Processing Video and Sensor Data

A real-time orchestration and monitoring platform purpose-built for autonomous chemical laboratories, providing a comprehensive live view of molecule synthesis workflows as they unfold. The system integrates live process data, multi-sensor input, and visual context from strategically positioned cameras and lab instruments into a unified monitoring interface.

Data Integration

The platform coordinates a network of video feeds from cameras positioned throughout the lab, combined with real-time telemetry from robotic arms, syringe pumps, liquid dispensers, reactors, and analytical instruments. Metadata such as pressure, temperature, flow rates, and operational states is continuously embedded into the video stream as contextual overlays, allowing researchers to follow complex multi-step experiments with full situational awareness.

System Architecture

The architecture features a high-throughput data ingestion pipeline capable of processing dozens of simultaneous video streams alongside thousands of sensor readings per second. Key components include:

• Event correlation engine: Links sensor anomalies to specific video timestamps, enabling rapid root-cause analysis when experiments deviate from expected parameters.
• Dynamic camera control: Allows users to switch between feeds, create custom multi-view layouts, and configure conditional recording triggers based on sensor thresholds.
• Contextual overlay system: Projects sensor data spatially onto video feeds using camera calibration and 3D scene models, so readings appear next to the instruments they measure.

All data is archived with full temporal synchronization, creating a complete experimental record that can be replayed, annotated, and shared for collaborative analysis.

Synchronization Layer

Lab instruments communicate over different protocols (MQTT, OPC-UA, serial, custom APIs) with widely varying sampling rates, from 1 Hz temperature readings to 10 kHz vibration sensors and 30 fps video streams. A time-synchronization layer using PTP (Precision Time Protocol) as the master clock ensures sub-millisecond accuracy across all data sources, with each adapter applying its own latency correction based on measured transport delays.