Tonight I watched the Opentrons webinar recording for their session on the new and improved Protocol Designer. Mike Cardarelli and Felix Liu described the new Protocol Designer. They have been working on the Protocol Designer redesign. Liu spoke about the year-long redesign of Protocol Designer. The project aimed to refresh the user interface and user experience and make it more stable. The Protocol Designer is a “work in progress” and Liu noted that they will bring back the drag and drop labware functionality.During the demo, Liu explained how you can start with the pipette tools and tips and then include modules. On the main page, you can view the tools, liquid definitions, and deck layout. A user can search the labware library or custom labware for each spot. Liquid can be included in/on labware with a simple drag-and-drop functionality. Off deck positions and labware can also be defined. The timeline can be easily edited and reviewed by adding steps. Aspiration and dispensing speeds and mixing settings can be accessed through a window with advanced options. Opentrons is transparent about protocols and open access software. The Protocol Designer will have the option to export as Python. In the future, integration of Python will help connect the new OpentronsAI features with Protocol Designer. Cloud access and storage will be another future feature of Protocol Designer. The absorbance module will be added to enable quick readings. Opentrons Tough PCR auto-sealing lids are coming soon. Liquid classes are coming soon too: aqueous, volatile, high/low viscosity, and others. The Opentrons Flex has liquid level detection through pressure monitoring. New features will help with protocol authorship and results. Opentrons launched the Opentrons Flex Stacker that will help with high-throughput protocols. Summarizing consumable usage is also a feature that is planned. This webinar provided several ideas and features we can use!
