Overview on robotics in the laboratory.

This review provides a short history of the development of robotic systems in Clinical Chemistry and discusses the early expectations for these systems. The systems currently available are discussed and every attempt has been made to keep this section up-to-date, but this is a constantly changing field. Much of the review is taken up looking at the impact resulting from the introduction of robotic systems in the laboratory and whether they have met the expectations of the laboratory. It is difficult to get hard data since laboratories are most concerned with getting their instrumentation up and running and there is little time, or thought given, to pre- and post-introduction studies. Therefore, the literature is sparse but much of the data for the UK has come from a Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) review of pre-analytical systems. Finally thought has been given to future developments and their possible impact on the functioning of the laboratory.