Abstract
Boehringer Mannheim Completes First U.S. Installation of Clinical Laboratory Automation System™ (CLAS)
— Next Great Breakthrough in Laboratory Systems Leads to Cost Savings and Increased Laboratory Efficiency —
South Bend, IN, January 15, 1996 — Boehringer Mannheim Corporation's (BMC) Lab Diagnostics division recently completed the installation of its Clinical Laboratory Automation System™ (CLAS) at the South Bend Medical Foundation, the largest laboratory in Indiana. This is the first U.S. installation of CLAS, which has been implemented in more than 70 laboratories worldwide. The technology for CLAS, the most comprehensive and only turn-key system in the industry, was thoroughly developed and customized for the Foundation in a year long process, and installed in just over 30 days.
The Boehringer Mannheim/Hitachi CLAS system automates current and expected workflow within the diagnostic laboratory, including chemistry, hematology, coagulation, immunochemistry and urinalysis testing. Laboratories automated with CLAS experience efficient, organized, safe and less costly procedures. Previous labor and time-intensive functions such as specimen tube sorting, centrifuging and decapping, sample aliquoting, barcode labeling, transportation to testing areas and loading into analyzers is completed effortlessly with CLAS. Laboratories also experience a decrease in biohazard exposure to laboratory technicians.
CLAS technology is made possible by a long-term alliance with Hitachi, Ltd. For nearly 20 years, Hitachi and BMC have provided a steady stream of innovative clinical chemistry, immunochemistry and urinalysis systems. With agreements reaching well into the 21st century, both partners are committed to continuing to deliver automated, consolidated and integrated laboratory solutions to reduce healthcare costs.
In addition, several other partners played key roles in this specific CLAS installation at the South Bend Medical Foundation:
Cerner — provided the laboratory information systems
Data Innovations — provided the systems interface
Sysmex — provided the automated hematology system
Boehringer Mannheim Lab Diagnostics is based in Indianapolis, Indiana and is a division of Boehringer Mannheim Group of Mannheim, Germany. The Boehringer Mannheim Group is a diversified international healthcare company with net sales of nearly $4 billion in 1995 and nearly 18,000 employees worldwide. In Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Biochemicals, Boehringer Mannheim Group's products, research, patient-focused health education and training programs are world leading.
The Group is part of Corange Limited, which is privately-held and recorded sales of nearly $4 billion in 1995.
International Workshop on Recent Advances in Mobile Robots to be held for July 1–2, 1997 in Leicester, UK
Mobile robots are now leaving the laboratory and becoming actual products. However, employing robots in the real world for everyday tasks involving contact or cooperation with humans places stringent requirements on the communicativity, adaptivity and safety of these devices. These requirements have a direct impact on the cost of the robot control system. Further, the robots have to be able to deal with unforeseen situations and tasks whilst performing everyday operations, requiring an ability to adapt to the environment and improving their capabilities. To meet these requirements, work from disciplines as diverse as theoretical biology, ethology, machine learning, neuroscience and psychology has been drawn on.
The aim of this Workshop is to provide a forum aimed at covering the state-of-the-art research, developments and applications in mobile robots. Papers are invited in the following areas:
Autonomous control
Perception
Sensor systems
Control architectures
Multiple robot systems
Navigation
Evolutionary techniques
Applications
Important Dates
March 31, 1997
April 30, 1997
May 23, 1997
Four copies of an extended abstract of 1500–2000 words should be sent to
Chris Czarnecki Department of Computer Science De Montfort University Leicester LE1 9BH, UK email
This Workshop is sponsored by the UK Mechatronics Forum.