Robot Carts: What are the Ideal Applications for a Robot Trolley?

A robot cart is a type of lab track system that transports lab supplies and samples using an autonomous robot in the laboratory. In the ever faster pace of healthcare labs, this kind of innovative solution can massively improve efficiency and accuracy.

At Astech, we offer two types of RLA trolleys. We have the RLA 1 Series, a manual trolley which performs a variety of different tasks when moved around to different work stations.

The RLA 2 Series is an autonomous vehicle equipped with sensors and navigation software, designed to transport lab supplies and samples independently within a laboratory setting. In this article, we’ll explain the ideal applications for the RLA 2 series autonomous robot trolley.

The RLA 2 series can transport lab items such as:

• Lab supplies
• Reagents
• Tissue samples
• Blood samples
• Urine samples

Ideal Applications

The RLA 2 Series can be used in many different lab settings. If you need to streamline workflows and improve efficiency, a robot trolley can help. Some of the most common applications include:

Sample Transport

This can be either inter-departmental transport or intra-departmental transport:

Inter-departmental transport

Sometimes it is required to move samples between departments. For example, pathology, microbiology, and haematology departments.

Intra-departmental transport

More commonly, samples need to be transported within the same department. For example, the same sample might need to be transported between two workstations or analysis tools.

Supply delivery

The RLA 2 robot trolley can be ideal for managing supplies and replenishing storage inventory. As mentioned previously, these could be general lab supplies, tissue samples, blood samples, urine samples, and reagents.

Waste removal

Hazardous waste needs to be properly collected and disposed of.

Stat sample delivery

To expedite testing and reporting, robot trolleys can rapidly deliver urgent samples.

Benefits of using Robot Carts

• Improved efficiency - they significantly reduce the time spent on manually transporting samples which can free staff up to focus on activities that have a higher value
• Enhanced Accuracy - adding robotics to transportation tasks can reduce the risk of human error that comes with manual sample handling and transport
• Increased Productivity - robot trolleys can reduce turnaround times and optimise your lab workflows to positively impact productivity
• Improved Staff Morale - time consuming and repetitive tasks such as transporting samples can decrease employee job satisfaction. Removing these tasks can reduce workplace stress and make employees feel more valued by giving them higher value tasks instead

Robot carts are flexible and efficient. They allow for the automation of sample and supply transport within labs by using autonomous robots. They can help labs to enhance manufacturing productivity or healthcare facilities to improve patient care.

If you’d like to learn more about robotics and their custom applications for your lab, contact our specialist team for advice.