Predictika · Lab automation instrument quotes

An AI sales agent's liquid handler quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a quote for a laboratory that wants a Hamilton Microlab STAR Line liquid handler with pipetting channels, a probe head, transport tools and options. Before the quote goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the product line and returns a verdict, every reason and the totals it computed.

Scope: Hamilton Microlab STAR Line liquid handlers (STARlet, STAR and STARplus) with 1 mL and 5 mL channels, CO-RE 96 and 384 probe heads, CO-RE Gripper, iSWAP, barcode readers and a HEPA hood. See everything this validator covers

This validator models Microlab STAR Line quotes, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Platform and capacity — the three platform sizes, deck positions per platform, up to 16 channels of 1 mL or 5 mL size in total, and the CO-RE 96 and CO-RE 384 probe heads.
  • Tools and options — the CO-RE Gripper, which needs two independent channels to carry it, the iSWAP transport tool, Autoload 1D and 2D barcode readers and the HEPA hood; a quote needs at least one pipetting tool.
  • Use, discount and total — the intended use (research or clinical diagnostic, with the STARlet listed as not IVDR compliant), discount approval and block thresholds, and the stated total against the total computed from the modeled prices.

Any Microlab STAR Line quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: VANTAGE and NIMBUS, consumables, service contracts, integrations, taxes and shipping. Product names and several specifications follow public Hamilton sources; the deck positions of the larger platforms, the combination rules, the discount thresholds and every price are modeled from comparable products and are not published by Hamilton.

The AI sales agentBuilds the instrument quote from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

6 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Capacity limits that depend on the platformOnly with care
The deck capacity differs per platform, so each platform needs its own limit and the rules multiply as platforms are added.		The platform and the deck positions needed are in one request and compared on every call.
Channels counted across two sizesOnly with care
The 16-channel limit applies to 1 mL and 5 mL channels together, so a separate total has to be rule-maintained beside each size limit.		Both channel counts are fields of the request and are totaled and compared on every call.
A tool that needs other items, such as the CO-RE Gripper needing two channelsOnly with care
Each dependency needs its own rule that counts one item against another, and the list grows with every option.		The gripper and the channel counts are in one request and checked together on every call.
A discount threshold that depends on the subtotal and a stated total that must matchOnly with workarounds
Both depend on a computed subtotal, so the subtotal has to be recomputed in a rule before the discount or the stated total can be compared.		The discount and the stated total are fields of the request and are compared with the computed figures on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The protocol needs 26 deck positions; this platform has 25.
2The protocol needs 56 deck positions; this platform has 55.
3The quote has 17 1 mL channels; a Microlab STAR Line instrument takes at most 16.
4The quote has 17 pipetting channels in total; the arm carries at most 16 channels of any size.
5The quote has 9 5 mL channels; a Microlab STAR Line instrument takes at most 8.
6The quote has 18 pipetting channels in total; the arm carries at most 16 channels of any size.
7The quote has no pipetting channels and no CO-RE probe head.
8The CO-RE 384 Probe Head is not offered on the STARlet in this model; choose STAR or STARplus.
9The CO-RE Gripper is carried by two independent channels; the quote has 1.
10The quote has both a CO-RE Gripper and an iSWAP; a person should confirm the application needs both transport tools.
11The STARlet spec sheet lists the instrument as not IVDR compliant, so it cannot be quoted for clinical diagnostic use.
12The quote is for clinical diagnostic use; a person should confirm the IVD configuration and regulatory status for this platform.
13The discount of 33,750 USD is more than 10 percent of the 257,500 USD list subtotal; sales management approval is needed.
14The discount of 56,250 USD is more than 20 percent of the 257,500 USD list subtotal.
15The quote states 200,000 USD in total; the quoted items give 257,500 USD.
16The protocol needs 40 deck positions; this platform has 25.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Platform, deck and channels: A STARlet quote with 40 deck positions, a CO-RE 384 head and 17 one-milliliter channels

