Laboratory 4.0 – Integrated and Intelligent: this is the laboratory of the future

Often referred to as industry 4.0, digitalization and networking continue to spread across all sectors of the economy. The convergence of the physical and virtual worlds is progressing faster in some industries than others. In general, laboratories have not kept up with the latest developments. There is still a lot of work to be done in strategies, infrastructure, equipment, and technology, not to mention IT environments and process automation. Labs are now in catch-up mode across the board. In the laboratory of the future, systems and technologies will communicate autonomously, and process flows will be automated. Safety lockers, for example, will detect overflow in collection tanks and communicate with devices and other equipment. The cameras will be able to control laboratory equipment and process sequences. The smart modules will turn the equipment on and off. Increasingly, the control of process flows will be based on end-to-end communication between laboratory equipment. This is the vision behind Lab 4.0.

Objective: Development and standardization of innovative technologies for laboratories

The German national innovation network smartLAB aims to make the vision of the networked smart laboratory 4.0 a reality. Funding from the German Ministry of Economy and Energy (BMWi) is under the national innovation program SME (ZIM). Around 20 companies and institutions have joined forces in the networks: Eppendorf AG, Fraunhofer-Institut für Produktionstechnik und Automatisierung (IPA), Herr M, iTiZZiMO, Köttermann, Labfolder, Lorenscheit, LUPYLED, PreSens Precision Sensing, Sartorius, Schmidt + Haensch, Zühlke Engineering and Deutsche Messe AG. The project is being managed by the Institute of Technical Chemistry at the Leibniz University of Hannover. “smartLAB gives us the opportunity to work with others to make the vision of the laboratory of the future a reality. The sharing of information between companies and customers on the website generates a valuable stimulus for future projects “, said Dr. Tanja Musiol, Portfolio Management Marketing Project Manager, Eppendorf AG. The goal of the network is to drive the development and standardization of innovative technology, along with the associated applications and solutions. Intended outcomes include streamlined process flows, improved quality, increased efficiency, and improved process reliability. A lab environment that meets all of these needs will require components and functionality that work together, and robotic systems will perform many of the manual tasks. “

The future, including the future of the laboratory, consists of the interactive combination of dynamic, digital, automatic, robotic networks, smart surfaces, and state-of-the-art designs and strategies“, said Dr. Simon Bungers, CEO of Labfolder and spokesperson for the smartLAB group.

The laboratory of the future in Hannover

A prototype of Lab 4.0 is on display in Hannover. The lab is called smartLAB, and it was unveiled as a visionary model lab at the 2015 LABVOLUTION lab technology show. smartLAB breaks new ground visually and also behind the scenes. The fact that smartLAB does not have laboratory tables and benches immediately draws attention. Instead, it is composed of individual hexagonal modules in the honeycomb format, each 90 centimeters high. This saves space and provides significant flexibility for the laboratory layout . The list of innovative features includes network-enabled devices, automation, robotics, surfaces with weighing and measuring functionalities, 3D printers, and data-enabled glasses that can issue instructions and trigger an alarm if needed. The real innovative technology in smartLAB is the interaction between the different devices and equipment and the software developed especially for this new reality. Lab 4.0 is fully networked, something that has been an exception in real-world lab environments. “The smartLAB project serves as a model for the laboratory sector, not only in Germany, but also in the rest of the world,” noted Dr. Thomas Scheper, head of TCI. “

In smartLAB, the various technological components are networked, providing digital support for all workflows. This simplifies operations and increases safety and reliability ”. Government officials were impressed by the smart lab of the future. “SmartLAB is an excellent example of research excellence in Lower Saxony,” said Lower Saxony Minister of Economics Olaf Lies. “smartLAB deserves support, above all, because company partners and the research community are creating networked integrated solutions that could change the way laboratories work in the future.” The Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony and the Ministry of Labour and Transport are providing funding for the project. The smartLAB is on permanent display at the Deutsche Messe Technology Academy at the Hannover Fair Grounds and can be used for company presentations and training.

nICLAS – Innovation Center for Laboratory Automation in Stuttgart The Fraunhofer IPA, together with industry partners, is also developing new technologies for the smart laboratory of the future. The setting for the action is at the nICLAS Innovation Center in Stuttgart. The list of active contributors includes industrial users and developers, as well as partners who build bridges to the research and education sector. “

Given the broad scope of the task, a multidisciplinary team is needed to compete successfully on the international stage. We are pleased to have highly capable industry partners such as Precise Automation, Tecan, Liconic, Thermo Fisher Scientifc, Promega and Festo who provide state-of-the-art equipment and innovative technology “, informed nICLAS project manager Mario Bott of Fraunhofer IPA. The background is as follows. Automation is a priority in only a small minority of laboratories worldwide. This is due to strict regulations and multi-variant, non-standardized process flows in day-to-day operations. “

Samples and products in the laboratory must meet extremely stringent quality criteria. The introduction of new technologies costs companies a lot of time and money “, explained Mario Bott. In addition, the nature of manual labor performed in laboratories was considered an advantage, because it was seen as being faster and more flexible.

On the way to the factory integrated with the data network

Nowadays, a mental shift is taking place in many companies. “To an increasing extent, laboratories located at the central interfaces of companies are being transformed into data factories, functioning as diagnostic laboratories or for the discovery and development of new drugs, quality assurance and product launches. They generate information that is extremely valuable for managing the company “, pointed out Mario Bott. “Not only that, but the increased customization of products and processes based on personalized diagnostics and therapy is creating new challenges for laboratories. Developing long-term modular hardware and software solutions is essential to managing future complexity. That’s where nICLAS comes in ”.

Cooperative Research and Development delivers results

nICLAS FutureLab is already providing some initial momentum and generating a lot of ideas. Smart tracking is one example. A tracking system has been developed at Fraunhofer IPA that automatically documents and analyzes hand movements using 3D image analysis. A 3D camera mounted on top of a sterile bench performs the user’s hand movements and transmits the data live to an information system. The information is then analyzed with the help of motion recognition algorithms, sorted and recorded in a record. The system accurately captures and records all steps of the process without missing anything. This saves time, reduces employee workloads, and delivers better results. This approach also has another advantage. The tracking system runs on simple hardware and software, making it suitable for small laboratories as well. TeachIT, another solution developed by IPA researchers, also saves time in daily laboratory operations. Laboratory robots can be set up very quickly using automatic teach-in . To support this, barcodes are applied to multi-well plates on the work surface. A 3D camera on the robotic arm detects the markings and shows the robot where to grab.

SiLA – Uniform Standards Initiative

Biotechnology and diagnostic equipment is highly specialized and heterogeneous in many pharmaceutical laboratories. The underlying IT infrastructure has evolved over time, making it difficult or impossible to coordinate between the various devices. This creates the need for drivers and device platforms that adhere to uniform standards. Because they can communicate with products from any other manufacturer, they support the integration of heterogeneous components. To provide a uniform basis for the development of IT automation solutions for the laboratories of the future, system manufacturers, software service providers, system integrators, pharmaceutical producers, and biotechnology companies are working together on the SiLA (Standardization in Laboratory Automation) initiative on a set of definitive standards. The goal of the initiative is the seamless integration of laboratory equipment and IT systems from different suppliers. Standardized communication interfaces, device drivers , and laboratory consumables will be required to accomplish this. Highly specialized professionals and members of the non-profit consortium are organized into technical working groups where they jointly develop the definitive standards. According to Fraunhofer IPA, which is also a member of the SiLA consortium, new equipment and components will require SiLA compliance certification. The institute offers initial consulting as well as automated testing and compliance certifications.

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