Automating your research facility with WPS: The ASU advantage

At WPS, we offer cutting-edge automation solutions like our Automated Storage Unit (ASU), designed to optimize plant research. The ASU automates the transport and placement of growth benches in vertical growth chambers, reducing labor and maximizing space efficiency. By integrating advanced 3D sensors and software, it further enhances research capabilities, enabling accurate monitoring of crop growth.

In the world of plant research, precision and efficiency are essential. At WPS, we understand the importance of these elements, which is why we offer innovative robotics solutions like our Automated Storage Unit (ASU). Designed specifically for research in vertical growth chambers, the ASU automates the transport and placement of growth benches, significantly reducing manual labor. But the ASU doesn’t stop there — it integrates seamlessly with advanced 3D sensors and software to further optimize your research process. 

What is the ASU and why does it matter for researchers? 

The ASU is an innovative system developed by WPS to automate the transport and placement of growth benches in vertical growth chambers. These benches, commonly stocked with crops, are traditionally moved by hand, a labor-intensive process that takes up valuable time and limits scalability. 

With the ASU, researchers can now automate this process, ensuring that growth benches are placed in their designated locations without the need for manual labor. This means no more entering growth chambers to move benches or conduct basic inspections. The ASU can also automatically extract the benches for easy inspection, improving both safety and efficiency. Eliminating the need for manual labor makes it possible to add more growth layers to the vertical growth chamber, hence maximizing capacity.  

How sensors and software enhance the ASU 

To take it a step further, WPS incorporates advanced 3D sensors and software into the ASU. These sensors enable researchers to precisely monitor crop growth and receive alerts if the crop deviates from predefined thresholds, even on the level of an individual plant. This automation minimizes the need for manual crop inspections, thereby improving scalability. 

This seamless integration means that researchers can have more control over their experiments, while also making the entire process more reliable and efficient. It’s not just automation — it’s smart automation that works with your research goals in mind. 

Key benefits for researchers: 

1. Time and labor savings: Automating the bench-moving process allows you to focus on more critical aspects of your research. The ASU’s ability to run continuously also reduces the need for human labor, improving overall productivity of your research. 
2. Increased efficiency and scalability: The ASU operates 24/7 without interruption, so you don’t need to worry about downtime. It can scale with your research needs and increase capacity seamlessly. 
3. Improved monitoring and accuracy: The ASU can be equipped with a 3D line scanner, which provides images of the crop in each growth bench. This system enables the automatic monitoring of crop growth, ensuring you’re always on top of your research without needing to physically check the crop. 
4. Safer and smarter research: By automating the manual tasks that come with crop research, you’re reducing the physical strain on your team. Plus, you’re introducing smarter processes that optimize growth conditions, ensuring better outcomes. 

Why invest in the ASU? 

By investing in the ASU, you’re not just automating tasks, you’re setting your research up for long-term success. You’re eliminating the physical demands on your team, ensuring consistent and objective measurements, and maximizing the space available for crop growth. 

The combination of WPS’s system integration expertise and the use of cutting-edge technology ensures that you’re getting the best tools to enhance the quality and reliability of your research — all while saving time and reducing costs. 

Bench system

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