Automatic liquid handling for life sciences - A critical review of the current state-of-the-art

Liquid handling plays an important role in research activities of life sciences, which is tedious and time-consuming when performed by hands. There is a strong desire to automate liquid handling by using advanced tools, sensors, and workstations such as robot-integrated systems. In this paper, we survey the current state-of-the-art in automatic liquid handling with focus particularly on high-throughput and small-volume. Available technologies and products from both industry and research institutions are investigated, and challenges for advancing the field are presented.