Laboratory robotics is the act of using robots in biology, chemistry or engineering labs. For example, pharmaceutical companies employ robots to move biological or chemical samples around to synthesize novel chemical entities or to test pharmaceutical value of existing chemical matter. Advanced laboratory robotics can be used to completely automate the process of science, as in the Robot Scientist project.
Laboratory processes are suited for robotic automation as the processes are composed of repetitive movements (e.g., pick/place, liquid/solid additions, heating/cooling, mixing, shaking, and testing). Many laboratory robots are commonly referred as autosamplers, as their main task is to provide continuous samples for analytical devices.
History
The first compact computer controlled robotic arms appeared in the early 1980s, and have continuously been employed in laboratories since then. These robots can be programmed to perform many different tasks, including sample preparation and handling.
Yet in the early 1980s, a group led by Masahide Sasaki, from Kochi Medical School, introduced the first fully automated laboratory
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Source: Wikipedia
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