Automated Microbial Analysis
2019-2020
Overview
This project automates the identification and data collection of microbial counts on 3M™ Petrifilm™, a process that is time consuming and normally done by hand. It required the design of a delta robot that is used to move stacks of Petrifilm™, a camera and computer vision system to identify and record the counts of microbes present. Additionally, the project is capable of recording said data to an external database. The project aims to increase productivity in the lab by increasing the number of samples that can be analysed in a given period of time.
This website will serve as an informational repository that will track the progress of our team and project. There is a timeline that shows our plan for how the project will be completed as well as more in depth descriptions of our team.
The Process
Food and drink samples are placed on the petrifilm and allowed to incubate. After incubation, these samples are then analysed and microbial samples are counted. If too many cultures are found growing on the sample, then the product is not safe for human consumption. This process is often done by hand, taking more time than necessary. This project aims to automate that process and increase the number of samples that can be analysed in a given amount of time.
Project Plans and Timeline
ProjectTimelineV2.pdfMechanical Design
In order to automate the process of microbial counting we will need to design a delta robot that can move and sort samples. We will be designing and building a delta robot to handle the samples.
Electrical and Firmware Design
The delta robot will need to be able to articulate each of its arms in an accurate manner, in order to ensure a speedy and safe result. We will utilize microcontrollers, stepper motors and stepper drivers to obtain our range of motion with the delta robot.
Software Design
We will also need to be able to count the microbial colonies on the petrifilm. To accomplish this we will be implementing Computer Vision (CV) to be able to recognize growths on the samples, count how many there are and then output those counts along with information about the sample.
Project Management
The Automated Microbial Analysis team has a dedicated GitHub repository in order to keep progress quantified and organized. Furthermore, the team uses Asana in order to keep the multitude of tasks under control, with consistent use of Discord in order to keep each other updated. Lastly, the team meets at a set time every week in order to ensure a minimum quality and quantity of work is being completed each week.