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Microlab STARlet, 17 1 mL channels, a CO-RE 384 probe head, a CO-RE Gripper and an Autoload 1D barcode reader for research use, with a protocol that needs 40 deck positions, for a total of 310,000 USD. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Too many 1 mL channels. The quote has 17 1 mL channels; a Microlab STAR Line instrument takes at most 16.
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  • Too many channels in total. The quote has 17 pipetting channels in total; the arm carries at most 16 channels of any size.
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  • Deck positions over the platform capacity. The protocol needs 40 deck positions; this platform has 25.
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  • CO-RE 384 head needs a larger platform. The CO-RE 384 Probe Head is not offered on the STARlet in this model; choose STAR or STARplus.
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2. Platform, deck and channels: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Microlab STAR, 8 1 mL channels, a CO-RE 384 probe head, a CO-RE Gripper and an Autoload 1D barcode reader for research use, with a protocol that needs 40 deck positions, for a total of 287,500 USD. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Price summary. 1 instrument(s) at 287,500 USD each, list subtotal 287,500 USD, net total 287,500 USD (illustrative prices).
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3. Discount and stated total: A three-instrument quote with a large discount and a stated total

    
The agent's request. Please quote 3 Microlab STAR instruments, 8 1 mL channels, a CO-RE 96 probe head, an iSWAP and an Autoload 1D barcode reader for research use, with a protocol that needs 30 deck positions and a discount of 191,070 USD, for a total of 868,500 USD. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Discount over 20 percent. The discount of 191,070 USD is more than 20 percent of the 868,500 USD list subtotal.
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states 868,500 USD in total; the quoted items give 677,430 USD.
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4. Discount and stated total: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 3 Microlab STAR instruments, 8 1 mL channels, a CO-RE 96 probe head, an iSWAP and an Autoload 1D barcode reader for research use, with a protocol that needs 30 deck positions and a discount of 69,480 USD, for a total of 799,020 USD. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Price summary. 3 instrument(s) at 289,500 USD each, list subtotal 868,500 USD, net total 799,020 USD (illustrative prices).
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5. Gripper and pipetting tools: A quote with a CO-RE Gripper and no pipetting channels or probe head

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Microlab STAR, a CO-RE Gripper and an Autoload 1D barcode reader for research use, with a protocol that needs 30 deck positions, for a total of 142,500 USD. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • No pipetting tool. The quote has no pipetting channels and no CO-RE probe head.
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  • CO-RE Gripper needs two channels. The CO-RE Gripper is carried by two independent channels; the quote has 0.
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6. Gripper and pipetting tools: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Microlab STAR, 2 1 mL channels, a CO-RE Gripper and an Autoload 1D barcode reader for research use, with a protocol that needs 30 deck positions, for a total of 157,500 USD. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Price summary. 1 instrument(s) at 157,500 USD each, list subtotal 157,500 USD, net total 157,500 USD (illustrative prices).
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a quote for a laboratory that wants a Hamilton Microlab STAR Line liquid handler with pipetting channels, a probe head, transport tools and options. Before the quote goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the product line and returns a verdict, every reason and the totals it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote a Microlab STARlet, 17 1 mL channels, a CO-RE 384 probe head, a CO-RE Gripper and an Autoload 1D barcode reader for research use. It is ready to send. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with four findings, all in one answer. The quote has 17 1 mL channels; a Microlab STAR Line instrument takes at most 16. The quote has 17 pipetting channels in total; the arm carries at most 16 channels of any size. The protocol needs 40 deck positions; this platform has 25. The other one is on screen.
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  6. The validator returned four blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other.
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  7. What this shows: for capacity limits that depend on the platform, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the platform to STAR, the 1 mL channels to 8 and the total stated on the quote to $287,500.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. All four earlier findings are cleared.
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  13. Four problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean $287,500 quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    14.