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An equipment item records an instrument in your lab: its make, model, serial number, and location, with a photo if you want one. Equipment sits in your workspace and collections like any other item. To see only your instruments, choose Equipment in the workspace Type filter. Once an instrument is in your workspace, Bower knows it exists. Ask Bower about it in a conversation and it can answer technical questions, walk you through common procedures, help diagnose unexpected behavior, and pull up relevant protocols from your workspace.

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Why add your equipment?

The biggest benefit is that Bower can act as a knowledgeable co-worker who knows your specific setup — not just the instrument in general, but your centrifuge in Lab 3B with the serial number you gave it. A few things this unlocks:
  • Troubleshooting. “The rotor is making a grinding noise” → Bower can work through likely causes for that model, ask clarifying questions, and help you decide whether to keep running or stop.
  • Procedure guidance. “Walk me through a balance calibration” → Bower gives instrument-specific steps, not generic advice.
  • Hands-free use. With smart glasses (Ray-Ban Meta or Viture Luma), you can ask Bower what you’re looking at, describe what’s on the display, or talk through a problem without ever touching your phone or laptop.

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Adding equipment

Click Create (the + button) and choose Equipment. You have four options:
1

Use my phone

Scan the QR code with your phone camera and Bower opens straight into equipment capture. Photograph the nameplate and it saves to your workspace — no need to move the photo across yourself. You’ll sign in on your phone the first time.
2

Scan a photo

Take or upload a photo of the instrument — the nameplate, serial tag, or front panel works best. Bower reads the image and auto-fills the make, model, and serial number. Review the result and confirm.
3

Search online

Type the instrument name (e.g. Eppendorf 5810 R centrifuge) and Bower looks it up. Pick from the results to auto-fill make, model, and a description.
4

Enter manually

Fill in the details yourself — useful for custom-built kit or instruments Bower can’t identify.
After adding, give the instrument a clear name — something your team will recognize in search, like Centrifuge — Lab 3B rather than just Eppendorf 5810R.

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Talking to Bower about your equipment

Once cataloged, mention the instrument by name in any Bower conversation. You don’t need a special command — just describe what you’re trying to do or what’s going wrong.
“Our Eppendorf 5810 R is throwing error code E12 after a long run. What does that mean?”
“I need to run a two-step density gradient with the Beckman. What speeds and times do you recommend?”
Bower brings in the instrument’s specs alongside anything else in your workspace — related protocols, past notes, attached manuals — so answers stay grounded in your actual setup.

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Hands-free with smart glasses

Equipment is most useful during active bench work. With Bower running in Live Mode on Ray-Ban Meta or Viture glasses, you can:
  • Ask Bower to identify an instrument you’re looking at.
  • Describe an error on a display and get a diagnosis without stopping what you’re doing.
  • Walk through a calibration or maintenance procedure step by step, hands-free.
See Live Agent Mode for setup and tips.

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Editing and removing equipment

Open an equipment item to see its details. From there you can edit any field, update the photo, or delete the entry.
Deleting an instrument moves it to Trash. It does not delete any protocols or notes that reference it.