PaR-PaR Laboratory Automation Platform

Labor-intensive multistep biological tasks, such as the
construction
and cloning of DNA molecules, are prime candidates for laboratory
automation. Flexible and biology-friendly operation of robotic equipment
is key to its successful integration in biological laboratories, and
the efforts required to operate a robot must be much smaller than
the alternative manual lab work. To achieve these goals, a simple
high-level biology-friendly robot programming language is needed.
We have developed and experimentally validated such a language: Programming
a Robot (PaR-PaR). The syntax and compiler for the language are based
on computer science principles and a deep understanding of biological
workflows. PaR-PaR allows researchers to use liquid-handling robots
effectively, enabling experiments that would not have been considered
previously. After minimal training, a biologist can independently
write complicated protocols for a robot within an hour. Adoption of
PaR-PaR as a standard cross-platform language would enable hand-written
or software-generated robotic protocols to be shared across laboratories.