Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions? Check out the FAQs.
Who is Robot on Rails?
Robot on Rails is a research acceleration company.
It designs robots that automate lab workflows, freeing scientists to focus on critical research and expedite medical breakthroughs.
How does the lab robot act like a “force multiplier” for scientists?
- The Robot on Rails system automates the repetitive, manual steps that slow scientists down, including pipetting, plate transfers, reagent handling, and routine workflow execution.
- This frees your scientific team to do more and better research, as they can focus on data interpretation, discovery, and designing the appropriate follow-on experiment.
How reliable and consistent is the system?
- It’s engineered to be reliable. Our integrated vision and monitoring systems continuously verify each action and self-correct when deviations are detected, reducing human and mechanical error. The architecture is built for uptime, serviceability, and long-term stability, with rigorous in-house mean time between failures (MTBF) testing before the system is shipped.
- We provide unbeatable customer support. We stand behind our deployments with support, maintenance, and partnership to ensure your system performs as promised.
Do I need to learn a programming language to use it?
- No. The lab robot executes instructions typed in plain English, and uses structured templates for common lab workflows.
- This allows your scientists to set up or modify runs on their own without writing any code and without waiting for support from automation engineers.
Is the system customizable?
- Yes. Robot on Rails is built to adapt to your standard operating procedures (SOPs), not the other way around.
- We support custom object libraries, new experiment templates, and tailored workflow logic, all without additional capital investment or requiring your team to write code.
How do I justify the investment to my leadership team?
- Greater productivity: Earlier answers to “Did this work?”; Reduced cost and complexity of follow-up experiments; Ability to run experiments that were previously impractical; More consistent, higher-resolution datasets; Less reliance on external assay providers and long turnaround times; Faster progression toward your program milestones
- You’ll get to the therapeutic candidate sooner, with all the competitive advantages that implies.
How do we get started?
- Simply share the SOPs or protocols for the workflows you want to automate. Our team will review them and create an initial proposal outlining recommended next steps, timeline, and scope.
- There is no commitment required – this review helps ensure we understand your exact workflow before suggesting a solution.