Redefining the future of laboratory workflows with voice-driven lab automation and mobile robots

When we talk about the future of laboratory automation, its no longer about fixed tracks or sealed modules, it’s about flexibility, intelligence, and human-robot collaboration. Automation that adapts to the lab, not the other way around.

At United Robotics Group (URG), the next leap in laboratory efficiency is driven by mobile, AI-powered robots that can navigate, see, and respond to their environment and even listen.

The uLab Mobile robot was designed to connect every corner of the lab, extending human capabilities through automation that moves, learns, and communicates.

From fixed systems to intelligent mobility

Traditional lab automation excels at high-volume, repetitive workflows but often struggles when flexibility or spatial constraints are required. Every laboratory, even within the same hospital network, has its own architecture, instruments, and process rhythms.

uLab Mobile bridges those gaps. Ready to operate from day one, it combines robotic precision with human-like adaptability. Its skillset covers every stage of the pre-analytical and analytical journey:

• Barcode scanning and LIS connectivity
• Sample loading, unloading, and analyzer integration
• Centrifugation, capping and decapping
• Reagent loading and handling
• Sorting, archiving, and pneumatic tube transfer
• Navigation through automatic doors and elevators
• Even fridge access for sample storage

Each of these 'skills' can be deployed modularly, enabling laboratories to automate at their own pace, from isolated workflows to full end-to-end transport and processing.

AI inside: The robot that sees, adapts, and learns

At the core of uLab Mobile lies an AI engine designed for real-world complexity.

Adaptive motion and workflow: The robot plans safe gripping and movement sequences, adjusting dynamically to sample types, rack positions, or LIS-based priorities.

Computer vision and recognition: Advanced vision detects tubes, caps, fill levels, and colors — identifying anomalies before they become errors.

Predictive safety: Machine-learning algorithms monitor behavior patterns to spot potential workflow bottlenecks, misplaced tubes, or safety hazards.

Together, these capabilities enable a robot that not only follows programmed instructions but also adapts intelligently to the workflow, supporting laboratory staff in maintaining throughput and safety.

Introducing Voice Bot: The first step toward conversational automation

At ADLM Chicago 2025, URG introduced something entirely new: a voice-controlled interaction mode for uLab Mobile.

Imagine a lab technician calling out, “uLab, please bring the centrifuged samples to Analyzer 2,” or “Check reagent stock in fridge B.”

The robot confirms the command, executes the task, and reports completion, all through natural speech.

This is not science fiction; it is the next logical step in human-robot collaboration. By integrating speech recognition and contextual understanding, the Voice Bot Skill transforms robot operation from touchscreen menus to hands-free dialogue.

In high-throughput or sterile environments, this means more than convenience; it means safety, speed, and focus.

“When robots understand our language, collaboration becomes effortless. The technology fades into the background — what remains is trust, precision, and flow.”

Empowering laboratories through intelligent assistance

The new Voice Bot Skill works alongside URG’s AI Chatbot, which provides on-screen guidance and answers to workflow questions on how to integrate an analyzer, set routing rules, or check sample priorities.

Together, they form a cognitive interface between humans and machines that reduces training time, supports onboarding, and bridges expertise gaps in busy laboratory environments.

Automation thus evolves from being a set of mechanical tasks to becoming a partner in knowledge and decision-making.

Why mobile robots matter in the age of personalized healthcare

Diagnostics is changing rapidly: decentralization, staffing shortages, and an explosion of test volumes are reshaping what laboratories need from automation.

Mobile systems allow laboratories to reconfigure workflows dynamically across shifts, departments, and demand levels.

Where fixed lines stop, uLab Mobile keeps moving, delivering flexibility without compromising compliance or traceability.

And with upcoming integrations from voice control to cloud analytics, every robot will not only execute tasks but also contribute data, insights, and optimization feedback to the entire network.

Ready to perform, ready to learn

Each uLab Mobile comes pre-trained with core laboratory skills and can operate stand-alone from day one. Optional LIS, middleware, and instrument integrations allow progressive scaling without disrupting ongoing operations.

This 'Ready-to-Perform' philosophy ensures fast ROI and a tangible reduction in manual transport, walk time, and turnaround variability while opening the door to AI-assisted innovation.

From centrifugation to sample archiving, from predictive safety to voice control, URG’s mobile robotics platform redefines what 'automation' contributes to modern diagnostics.

Real-world validation: University Hospital Essen

One of Germany’s largest university laboratories, the Central Laboratory at University Hospital Essen, recently validated uLab Mobile within its Smart Hospital program.

With more than 500,000 tubes processed annually and 9 million analyses per year, staff at Essen faced long walking distances and workload peaks. The introduction of uLab Mobile (called 'Robbie') changed that.

Among the workflows automated:

• Bulk loading at sample entry
• Centrifugation at manual workplaces
• Seamless handover from pneumatic tube stations to analyzers
• Urine rack transport and direct rack loading to analyzers (e.g., cobas^® e411)

The result: fewer manual handovers, smoother peaks, and a measurable gain in staff focus and satisfaction.

“What I would otherwise have to run, he runs,” adds MTLA Petra Kasper.

The Essen case demonstrates how mobile robotics does not just add automation; it restores time and attention to where human expertise is most valuable.

The human side of automation

True innovation happens when technology becomes invisible, when a robot moves through a lab seamlessly, guided by human intent yet powered by machine intelligence.

That is the vision behind uLab Mobile and its new Voice Bot Skill: not replacing people, but freeing them to focus on what matters most — science, patients, and progress.