Key points from article :
A team of scientists developed WormPicker, a robot capable of imaging and transferring the model organism C. elegans, typically used in genetics research.
The tiny nematode worm reproduces quickly, is optically transparent, and is often labour-intensive to manage and manipulate in labs, posing a challenge to researchers.
WormPicker's imaging system autonomously detects the nematode's age, sex, shape, expression of fluorescent reporters, and other phenotypes.
It uses an arm with a wire loop to select individuals, transfer them between petri dishes, and sterilizes itself between each transfer.
The robot proved capable of performing standard tasks including genetic crossing, genetic mapping, and genomic integration of a transgene.
WormPicker demonstrated a rate of performing a fluorescent C. elegans sorting task comparable to human researchers.
The system can speed up studies across various areas of C. elegans biology.
To ensure accessibility, the team is providing a list of components and has made all design files and system software available for free online.
Study by University of Pennsylvania published in PNAS Nexus.
