Cost Savings through Laboratory Automation - Is it Just a White Elephant?

Laboratory automation can vary from a simple automated pipette system to advanced robotic workstations. Complete automation can be achieved in any process which would require less human intervention and involves repetitive tasks. For studies involving large number of samples to be analyzed and with large number of repetitive steps, automation or semi-automation means less time, more cost savings and less human errors. Embedding the process of automation into their systems seems to be the only way to ensure safety of the operator if the tests involve handling toxic substances. Though the cost to fully automate a lab is very high, considerable savings in terms of cost and time can be achieved by deciding the optimum level of automation. The optimum level of automation depends on factors such as the tests carried out in the laboratory and the type of materials analyzed. Beyond cost savings and time savings, manual errors are also eliminated by automation