Lab Automation

Lab automation accelerates discovery and improves reproducibility across academic and industrial settings. The session covers liquid-handling robotics (Hamilton, Tecan, Opentrons), modular cloud-lab platforms (Strateos, Emerald Cloud Lab), AI-driven experimental design and self-driving labs, electronic lab notebook integration, high-throughput screening at scale, and laboratory information management systems (LIMS) modernisation. Discussion addresses the reproducibility crisis and automation as a partial solution, FAIR data principles in lab automation, the integration of automation with single-cell and high-content imaging platforms, automation in academic vs industrial settings, and the workforce implications of automated wet-lab work.