Smart Plate Imaging Robot

SPIRO is a smart robot for automated time-lapse imaging of biological samples grown on vertically positioned Petri plates: plant seeds, seedlings, bacterial colonies, fungal mycelia, moss etc. The preprint version of our manuscript is available here.

SPIRO is controlled by designated software and operated remotely using a web-based user interface (GitHub repo).

We developed two assays to analyze data produced by SPIRO: germination tracking assay optimized for Arabidopsis thaliana seeds and root growth tracking assay optimized for Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings (GitHub repo).

The SPIRO hardware is constructed from eleven sets of 3D printable structural parts. Sets 3a and 3b are for alternative setups that include either the Arducam motorized focus camera module or the Raspberry Pi v2 camera with manual focus, respectively. Step by step instructions for printing and assembling SPIRO are provided in the assembly instructions.

Please refer to Table S1 for the list of components to be purchased and to Table S2 for instructions on 3D printing. Table S2 also contains several useful accessories for improving the usability of SPIRO.

Figure 1. SPIRO structure: a, Borg's nest harboring the electronics; b, vertical rail with the light screen, both can slide along the horizontal rail; c, camera house, with adjustable position on the vertical; d, LED frame with diffusors, position along the horizontal rail can be adjusted; e, rotating stage to hold Petri plates; f, motor hub harboring the stepper motor and connecting the horizontal rails.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.