Introduction: Pushing Precision in the Real World

Field validation is where innovation proves itself. In August 2025, Artyc collaborated with the University of Washington Theberge Lab to put Artyc’s Medstow Micro through an experimental series of ground shipments designed to test its accuracy, consistency, and resilience under variable environmental conditions.

The study compared internal Medstow Micro temperature data with readings from an Elitech RC-5+ PDF Temperature Data Logger, a widely used external probe for field monitoring. Over the course of 45 hours and 34 minutes, the test captured parallel datasets across multiple environments – from controlled indoor staging to hot vehicle interiors and outdoor exposure during a regional heat advisory.

The objective was simple: evaluate how the Medstow Micro’s active cooling and embedded sensors reflect environmental change and recover refrigeration stability under stress.

Experimental Setup: Simulating Real Transport in a Challenging Environment

Testing began with both sensors activated and logging independently – the Elitech probe adhered directly to the exterior surface of the Medstow Micro, while the Micro measured internal sleeve temperature, capturing the thermal profile experienced by a specimen container.

Across the full experiment, the devices encountered four primary phases:

• Phase 1 – Indoor staging: Devices remained indoors at ambient room temperature prior to departure, simulating clinic or home pickup conditions.

• Phase 2 – Local ground transport: Ground transport across Seattle with multiple stops and ambient transitions to move units to a residential home.

• Phase 3 – Overnight outdoor storage: Units placed outdoors at a residence — exposure to uncontrolled humidity and nighttime cooling.

• Phase 4 – UPS carrier movement during heat advisory: Handoff to UPS route during a Seattle heat advisory, with ambient temperatures exceeding 30 °C and vehicle-exposure peaks approaching ~50 °C.

This multi-stage route mirrored the logistical realities of decentralized healthcare: unpredictable exposure and extended durations without direct oversight.

Data Collection and Analysis: Cleaning, Aligning, and Visualizing

The Theberge Lab shared the probe data and corresponding Medstow Micro temperature logs were captured through the Artyc Portal. The teams evaluated both datasets to ensure validated alignment.

Processing steps included:

• Timezone alignment: Probe recorded in PST (UTC-7), Micro recorded in UTC → synchronized to local time

• Timestamp correction: The Elitech probe required a 155-week + 2:34:19 adjustment to align with Micro journey D071DDD

• Extraneous data removal: MS1_MFAL.xls replaced with cleaned MS1_MFAL_truncated.xlsx

• Window trimming: All visualizations restricted to the Medstow Micro’s active logging period for consistent comparison

While timestamp-based alignment is standard, several probe clocks exhibited drift, causing noticeable lag relative to Micro data. As a result, duration-based data visualization was determined to be the more reliable and objective method.

Results: Stability, Recovery, and Correlation

Across all recorded segments, the Elitech external probe and Medstow Micro ambient sensor displayed high correlation, confirming consistency in environmental measurements. During the hottest period of transport – including time in a vehicle under heat advisory – internal temperatures briefly exited the refrigerated range, reflecting the intensity of ambient stress.  However, the Micro’s active cooling system automatically recovered, returning to 2-8 °C before the journey concluded.

Additional performance insights from the Artyc Portal:

• Mean kinetic temperature: 6.14 °C

• Cooling duration: 45 hr 34 min

• Battery endurance: 99% → 32% remaining

• Total snapshots logged: 3,287

Notably, the Medstow Micro maintained a smooth thermal profile, while the passive probe captured sharper spikes – illustrating the benefits of active thermal regulation over passive monitoring.

Observations and Key Takeaways

• Consistency: Probe and Micro ambient traces were well aligned

• Thermal resilience: The internal chamber self-corrected after environmental heat exposure

• Reliable comparison: Duration-based plots minimized probe timing error

• Operational readiness: Multi-day runtime preserved battery margin for future stops

Together these findings show the Micro is not only accurate – it is adaptive, recovering temperature control even in challenging shipping conditions.

Conclusion: Validating Active Cooling Through Comparative Precision

The University of Washington trials reinforced that the Medstow Micro is a trustworthy field-ready cooling system – capable of withstanding real-world transport variables while maintaining data integrity and specimen safety.

Despite asynchronous sensors, extreme ambient temperatures, and hands-off overnight exposure, the Micro:

• Preserved compliance with required refrigeration parameters

• Provided full traceability throughout the journey

• Validated internal performance against a proven industry probe

For decentralized clinical operations – from home-based care to distributed lab logistics – the Medstow Micro ensures refrigeration resilience where it matters most.

Photo by Zhifei Zhou on Unsplash