Laboratory Robotics Market – Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, & Forecast, Segmented By Product (Automated Liquid Handling Robots, Automated Plate Handlers), By Application (Drug Discovery, Clinical Diagnosis, Microbiology Solutions, Genomics Solutions, Proteomics Solutions), By End User (Clinical Laboratory, Research Laboratory), By Region and Competition, 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 3.10 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	7.71%
Fastest Growing Segment	Automated Liquid Handling Robots
Largest Market	North America
Market Size (2031)	USD 4.84 Billion

Market Overview

The Global Laboratory Robotics Market will grow from USD 3.10 Billion in 2025 to USD 4.84 Billion by 2031 at a 7.71% CAGR. Laboratory robotics encompasses the automated systems and mechanical devices deployed in life science research and clinical diagnostics to perform repetitive tasks such as sample handling, liquid dispensing, and plate manipulation. The primary drivers fueling market growth include the escalating demand for high-throughput screening in drug discovery and the critical need to minimize human error in complex analytical procedures. Additionally, the chronic shortage of skilled laboratory technicians accelerates the adoption of these automated solutions to maintain operational efficiency and consistency.

Despite the evident benefits, a significant impediment to market expansion is the high initial capital investment required for implementation and the complexity involved in integrating these systems with existing legacy infrastructure. According to the International Federation of Robotics, in 2024, sales of robots for diagnostics and medical laboratory analysis increased by 610 percent. This substantial surge highlights the urgent industry shift toward automation, yet the financial and technical barriers remain a hurdle for smaller institutions.

Key Market Drivers

The imperative to mitigate skilled labor shortages via process automation serves as a primary force propelling the adoption of laboratory robotics. As testing volumes rise due to the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, laboratories face a critical widening gap between workload demands and the available workforce, a situation exacerbated by high retirement rates and recruitment difficulties. Automation addresses this bottleneck by executing repetitive, labor-intensive tasks, thereby allowing limited staff to focus on complex analytical work and reducing burnout. According to the American Society for Clinical Pathology, October 2025, in the '2024 Vacancy Survey', anatomic pathology departments reported the highest overall vacancy rate at 28.5%, underscoring the severe staffing deficits that necessitate robotic intervention to maintain throughput.

Concurrently, the need for operational scalability and cost efficiency in large-scale testing drives substantial market investment. Life science companies and clinical laboratories are increasingly deploying automated systems to enhance manufacturing capabilities and research and development capacity without proportionally increasing operational costs. This trend is evident in major industry commitments to expand infrastructure and modernize legacy workflows to handle surging global healthcare needs. According to Thermo Fisher Scientific, April 2025, in a news release regarding United States expansion, the company committed to an investment of $2 billion over four years to enhance manufacturing and lab services capacity. Such capital infusions reflect the broader industry trajectory, further supported by data indicating that the momentum for robotics in healthcare is accelerating. According to the International Federation of Robotics, in 2025, sales of medical robots increased by 91% to approximately 16,700 units in the preceding year.

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Key Market Challenges

The high initial capital investment required for implementation constitutes a substantial impediment to the Global Laboratory Robotics Market. Procuring automated systems, such as advanced liquid handling platforms and robotic arms, demands a heavy upfront financial commitment that often exceeds the budgetary capacities of smaller research institutions, independent clinical laboratories, and academic startups. This financial disparity creates a polarized market where only well-funded pharmaceutical giants can leverage the full benefits of automation, while smaller entities are forced to rely on manual workflows. The challenge is further compounded by the costs associated with integrating these sophisticated units into legacy infrastructure, which requires specialized technical expertise and additional funding.

The impact of this cost barrier is statistically evident in the growing shift toward alternative financing models that mitigate capital expenditure. According to the International Federation of Robotics, in 2024, the global fleet of professional service robots operating under Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) agreements increased by 31%. This surge in leasing and subscription-based deployments indicates that a significant portion of the broader automation market is limiting its capital outlays due to financial constraints. Consequently, while the operational demand for laboratory efficiency is high, the rigidity of traditional capital-intensive procurement models continues to stifle broader adoption across the industry's fiscally constrained tiers.

Key Market Trends

The Integration of Artificial Intelligence for Predictive Workflows is fundamentally reshaping laboratory operations by transitioning systems from passive execution to proactive optimization. Rather than simply automating repetitive liquid handling or plate movements, advanced algorithms now analyze experimental parameters in real-time to predict instrument failures, optimize assay scheduling, and flag data anomalies before workflows are completed. This shift towards intelligent, data-driven ecosystems allows research facilities to minimize costly reagent waste and accelerate discovery timelines by ensuring higher experimental success rates. The momentum of this digitalization is quantified by industry adoption rates; according to the Pistoia Alliance, September 2024, in the 'Lab of the Future 2024 Global Survey', 68% of life science professionals are currently using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in their work, marking a significant increase from the previous year as labs prioritize data readiness.

