lab-automation
Laboratory automation involves the development of technologies to increase research productivity, improve experimental data quality, and reduce cycle times. For plant science, automation is particularly valuable for high-throughput phenotyping and managing the precise environmental controls required for plant growth and development studies. Automated systems enable researchers to process large sample sizes efficiently, maintain standardized growing conditions, and collect consistent data—capabilities that are essential for accelerating crop improvement, genetic studies, and fundamental plant biology research.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-02-19
Researchers created easy-to-use, code-free laboratory automation protocols for plant genetic engineering using affordable 3D-printed robots. This makes advanced research tools accessible to students and scientists without coding experience, speeding up plant breeding and genetic modification work.
Developed modular BOTany Methods protocols for Opentrons OT-2 robots covering molecular biology tasks from simple primer dilution to complex Plant Modular Cloning and plasmid extraction
Protocols require only table-based inputs (no Python editing) and work for users across all experience levels from undergraduates to senior scientists
End-to-end molecular cloning pipeline improves throughput, reproducibility, and traceability while minimizing manual user intervention