Simulation of an Automatic Tissue Processing Device based on ESP32 with Time Settings on a Touchscreen Display

Abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with the number of patients continuously increasing. Accurate detection and diagnosis through histopathological examination are crucial. One of the processes in histopathology involves the use of an automatic tissue processing machine, which functions to process cancer tissue from its raw state into a mature form, ready for further examination in subsequent histopathological stages. The working principle of this device involves immersing tissue samples in each container (fixation, dehydration, clearing, paraffin infiltration). To achieve optimal results in tissue processing, accuracy in both time and temperature used in the paraffin infiltration container is essential. This device is designed with four containers, with movement controlled by two servo motors for transferring the samples from one container to the next. It also uses heating elements to heat the fourth container and a DS18B20 temperature sensor, a 3.2” Nextion LCD touchscreen to display information about the ongoing process, and a buzzer as a signal that the device has completed its operation. All components are controlled by an ESP32 microcontroller. To ensure the device’s performance, time measurements for each stage (fixation, dehydration, clearing, and paraffin infiltration) were tested and measured five times, as well as temperature measurements five times. The test results showed that the average accuracy of time measurements was 99.67% for fixation, 99.12% for dehydration, 98.99% for clearing, and 98.93% for infiltration, with error values of 0.33% for fixation, 0.88% for dehydration, 1.01% for clearing, and 1.07% for infiltration. The temperature accuracy was 98.57%, with an error of 1.43%. These results indicate that this automatic tissue processing simulation device has a high level of accuracy in controlling time and temperature at each stage of the process.