Robotics & Automation News

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lab automation

Scientists and entrepreneurs debate AI’s role in innovation at Finland embassy event

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Being invited to the Embassy of Finland in the uppest of upscale neighbourhoods in London, England is a treat Robotics & Automation News was never going to pass up.

Quite apart from the importance of the 2027 Millennium Technology Prize which was the reason for the invitation, the opportunity to experience the ambiance of the area where it seems every grand house you walk past is an embassy – and the entrance to the street is guarded by police – was not one we wanted to miss.

Things didn’t start off on the right foot as I actually entered the street through the larger gate meant for cars. I was immediately told firmly to go back out and use the smaller gate meant for humans. [Read more…] about Scientists and entrepreneurs debate AI’s role in innovation at Finland embassy event

Opentrons accelerates enablement of AI-based laboratory robotics with Nvidia

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Opentrons Labworks, a laboratory robotics company enabling AI-driven autonomous science, is accelerating the development and deployment of physical AI-enabled laboratory robotics with Nvidia.

Through this integration, Opentrons is using Nvidia Isaac and Nvidia Cosmos platforms to develop training data for physical AI models purpose-built for laboratory environments.

Opentrons delivers a unique set of real-world assets, including a global fleet of more than 10,000 deployed robotic systems across leading research universities and biopharma companies, as well as deep experimental expertise spanning both Opentrons platforms and a wide range of third-party laboratory instruments. [Read more…] about Opentrons accelerates enablement of AI-based laboratory robotics with Nvidia

Saving Hours Each Week With Automated Liquid Handling

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Walk into most research labs during midweek and you’ll find at least one person hunched over a bench, pipetting. They’ve been there since morning. By afternoon, their hand’s cramping, and they’ve still got another hour of the same repetitive motion ahead of them.

This scene plays out daily in laboratories worldwide, and it’s costing more than just physical discomfort. Those hours spent transferring liquids manually? That’s time researchers could be analysing data, designing better experiments, or tackling that grant proposal that keeps getting pushed to next week.

Manual pipetting doesn’t just slow things down. It actively prevents scientists from doing the thinking work they’re actually trained for, the work that moves research forward. [Read more…] about Saving Hours Each Week With Automated Liquid Handling

Interview with Epson Robots’ Scott Marsic: ‘We make it simple to deploy robots’

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Epson Robots has been a quiet but influential force in industrial robotics for decades, particularly in high-precision automation.

The company’s history in robotics dates back to its internal efforts to automate watch assembly, which pushed it toward small-parts handling, speed, and accuracy rather than heavy-payload industrial automation. That heritage still shapes its strategy.

Today, Epson is best known for its strong market position in the SCARA robot segment – where it has held a prominent position globally for many years – and for supplying compact six-axis systems, vision tools, force-sensing technology, and integrated software environments designed to reduce deployment time and complexity. [Read more…] about Interview with Epson Robots’ Scott Marsic: ‘We make it simple to deploy robots’

Opinion: AI and robotics poised to transform scientific discovery, say global experts

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A globally connected ecosystem of autonomous laboratories could redefine how science is conducted, accelerating discovery while lowering barriers to participation, according to a new expert viewpoint published in Science Robotics, a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The article titled, “Accelerating Discovery in Natural Science Laboratories with AI and Robotics: Perspectives and Challenges”, brings together leading voices from academia, industry, and government to explore how artificial intelligence, robotics, and laboratory automation can drive breakthroughs in chemistry, biology, and materials science.

With authors from Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), Technical University of Munich (TUM), University of Toronto and other world-leading organizations, it highlights both the transformative potential and the technical and societal challenges of these technologies. [Read more…] about Opinion: AI and robotics poised to transform scientific discovery, say global experts

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences and HSE partner to develop new lab tech

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Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, a Danaher company and a specialist in laboratory automation and innovation, says it is “redefining nucleic acid quantification” through a strategic collaboration with Hombrechtikon Systems Engineering, a Swiss provider of customized automation and engineering solutions for the life sciences and diagnostics sectors.

This partnership updates and miniaturizes traditional nucleic acid quantification, powered by an automation-first approach that integrates high-throughput liquid handling directly into molecular biology workflows.

By streamlining critical processes – from normalization to yield characterization – it bridges existing workflow gaps and empowers real-time, data-driven decision-making within a unified platform. [Read more…] about Beckman Coulter Life Sciences and HSE partner to develop new lab tech

Universal Robots selects Technicon as solutions partner in pharmaceuticals

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Universal Robots, the world’s largest collaborative robot company and a part of Teradyne Robotics, has selected its long-time partner Technicon, an automation company based in the Nordics, as its UR global Certified Solution Provider for the pharmaceutical industry.

A UR distributor and integrator in Denmark since 2019, Technicon is a vertically integrated engineering company, designing, developing, and producing automation solutions in-house.

The company has extensive experience integrating UR’s user-friendly, flexible cobots into innovative automated solutions for the pharmaceutical industry, delivering increased efficiency and stability across the Life Science value chain – from optimizing fill and finish lines to improving lab quality control and strengthening packaging and assembly. [Read more…] about Universal Robots selects Technicon as solutions partner in pharmaceuticals

Beyond manufacturing: Cobots in healthcare, labs, and food service

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When you hear the word “robot”, you probably picture a massive, unmoving arm on an assembly line, precisely welding car parts or lifting heavy machinery. And for good reason – industrial robots have revolutionized manufacturing for decades. 

But a new breed of robotic assistants, collaborative robots or cobots, are breaking free from the factory floor, proving their versatility and value in an array of surprising environments.

Designed to work safely alongside humans, cobots are now making significant inroads into fields like healthcare, laboratory research, and even food service, transforming how we approach tasks in these diverse sectors. [Read more…] about Beyond manufacturing: Cobots in healthcare, labs, and food service

Epson to launch its first industrial collaborative robot at Automatica

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Epson Robotics, one of the world’s largest robotics and automation companies, is preparing to launch its first industrial collaborative robot solution.

The company says the new robot is designed to “achieve successful human-machine interactions that improve efficiency and productivity” across a diverse range of industries, including manufacturing, logistics, and the rapidly evolving life sciences sector.

Epson will be showcasing the new robot at stand 311, hall B5, at Automatica 2025, Messe München, Germany, from June 24 to 27. [Read more…] about Epson to launch its first industrial collaborative robot at Automatica

Lab automation: How AI and robotics are accelerating drug discovery

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The journey from identifying a potential new medicine to bringing it to patients is notoriously long, breathtakingly expensive, and fraught with high failure rates.

Traditional drug discovery, while achieving monumental successes, is often a slow, painstaking process.

However, a new era is dawning, driven by the convergence of advanced laboratory automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence. [Read more…] about Lab automation: How AI and robotics are accelerating drug discovery