Lab Automation 101

Have you ever considered the cost of lost lab equipment or consumables?It's more common than you think and it's costing labs all over the US, thousands of dollars and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars.Steven Corbesero - the Director of Products & Solutions - at Machine Q talks us through: - What asset management and tracking is and what it entails-  Why it's important for labs of all sizes to be able to track their assets-  How the IoT is helping to shape advancements in asset management & tracking-  What asset management & tracking looks like in the lab-  How labs can leverage the technology available- What the lab of the future looks like

This episode welcome Colton Wimmer from Byonoy, a young & ambitious company based in Hamburg, Germany that are set out to re-envision the lab as we know it.Have a listen to Colton, the Chief Sales Officer of Byonoy, as he discusses:-The main challenges he faces in his role-  What re-envisioning the lab actually means and how he and his team are working creatively to bring that vision to life-The Absorbance 96 Automate, product winner of the New Product Award at SLAS 2023 & how it fits into their re-envisioning of the lab, as well as why it is a useful tool to have in every lab-  His thoughts on technology and the innovation process

Some people use adjectives to describe themselves, others use equations!  Either way, we think it’s pretty cool and that’s how we’d describe our most recent guest on the Lab Automation 101 podcast - Keltoum Boukra from the London Biofoundry.  She’s most definitely the coolest Robotics Engineer we know!Calling in from a wet & cold London have a listen as Keltoum chats about:-How the London Biofoundry supports innovation and how she’s working on a virtual reality project in the lab-  What drives her passion for healthcare-Her equation: Tech + Bio = Healthcare - what it means and how she works on bringing it to life-   Her thoughts on automation and the innovation process-  The Imperial X project as well as how she uses Chat GPT on the job-  Challenges in her role as a robotics engineer-    What the future of the lab looks like-   Her lab automation pitch to those stuck on manual processes

Coming to you from an agricultural spot in Northern Germany (or as Florian describes it, the “middle of nowhere”) have a listen to the very witty and delightful Florian Werner of AniCon Labor GmbH, talk about:-Why he is so excited and passionate about lab automation-How lab automation is actually an effective strain remover-His thoughts on automation & innovation in the lab-How to calculate an effective ROI for your customers-The development of lab automation and the impact of artificial intelligence like ChatGPT- His advice for those starting out in lab automation

Kicking off season 2 is Saba Khan from Tiger Team Lab Consultancy Group, based in Manchester UK.Have a listen as Saba chats about:-Her observations on the struggles/challenges faced by scientists in the lab-How automation can help in that regard-Why there is resistance to automated solutions – particularly in an academic      environment - & steps that can be taken to help-Identifying labs that are open to automation-The ingredients needed for a successful implementation of an automated lab solution

This is a 2-for-1 special with Meghan Bouchie and Denis Knjazzihin of Genie Life Sciences joining us to share their passion, stories and insights about all things lab automation.Have a listen as they chat about:- Why they saw the need to disrupt the world of lab automation & how they set about doing so- Whether automation is a precursor for innovation in the lab- Why some labs, stuck on manual processes, are resistant to change- Their views on how the lab automation industry can work together to bring about change and increase automation adoption rates - What the future of automation looks like 10 years from now

Listen to Ian Cooper of BioMed Recruitment chat about lab automation from a recruitment & retention perspective.  We cover a number of key points including:- Key trends emerging in the labor market post-Covid- What applicants in the lab space are looking for in an employer- Why working from home is here to stay and how to make it manageable- How lab automation can help in regards to the recruitment of the right candidate and help retain talent - Looking forward to 2023 and how the labor market is shaping up- Bonus World Cup winner predictions! :-)

This one is exciting as we chat to another international guest - Jordi Puigvert , the Associate Professor of Preclinical Drug Discovery at the University of Uppsala in Sweden.  Listen as Jordi shows his passion and excitement for lab automation and touches on a variety of topics including: How he sees & defines lab automation  What his course in lab automation at the University entails, the challenges in setting it up and why offering such a course is needed for the futureWhether labs stuck on manual processes risk being left behind as more labs adopt automationHow automation can help with innovation and creativityThe goal of automation & autonomous experiments

Listen to our first international guest, Dan Lord of Flow Robotics all the way from “sunny” Manchester in England, share his experiences and insights on a number of topics including:What lab automation means to him Why even a "perfect" lab that is dominant in manual processes, needs to consider automationHow to identify where to get startedWhether labs can become too dependent on automation How labs can measure the ROI of their automated solution & why qualitative aspects have to be considered

Lab automation can fail.Not because the system was poor or because it was an incorrect fit with the needs of the lab, but rather because no-one really considered the people aspect.People matter & moving from a manual process to an automated solution brings about changes that we sometimes brush off with our logical assumptions because the solution is so good.We have emotions and what is rational for me, may not be rational for you.  This isn’t just a lab issue either - as suppliers and manufacturers we also have a duty to provide the best solution possible and that has to take into account the people affected by the change.Have a listen therefore to Carol McLysaght of McLysaght Consulting based in Chicago, share her experiences and insights gathered from working with numerous leadership teams & change initiatives across a multitude of industries and companies such as Mars, Pepsi, Braintree and many more, about:Why people resist changeHow to spot the the not so-obvious signs of resistance  The importance of conversations of dissentA simple guide to ensure you consider when putting together your automation solution

Listen to Michael Vuke of Hamilton Company share his passion & excitement for lab automation and discuss his thoughts on:What lab automation means to himThe 3 biggest hurdles to lab automation adoption & the steps we can take to overcome themWhy lab automation can sometimes fail & what we can learn from itHow to win over the lab team when it comes to lab automation

Are you looking to better your understanding of lab automation?Do you sometimes wonder what automation even means?It’s normal to perhaps “struggle” with lab automation and even to fathom how it can actually help your lab in particular.Our first resident expert is Cole Yancey from Opentrons.Listen in as he shares his own personal experiences in the lab as well as:Defining lab automationAdvice for labs hesitant of making a transition (start small!)Discussing the importance of having a goal, keeping open communication and winning people over