Flow Robotics, a Denmark-based producer of robots for automated liquid handling and the creator of the flowbot ONE, announced that it has established its North American Subsidiary, Flow Robotics, Inc., with operations in Princeton, NJ. The company’s first product, the flowbot ONE, is designed to transform how liquid handling responsibilities are performed in the laboratory by automating manual pipetting tasks.
The flowbot ONE debuts at a pivotal moment for the laboratory industry, plagued for years with high workloads, burnout and physically challenging conditions recently exacerbated by the COVID-19 outbreak. The pandemic brought an increased necessity for collecting and preparing virus samples quickly, safely and accurately. The robot will be showcased for the first time in the U.S. at the SLAS 2021 Americas Sample Management Hybrid Symposium September 9-10 in La Jolla, CA.
Flow Robotics estimates that about half of medical lab technicians carry out the same arm movements for at least a quarter of their working day. Manual pipetting is a large part of liquid handling in any laboratory, and it brings hours of repetitive work in fixed positions. This can result in physical strain to the shoulders, arms and hands. The American Society for Clinical Pathology found that 85 percent of laboratory professionals suffer from burnout; 36 percent struggle with inadequate staffing; and 32 percent face a heavy workload and pressure to complete all testing on time.
