March 23, 2021 – Thermo Fisher Scientific (Waltham, MA) announced a strategic technology collaboration with Artificial Inc. (Palo Alto, CA) to develop an integrated and comprehensive software automation platform for Thermo Fisher’s standardized COVID-19 Testing Platform.
As part of the collaboration, Artificial will provide access to its aLab Suite software, designed to seamlessly integrate with Thermo Scientific Momentum Workflow software and robotics hardware.
This will form part of the COVID-19 Testing Platform that will enable laboratories to quickly upscale COVID-19 testing volumes to help reduce the spread of the disease and restore economies and communities.
The aLab Suite software facilitates the dynamic scheduling of protocol runs with batch optimizations to maximize the number of tests run. In addition, manual system set-up steps associated with Momentum process execution can be coordinated using aLab digital assistants to reduce the need for user input.
The use of aLab assistant’s digital twin of a COVID-19 testing system to guide lab technicians on where, when and how to load system consumables will reduce errors associated with manual tasks, ensuring sample safety and integrity and increasing system productivity.
As part of the partnership, Thermo Fisher Scientific will utilize its extensive experience across life sciences to provide feedback on aLab Suite functionalities and capabilities to contribute to future product requirements and system specifications.