Temperature measurement robotic sensors

Fig. 4. Monomode microwave reactor with integrated robotic platform for automated use (left). A liquid handler allows dispensing of reagents into Teflon-sealed reaction vials, while a gripper moves each vial in and out of the microwave cavity after irradiation. The instrument processes up to 120 reactions per run with a maximum throughput of 12-15 reactions/h. The temperature is measured by an IR sensor on the outside of the reaction vessel. Details of the cavity/gripper (top right) and reaction vials (bottom right) are also displayed (Emrys Synthesizer, Personal Chemistry AB). Reprinted with permission from Wiley-VCH.41 (See color insert.)...

Automatic and automated instruments can be differentiated as follows automatic instruments tend to perform specific operations at given points in a process or analysis to save time or effort, e.g. robotics, while automated instruments tend to control some part of a process without human intervention and do this by means of a feedback mechanism from sensors. For example, an automatic conductivity detector might continuously monitor the conductivity of a process stream, generating some alarm if the conductivity goes outside a preset limit. An automated detection system could transmit the measured conductivity values to a control unit that, by utilising a feedback mechanism, adjusts relevant process parameters, e.g. temperature or cycle time, to maintain the conductivity of the stream within the preset limits. 

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