Lab automation refers to the utilization of smart equipment or instruments that help to execute day-to-day laboratory tasks with minimal or no requirement of professionals. The concept of laboratory automation is rapidly emerging and involves integration of artificial intelligence and automated technologies in laboratories to enhance data analysis, pipetting and other operations. Automation is undoubtedly the most crucial goal in medical testing laboratories that include automation of series before and after analysis such as classification, centrifugation, decapping, identification, packaging, loading, storage, and capping. The laboratory automation system mainly comprises sample entrance areas such as automatic centrifuge, automatic sample level detector, automatic decapper, automatic classification device, automatic sample packaging device, transmission system, and automated sample storage area.
The aim of integrating lab automation devices is to simplify the sample preparation process, allowing researchers to perform experiments with a higher accuracy rate. With the introduction of lab automation devices, researchers will be able to run large samples while maintaining reproducibility and a contamination-free environment. Owing to the significance offered by advanced technologies in laboratory processes, several lab automation market players are developing innovative devices that improve operational efficiency while eliminating errors. Considering the key trends of automation in laboratories, let’s read about different types of lab automation systems and their uses in day-to-day laboratory activities.
Types of Lab Automation Systems
Currently, nearly 350 lab automation systems manufacturing companies are featured in the market. These companies hold technical expertise to develop devices such as automated liquid handling systems, automated assay systems, automated microplates, automated nucleic acid extraction systems, automated storage and retrieval systems, automated sampling systems and robotic systems.
Laboratory workflows are generally classified into three primary categories, namely, manual, modular, or stand-alone automation, and total lab automation. Depending on the size of samples, testing volumes, and their complexity, clinicians use different approaches to automate the laboratory workflow that helps to enhance the sampling capacity.
In today’s clinical diagnosing laboratories, these automated laboratory technologies generate high-quality data for accurate documentation of experiments with minimal effort. The precision offered by these laboratory automation systems increases reproducibility and enables researchers to streamline laboratory operations with minimal effort. Considering the ongoing adoption of automation systems in pharmaceutical and healthcare laboratories, here are the three devices developed by the lab automation market players.
1. Automation of Analysis System
The majority of laboratory experiments involve the analysis of cell samples, blood cells, urine sediment analysis, and fully automated biochemical immunoassay analyzers. By integrating automated analyzer equipment into laboratory systems, the analysis test will be performed easily with a higher accuracy rate. Some common examples of automated analysis systems that can be integrated into the laboratories include fully automated biochemical analyzers, coagulation analyzers, urine analyzers, enzyme-linked immunoassay analyzers, microbial identification analyzers, and chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzers.
Furthermore, an automated analyzer ensures efficient laboratory day-to-day task management when combined with a laboratory information management system. Presently, fully automated biochemical immunoassay analyzers, blood cell analysis slide lines, and urine sediment analysis production lines have been implemented, along with various testing programs. Most laboratories can readily automate the analytical system of the laboratory automation system, which offers a quick return on investment; however, automation before and after specimen handling has yet to be implemented.
2. Flexible Laboratory Automation System
Flexible laboratory automation systems ensure independent specimen analysis before and after the processing of samples. The lab automation market players have developed various flexible laboratory automation systems; clinical will be able to solve various sample barcode labeling, archiving process, capping, and sample querying. Moreover, clinicians can selectively perform tasks such as centrifuges, classifiers, disappears, pipetting, and other types of analyzers.
The versatile laboratory automation system may be utilized in large and medium-sized laboratories as they are compatible with all laboratory analysis systems. Its categorization function is robust, and it can be carefully separated into sample cups for sample management via software, data evaluation, and automatic processing of the testing department’s sample findings. However, automated laboratory systems lack a track for transferring specimens, necessitating manual carriage of multiple specimens racking to various analysis machines for testing.
3. Automated Liquid Handling Systems
Liquid handling involves transferring liquid samples from one place to another for the purpose of testing. Transferring liquid samples is a crucial process, however the traditional approach for liquid handling or manual process increases risk of contamination. Moreover, manual handling techniques also decrease flexibility due to exorbitant costs related to the required skilled personnel for day-to-day operations. With the integration of automated liquid handling systemsacross clinical research and healthcare laboratories, liquid dispensing and transferring have become easy and have higher precision.
The automated liquid handling systems improve various laboratory processes such as sample analysis, assay tests, and next-generation sequencing by enhancing sample preparation throughput and quality. There are currently two types of liquid handling automation systems that have been adopted in laboratories, namely automated pipetting systems and microplate washers. Both of these equipment offer precise sample preparation for numerous bioassays, sequencing, and screening.
Concluding Remarks
Automation of laboratory tasks improves workflow and streamlines day-to-day task management with or without human labor requirements. The lab automation systems have become a paramount part in testing laboratories to perform biochemical and immunological samples with precise care. In the future, the lab automation market leaders will emphasize the virtual automation that runs on AI-powered management software to manage specimen processes effortlessly. The ideology behind adopting advanced automated laboratory equipment is to bring precision, accuracy, high efficiency, and quality maintenance during sample processing and testing. As the demand for automated laboratory systems increases, the market leaders will leverage technologies to provide better instruments with automation and integrated features to achieve high-quality control in the laboratories. With the ongoing adoption of automation in laboratory settings and increasing demand for tech-driven equipment for laboratory operations, the market will continue to expand at a steady rate in the future.
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