System/7 in a Hierarchical Laboratory Automation System

is an implementation of a three-level computer hierarchy that provides a high degree of perjormance, availability, and ease ($use for laboratory automation applications. Laboratory automation, a subset of sensor-based computer use, is an area of computer application that is characterized by the computer elements servicing user-attached devices. These are usually devices such as instruments, test stands, and terminals that are part of the real-time instrumentation used in carrying out experimentation. The main difference between laboratory automation and sensor-based production systems in general is that each user of laboratory automation is likely to modify his own application from time to time, rather than being a part of a group that uses an application that has been installed by a separate group of systems people. The laboratory automation system described in this paper is currently being used at the IBM Laboratory automation has had a rather strong growth history over the past few years. Professor Perone, of Perdue, in a review article on publications in the field, gives some 194 references to papers describing applications in this field.' A selection of other publications is given in the references.' One could safely say today that there is no instrument that has not been automated in some way. Its importance is reflected in the fact that the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) has set up a section on laboratory a~tomation.~ As we briefly review details of a particular laboratory automation system, bear in mind that its importance lies in the fact that, it represents a new level of improvement in the instrumentation available to engineers and scientists for carrying out their exploratory, development , and standard testing work.