A fly being handled by the robot MAPLE. Image credit: Adapted from Alisch et al. (CC BY 4.0)
Biological research can, at times, be mind-numbingly tedious: scientists often have to do the same experiment over and over on many different samples. When working with animals such as fruit flies, this means researchers have to physically handle large numbers of specimens, selecting certain individuals or moving them from one container to another to perform the study. This represents a serious bottleneck that slows down discovery.
Automation represents an obvious solution to this issue. In fact, it has already revolutionized fields like molecular biology, where robots can handle the liquids required for the experiments. Yet, it is not so easy to automate tasks that involve animals larger than a millimeter. To fill that gap, Alisch et al. have developed a robotic system called Modular Automated Platform for Large-scale Experiments (MAPLE) that can manipulate fruit flies and other small organisms.
Using gentle vacuum, MAPLE can pick up individual flies to move them from one compartment to another. These areas could be places where the insects grow or where experimental measurements are automatically gathered. Putting the robot to work, Alisch et al. used MAPLE to collect virgin female flies for genetic experiments, a common task in fruit flies laboratories. The system was also configured to load flies into arenas where their behavior could be measured. Finally, MAPLE assisted with an experiment that involved tracking the interactions of known individuals to examine if the flies exhibited social networks, and if those networks were stable. This logistically complicated experiment would have been difficult to run without the help of an automated system. Alisch et al. also show that the robot can be adjusted to work with various species often used for research, such as nematode worms, yeast, slime mould and even bumblebees. This allows the system to be useful in a range of research fields.
As MAPLE fits on a table top and is fairly affordable, the hope is that it could help many scientists do their experiments faster and with greater consistency, freeing up time for creative thinking and new ideas. Ultimately, this tool could help to speed up scientific progress.