Simultaneously, the Expansion of Automated Solutions into Genomic and Next-Generation Sequencing is driving substantial market activity as laboratories address the intricate requirements of precision medicine. Automating these highly sensitive genomic workflows requires robots capable of extreme precision to prevent cross-contamination and handle micro-volumes of expensive biological samples, a necessity that traditional industrial automation could not meet. Consequently, there is a surge in orders for specialized robotic systems tailored for biomedical applications, moving beyond general diagnostics into complex research and development tasks. This sector-specific demand is evidenced by recent procurement data; according to the Association for Advancing Automation, February 2025, in the 'North American Robotics Market Holds Steady in 2024' report, orders for robots from the life sciences, pharmaceutical, and biomedical industries increased by 46% in 2024, outperforming traditional industrial segments.

Segmental Insights

Based on current market intelligence, the Automated Liquid Handling Robots segment is recognized as the fastest growing category within the Global Laboratory Robotics Market. This rapid expansion is primarily driven by the critical need for high-throughput screening in pharmaceutical drug discovery and genomic research. Laboratories increasingly rely on these systems to process vast compound libraries with absolute precision, effectively eliminating the variability and contamination risks associated with manual pipetting. Furthermore, strict adherence to data integrity standards set by regulatory bodies, such as the FDA, accelerates the adoption of this technology, as it ensures the traceable, error-free documentation required for compliant clinical and diagnostic workflows.

Regional Insights

North America maintains a dominant position in the global laboratory robotics market due to a robust pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector that prioritizes drug discovery and clinical research. The region benefits from substantial private and public investment in research and development, necessitating efficient automated workflows. Additionally, strict compliance standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration compel laboratories to adopt robotics for enhanced data accuracy and reproducibility. This strong healthcare infrastructure and the presence of established technology providers further support the extensive integration of laboratory automation solutions.

Recent Developments

• In January 2025, ABB Robotics announced the unveiling of its "Lab of the Future" concept at the SLAS2025 International Conference and Exhibition. The company demonstrated a collaborative solution that integrated its GoFa cobots with Mettler Toledo's LabX instrument management software to perform automated workflows such as sample preparation and weighing. This development highlighted the seamless connectivity between robotic arms and precision laboratory instruments, designed to improve data quality, safety, and efficiency in research and quality control environments while addressing the industry's need for flexible and scalable automation.
• In September 2024, Opentrons Labworks launched the Flex Prep, a new liquid handling robot designed to streamline laboratory automation for scientists of all experience levels. The system featured a "no-code" software interface and a touchscreen display, allowing users to set up and execute pipetting tasks, such as sample reformatting and cherry-picking, in under a minute. By combining the simplicity of a manual pipette with the precision of a robotic liquid handler, the company aimed to provide a cost-effective and accessible entry point for laboratories seeking to automate repetitive workflows without extensive training.
• In June 2024, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences launched the Biomek Echo One System, a rapidly integrated platform designed to accelerate high-throughput genomic sample preparation. The new solution combined the precision of the Echo 525 Acoustic Liquid Handler with the modularity of the Biomek i7 Hybrid Workstation, enabling the seamless execution of complex library preparation steps—such as extraction, fragmentation, and pooling—within a single automated method. The company stated that this integration would allow laboratories to reduce workflow durations from hours to minutes while maintaining high data quality for applications like Next-Generation Sequencing.
• In January 2024, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) announced a collaboration with Hamilton Company to develop automated applications and robotics-compatible reagent kits for single-cell multiomics. The partnership aimed to standardize large-scale experiments by integrating BD Rhapsody Single-Cell Analysis Library Preparation Reagent Kits with the Hamilton Microlab NGS STAR robotic liquid handling platform. This joint solution was designed to reduce human error, minimize bias, and increase throughput for researchers in academic and biopharmaceutical laboratories, ultimately accelerating discoveries in fields such as immunology and oncology.

Key Market Players

• PerkinElmer Inc
• Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc
• Hudson Robotics, Inc
• Anton Paar GmbH
• Beckman Coulter, Inc
• Siemens Healthineers AG
• AB Controls, Inc
• Abbott Laboratories Inc
• bioMérieux SA

By Product	By Application	By End User	By Region
Automated Liquid Handling Robots Automated Plate Handlers	Drug Discovery Clinical Diagnosis Microbiology Solutions Genomics Solutions Proteomics Solutions	Clinical Laboratory Research Laboratory	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Laboratory Robotics Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Laboratory Robotics Market, By Product:

• Automated Liquid Handling Robots
• Automated Plate Handlers

• Laboratory Robotics Market, By Application:

• Drug Discovery
• Clinical Diagnosis
• Microbiology Solutions
• Genomics Solutions
• Proteomics Solutions

• Laboratory Robotics Market, By End User:

• Clinical Laboratory
• Research Laboratory

• Laboratory Robotics Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE