Lab diary entry no.8: Solving today’s lab annoyances with tomorrow’s technologies
In the final instalment of the Lab Diary, R&D software provider, IDBS looks at today’s lab annoyances may be solved with tomorrow’s technologies.
Problems which currently plague the laboratory, from short staffing, manual processes and repetitive mundane tasks, are all in the sights of technology providers.
New technologies have the potential to reshape the way researchers collaborate, produce research and engage with their equipment, facilitating many new potential hardware and software implementations further down the line. Take repetitive strain injury (RSI) caused by pipetting, for example. This simple, unassuming task used to be a major problem for research organisations, with the potential for injuries to escalate into prolonged and expensive lawsuits.
Thankfully, an increased prevalence of new and easily accessible technologies and equipment, such as ergonomic pipettes, has effectively eliminated this particular RSI problem. While technology will not be able to solve every pet peeve — from sticky fingers to staff accountability for broken equipment — it can go a long way in freeing up time for researchers to concentrate on making new discoveries. So, if technology can solve problems like pipetting, what else could be solved in the years ahead?
No more handwriting or keyboard nightmares
Despite the technology already available, many laboratories still rely on paper notebooks for record keeping, and that can be bad news if you’re working with colleagues whose handwriting is a bit ‘suspect’. Replicating experiments with illegible writing can be impossible, and manual transcriptions can lead to compounded errors, costing businesses thousands upon thousands.
An electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) can solve the handwriting problem — but using an ELN still means you might need to stop mid-experiment to record valuable information. Fortunately, there is a solution on the horizon: voice recognition. In just a few short years, voice recognition technology has improved considerably. It’s likely we’ve all used an ‘assistant’ like Siri, Alexa or Cortana, and it’s only a matter of time before similar technologies in the lab are capable of understanding and transcribing scientific terms and vocabularies. Just imagine, no more illegible handwriting and no more keyboards!
Make stock-taking and book-keeping a thing of the past
So, hands up, who really enjoys admin? Stock-taking and book-keeping are some of the most time-consuming and mundane tasks to undertake in the lab. In future though, it’s likely we’ll see technology taking on some of the lab’s more repetitive tasks, freeing up time for scientists to spend on more valuable activities.
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags are a good example. They allow for the automated reading of data, meaning test tubes won’t need to be scanned or have their information manually inputted, because storage spaces — like fridges — can automatically detect what is being kept, and where. In the long-term, this technology could even see laboratories ordering or re-ordering items that are running low, without the need for human intervention.
End the goose chase with external partners
Working with external partners or collaborators can be very beneficial for laboratories, giving them access to expertise and resources when they’re needed most. But, despite the rise of CROs and CMOs in recent years, managing collaboration partners can still be painfully difficult. It’s easy to see why — with teams based in different locations, time zones, and using different technologies, transferring and managing data effectively is a tough ask.
When you’re paying for data, you shouldn’t compromise on data quality — and cloud technology will be able to help you manage all your external partnerships from one platform. No more password protected emails, or internet transfers for data files. Instead, your partner’s results can be passed back directly into your ELN and even automatically checked for accuracy. Going one step further, it’s even conceivable that your platform could soon be able to choose a suitable collaboration team for you, based on your project type and budget.
Looking to the future
We all have our own grievances in the lab, so it’s unlikely that technology will be able to solve everything within the next few years. That said, with the rate at which technology is already evolving, the new advanced systems already in development could find their way into your laboratory sooner than you might expect. The cloud is more accessible than ever before, and organisations are already looking at the automation and machine learning industries with keen interest. Anything is possible, so watch this space.