Growth Path for Computers in Automated Analysis

Abstract

We are always interested in finding ways to increase our effectiveness as scientists. One way to do this is to see if there are better tools to help us in the jobs we face, or more effective ways of using the tools that we have. Attaching a computer to an instrument makes a powerful new instrument; any instrument, and almost any computer. A computer in itself is not an instrument, but when attached to any instrument it is. Thus, this is a possible technique for increasing our effectiveness which may apply to many disciplines. Rather than describe a specific instance, although I will give examples, I will try instead to give an overview of this type of growing activity, and try to state where I think it is heading. In this sense, this is somewhat of a selected version of what is going on in “Lab Automation”.