olliyard / dwarves

Collection of files created during our Bachelor's project "DWARVES"

DWARVES

Collection of files created during our Bachelor's project "DWARVES". All files within are licensed under Apache 2.0.

Overview

DWARVES, a DuckWeed Automatic Robot for Vegetal Experimental Selection, is an automated robotics and vision system designed to select Duckweed based on growth and color for optimal growth characteristics. The project is developed together with Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics (CQGG) at Aarhus University during the fall semester of 2023.

The repository will function as a collection of all the files created throughout the semester, detailing everything that went into creating a finalized DWARVES system, but will mostly focus on the software development throughout the project.

The main parts of the system are as follows.

• A user interface to start, stop and adjust the settings for the observation interval and incubators.
• A weighted loading zone which detects if a duckweed colony has been placed.
• A robotic arm to pick up the duckweed from the loading zone and place it in a free incubator slot
• Several incubators which consists of RB lights and heating elements to ensure correct lighting and temperature for the colonies.
• A camera which will capture images of the duckweed throughout the observation interval and store these for later access.

Together, all these parts make up the foundations of DWARVES. It is essential that each element works together in unison, for the prototype to be a success.