What happened to the labs of the future? How automation failed the sciences and what to expect from the next generation of lab automation solutions

In 2008, an ALA Survey on Laboratory Automation found that 88% of lab workers believed they would rely on lab automation in the future. Yet it’s 2021, and 72% of scientists now say their sector is lagging behind. What happened? 

The labs of the future we were once promised have been put on hold, while society’s fascination with automation has instead focused on ‘flashier’ projects. Meanwhile, highly-trained scientists (often working on life-saving projects) are wasting hours each week conducting grueling manual tasks like pipetting and cell cultures. We have the technology, so how can we bring the dream of an automated lab into reality? 

Join Nick, Automata’s Head of Lab Automation, as he takes a look at the state of automation today, how COVID-19 has been a shot in the arm for lab automation, what we can learn from other highly automated industries, where we should be looking to get to and how the industry can get there together. His session will cover:

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand how automation has failed lab workers and why engineers and scientists working together plays such a pivotal role in bringing the labs of the future into reality

2. Learn where to begin with lab automation - identifying the high-impact, quick wins for your lab

3. Become familiarised with how to programme the automation of a simple liquid handling process