Collaborative Robotic Systems for Pre-Analytical Processing of Biological Specimens in a Medical Laboratory

Background/Objectives: The increasing volume of laboratory testing and the tightening of quality standards have rendered automation tasks in medical laboratories highly relevant. Conventional total laboratory automation (TLA) systems demonstrate high throughput; however, their economic and organizational efficiency is often constrained by their complex integration and substantial implementation costs. In this context, collaborative robots (cobots) are attracting increasing attention due to their ability to perform pre-analytical and logistical tasks in close association with laboratory personnel. The objective of the present study was the systematic integration of commercially available cobots into the pre-analytical workflow of a large centralized laboratory. Methods: The implemented system incorporated a set of specialized modules, including decapping, barcode orientation and verification, analyzer loading, aliquoting, and specimen sorting, with bidirectional integration into the Laboratory Information System (LIS). The architectural design, control algorithms, and primary effects on labor input and operational turnaround time were evaluated. Results: The results demonstrated that the implementation of cobots into laboratory processes led to an 87% reduction in labor input, a 3.4% improvement in liquid aliquoting accuracy, and an overall improvement in nominal throughput, while requiring minimal personnel training. However, human operators performed the aliquoting procedure significantly faster than cobots, with an average speed advantage of 42.5%. Conclusions: The use of collaborative robotic systems in centralized medical laboratories appears promising due to their operational efficiency and flexibility compared to conventional automation platforms and manual workflows. The effect of the use of cobots on the quality/accuracy of the tests needs to be evaluated, and perhaps a larger study of multiple laboratories needs to be conducted to confirm the results are generalizable.