Robotics Revolutionizes Lab Logistics: Safety, Sustainability, and Efficiency at the 2025 Lab Design Conference
2025 Lab Design Conference speaker—Alicia Pandimos Maurer, S&T director, Page Architecture
At the 2025 Lab Design Conference in Denver, CO, attendees explored how robotics is transforming laboratory logistics during the session “Robotic Delivery: Where Robotic and Human Innovations Intertwine.” Presented by Alicia Pandimos Maurer, S&T director at Page Architecture, and Roberto Morfin, senior associate at CannonDesign, the discussion examined how robotic delivery systems are redefining operations in research centers, pharmaceutical facilities, and large campuses—advancing safety, efficiency, and sustainability while cutting costs.
Pandimos Maurer and Morfin emphasized that robotic delivery is not a futuristic idea but an evolving technology with deep implications for facility planning. The conversation centered around four key benefits: speed and efficiency, safety, cost reduction, and environmental impact.
Automation in context
The presenters began by clarifying that automation takes many forms beyond robotics. Pneumatic tubes, conveyor systems, and automated refrigerated storage units—“as large as a building that are completely automated”—remain integral to modern campuses. The innovation today lies in connecting or integrating robotic systems with these established methods to meet specific operational needs.
Scalability, flexibility, and integration with building systems are crucial for successful implementation. Pandimos Maurer noted that robotic logistics can take on many forms, from small sample carriers and humanoid pickers to drones and “bus[ses] that actually contains your robots.” These systems can move overhead, underground, or through tunnels, creating circulation routes “separate from humans.”
Efficiency through AI and integration
Morfin described to the Lab Design Conference audience how AI and machine learning now manage logistics seamlessly in the background—ensuring “at all times, everything’s replenished” and automatically tracked. Intelligent routing allows robots to “tak[e] faster routes” and calculate “how many robots are needed,” resulting in continuous, 24/7 operation with self-charging units rotating as required.
By operating in zones inaccessible to people, robots can navigate faster and safer pathways, maintaining separation from human traffic and hazardous materials. “You won’t be worried about hazmat being through the same routes that... food” might travel, said Morfin.
Pandimos Maurer highlighted the added reliability and reduction of human error achieved through barcode tracking systems that monitor “exactly what you have, where it is, how much it’s stocked, and when it needs to be restocked.” This precision minimizes waste and encourages confidence among end users—one of whom remarked, “If I can get anything within two hours, I don’t care if it’s in my building or not.”
A safer workplace
2025 Lab Design Conference speaker—Roberto Morfin, senior associate, CannonDesign
Safety benefits, both for humans and animals, remain a defining advantage of robotic logistics. Pandimos Maurer pointed to the prevalence of accidents in traditional warehouses, noting that robots eliminate risks associated with forklifts and working at height. Automated systems create “enclosed systems” that “greatly reduce the... opportunity for humans or personnel or animals to be... struck by some sort of hazard.” In vivaria, robotic cage delivery reduces contamination risk by limiting human presence.
Morfin added that robots can access spaces unsafe for humans—such as “downflow boots or... some clean areas, or some hazmat areas”—ensuring consistent performance without compromising worker well-being.
Rather than replacing logistics personnel, robotics elevates their responsibilities. Pandimos Maurer noted that automation reduces repetitive strain injuries and allows staff to focus on higher-value work such as “leading a group of robots,” performing system overrides, and managing maintenance. “Highly trained” staff are thus empowered to work at their “highest and best use,” improving morale and retention. Morfin echoed that skilled professionals remain essential “to be able to manage the robots.”
Cost and carbon savings
The financial and environmental implications of robotics are significant. Pandimos Maurer explained to the Lab Design Conference audience that shifting storage from expensive lab space to automated central warehouses can generate major savings. She cited the Roche P-Red project in Basel, Switzerland, where “there is not storage in the lab,” resulting in a “15 percent reduction in space that’s not used in your lab,” a “huge cost” savings.
Automated systems also reduce material waste and energy use. As Morfin observed, scientists often “hoard” supplies to avoid shortages, leading to expired materials and excess disposal. Continuous tracking ensures that “everything is there at all times,” minimizing waste and unnecessary purchasing.
Sustainability gains extend beyond materials. Robotic logistics eliminate fossil fuel–dependent transport and encourage the use of electric vehicles—since “you cannot have combustion within a tunnel underground where people might be working.” Pandimos Maurer added that relocating storage from laboratories reduces mechanical and electrical demands, producing “a huge savings in not only first cost, but embodied carbon.”
“Logistics is often forgotten when we think about sustainability,” she said. “A good logistics system is one you don’t notice,” yet its contributions to carbon reduction and safety are substantial.
Overcoming rResistance and preparing for the future
When asked about resistance to automation, Pandimos Maurer noted that while some industries face union opposition, in science and technology sectors, logistics staff are “aging out.” Robotics enables leaders to “use fewer people who are more skilled” to “run entire campuses with much fewer people.”
Morfin acknowledged that adaptation is key to staying relevant: “If we don’t learn the new technologies, we... end up out of work.” Ultimately, this evolution results in “more skilled, better paying jobs.”
Looking ahead, the presenters urged designers to plan for emerging technologies—even those not yet developed. Morfin envisioned a future where robots navigate freely by ground or air, unconstrained by tracks or fixed routes. “Designers should look to the future and get clients ready,” he advised, “even designing for technology that doesn’t exist.”
The session’s takeaway was clear: robotic delivery is becoming a cornerstone of advanced research and pharmaceutical facilities. By merging safety, sustainability, and efficiency, robotics is not just changing lab logistics—it’s redefining how scientific environments function and evolve.
Continue the discussion on automation and robotics in lab design at the 2026 Lab Design Conference, which will be held in Orlando, FL, on May 11–14. Learn more about the agenda, networking events, workshops, and lab tours at https://www.labdesignconference.com/. Make sure to register before December 31, 2025 to take advantage of our early bird discount.
