Image: a robot arm holding a small glass; Copyright: PantherMedia / Bork

Topic of the Month October 2021

The smart lab: Between manual work and digitization

In the laboratory, there is some work that is time-consuming and monotonous - making it the perfect place for digital solutions such as artificial intelligence or robotics. But what work can these systems really take on in a meaningful way, in which areas of the lab are they present today, and where do they still need to be improved?

The smart lab: The shift to more digitization is picking up speed

Image: a robot arm is carrying a petri dish; Copyright: PantherMedia / angellodeco

They have probably never been in the spotlight as much as during the pandemic: laboratories. In Germany alone, around 73 million COVID-19-tests have been evaluated since the beginning of 2020. And even away from Corona, laboratory physicians have a lot to do – blood, urine, aspirates and much more have to be evaluated and documented every day. Together with transporting the samples to the analysis site, this results in an enormous amount of work, just in terms of organization.

Read the article about the use of AI and robots in the lab here

Fast, accurate, automatic: Simplifying workflows with laboratory robots

Image: The KUKA robot sorts blood samples according to the color of their cap; Copyright: LT Automation

Unpacking and sorting of blood samples from general practitioners is a monotonous and time-consuming task. In the majority of hospitals, the process is done manually. The largest hospital in the North of Denmark, the Aalborg University Hospital, has now automated the process: Up to 3000 blood samples every day are unpacked and sorted by two lab robots provided by LT Automation.

Read the interview with Anders Kjergaard Madsen here

Diligent helpers in data analysis: How AI becomes transparent and reproducible

Image: Data sheets and ampoules on a desk; Copyright: PantherMedia / eaglesky (YAYMicro)

Huge amounts of data are generated in the laboratory every day, which would actually have to be laboriously analyzed by hand. This is where artificial intelligence (AI) comes into play as a perfect helper: Because it evaluates such data volumes much faster than humans ever could. The only problem with AI is that when it is developed, there is hardly any guideline or standard that makes AI systems comparable with each other.

Read the interview with Prof. David B. Blumenthal here

Video

Digital and automated laboratory – Robots as multifunctional helpers

A lot of laboratory tasks require high precision on one hand, on the other they tend to be repetitive and tiring. While humans can only work for a limited time here while staying effective, robots are able to work without taking a break. The start-up bAhead wants to make collaborative robots, CoBots, adaptable helpers with the help of AI. We learn more about this in the video interview with CEO & Founder Rainer Treptow.