Problem Statement

Micropipettes are an indispensable part of every Biology major’s laboratory experience. Their ability to enable precise and accurate measurement and transfer of small volumes of liquid makes them crucial for a wide range of experiments and procedures in both teaching and research labs. From the experience of our group’s Biology majors, Biology researchers can use up to half of a full pipette tip box after one full day of research, showing the alarming speed at which pipette tip boxes are emptied and the importance of micropipettes in Biology laboratories.

An empty pipette tip box, a full pipette tip box, and a micropipette, as pictured in Anthia’s research lab.

Currently, the only way to refill pipette tip boxes is to do it manually; students and researchers are expected to refill their emptied pipette tip boxes by taking pipette tips from a large bag of pipette tips by hand and inserting them into the holes individually. Not only is this a waste of time (we timed how long it took to fill an empty pipette tip box; we took an average of 5 minutes per box), it is also mind-numbingly painful knowing we could have used this time to conduct valuable research.

All the empty pipette tip boxes at our bench because no one has time to fill them.

Bags of pipette tips where researchers will pick pipette tips by hand to fill empty pipette tip boxes.

Vision

We aim to automate the process of micropipette tip box filling, such that less time will be wasted on this mundane task and can be spent on actual valuable research. This will also help rescue the sanity of the average Biology major.