepts a reality. Due to
their ability to complete tasks independently
and at a faster rate, automated
equipment has accelerated research
in a number of industries.
In May 2021, NASA's OSIRIS-REx
spacecraft left its study asteroid Bennu to
return to Earth. Scientists will use the
rubble it brings back to learn more
about how the planets formed and how
life arose on Earth. This is just one example
where a technological feat is aiding
research. This article explores how and
where advanced micromotor technology
is facilitating investigation and experimentation
projects.
n Laboratory Labor
One area where automation has made
waves is in laboratories. Previously, testing
samples was a tedious process, filled
with manual mixing, transporting, and
handling of samples. Now, motorized
equipment takes on many of the simpler
laboratory tasks, allowing staff to have
more time to focus on innovation.
For instance, a motorized conveyor
belt can transport samples around the
laboratory to its designated station.
There, a robot can pick up the sample
and scan its barcode using an onboard
camera to identify it and decipher what
type of analysis is required.
Using its motorized arm, the robot
then places the sample into the appropriate
piece of laboratory equipment,
such as a centrifuge or a spectrophotometer.
Motors are also found in
these pieces of equipment, helping to
power the spinning force in centrifuges,
and positioning the sample mounts
in spectrophotometers.
Laboratory automation can aid medical
research, such as in the analysis of
samples from patients in a clinical trial,
and also speed up drug discovery by
enabling high throughput screening
20
Using its motorized arm, the robot places the sample into the appropriate piece of laboratory equipment,
such as a centrifuge or a spectrophotometer. (Credit: EMS)
of potential new medicines against a
compound library.
n Shoot for the Stars
The benefits of micromotors in research
aren't solely confined to the four
walls of a laboratory. There are projects
where micromotors are traveling hundreds
of millions of kilometers away
from the ground as part of explorative
space missions.
Rovers allow us to explore planets
and other celestial bodies without sending
humans into space. After landing
on a surface, the rover can travel across
it while taking photos and collecting
samples.
A rover can have up to 20 cameras onboard,
which can be used for navigating
during landing and traversing the surface,
and for sending images back to
scientists on Earth for study. The pan
and tilt functions of the cameras, along
with the lens filters, are controlled by
micromotors, and allow panoramic
photographs to be taken.
Along with capturing images of the
study environment, rovers are tasked
with collecting rock samples. Here, micromotors
power the drills that excavate
the rock, and the robotic arms that
www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
place the samples in a safe chamber.
Once transported back to a laboratory
on Earth, the rock pieces can be used to
discover the biological and geological
history of the body.
n Meeting High Requirements
Precision is vital in scientific research to
achieve accurate and reliable results.
Therefore, it's important to build automated
equipment using dependable and
high-quality components. Micromotors,
such as those made by Faulhaber, deliver
high power in a small space envelope,
helping to keep research equipment compact,
which is beneficial when trying to fit
between other laboratory equipment or
transporting into space, for example.
Technology is an integral part of research,
providing the support required
to study the unexplored and test out scientists'
hypotheses. With the help of precision
micromotors, automated equipment
can act as research assistants,
performing tasks independently from
the depths of the oceans to outer space.
This article was written by Stewart
Goulding, Managing Director for EMS,
Berkshire, UK. Contact: sgoulding@
ems-limited.com. For more information,
visit https://www.ems-limited.co.uk.
Medical Design Briefs, April 2023

https://www.ems-limited.co.uk http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com

Medical Design Briefs - April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Medical Design Briefs - April 2023