What kind of equipment is used to do a blood type (ABO, Rh) test?

Question

I'm not looking for the theory, I'm trying to find out what kind of machine or equipment is used. The background is that apparently in Europe bedside tests are now required in hospitals before each and every transfusion but not in the US. The bedside test in Europe uses a card of the type which is available in the US. It looks like there are two version, one for home use (which says "not for use prior to tranfusion") and one for professionals.

So do the bloodbanks use this type of card and that's it?

Answer 1

I only know of 2 testing methods for determining blood type...  One is to use the patient's RBC's and plasma and mixing them with reagent red cells and reagent antisera in tests tubes.  The tubes are spun in a centrifuge and then agglutination is looked for.  The other method is using a gel card that already has the reagent blood cells and antisera impregnanted in them.  The patient sample is added to the card and the card is the incubated and centrifuged...  Neither method is hardly a bedside test....