One Machine to Rule Them All A Total Lab Automation System That Replaces an Entire Suite of Clinical Analysers

A US medical technology company has patented a compact total laboratory automation system capable of performing the functions of multiple discrete clinical analysers – replacing the collection of separate, expensive instruments that typically populate a clinical laboratory with a single unified platform. The system uses a network of bidirectional conveyors spanning a tabletop surface to transport samples between processing stations, dramatically reducing the footprint, cost and maintenance burden of automated laboratory operations.

The Problem

Modern clinical laboratories are complex, expensive environments. State-of-the-art analysers for different types of tests – haematology, biochemistry, immunoassay, urinalysis, microbiology – are each discrete, specialised instruments. Running a fully automated laboratory requires multiple such analysers, each requiring its own robotics, calibration routines, reagent management and daily human maintenance. The capital cost of equipping a laboratory with a complete suite of analysers is enormous, and the ongoing maintenance burden is substantial.

This approach also generates significant redundancy – each analyser contains its own sample handling robotics, transport mechanisms, computing systems and user interfaces. Many of these components perform similar functions across different machines, and yet the discrete instrument model requires each to be duplicated. The result is a laboratory that is more expensive, more space-consuming and more maintenance-intensive than necessary.

Smaller laboratories – in regional hospitals, clinics or resource-limited settings – often cannot justify the capital investment required for multiple high-end analysers, limiting the diagnostic services they can provide. A single, compact system capable of performing all the functions of a traditional multi-analyser suite would be transformative for laboratory medicine.

What This Invention Does

The total lab automation system uses a plurality of conveyors arranged along an X-axis of a tabletop surface. These conveyors can move in both directions along a Y-axis, under the control of a central controller – allowing samples to be routed dynamically to whichever processing station is available and appropriate for the required analysis.

One or more stations extend along the X-axis, orthogonally spanning all the conveyors, so that the tool of each station can move along the X-axis – and potentially also the Z-axis – to interact with samples on any conveyor. This architecture allows a single station to serve samples on multiple conveyor lanes, and a single sample to be processed by multiple stations in sequence, all within the footprint of a standard laboratory bench.

Computer vision (IPC class G06V 20/60 – visual understanding of objects on conveyor belts) is incorporated into the system’s control architecture, enabling the controller to identify, locate and track samples as they move through the system. A single controller manages the entire platform, eliminating the need for separate software systems for different analytical functions.

Key Features

Superset of analytical stations. The system is described as a “compact superset of stations” capable of combining the functions of all discrete analysers into a single platform – eliminating the need for separate instruments for different analytical methods.

Bidirectional conveyor network. Multiple conveyors moving in both Y-axis directions, spanning a tabletop surface, provide flexible sample routing to any station in any sequence – enabling a dynamic workflow that maximises throughput and minimises idle time.

Orthogonal station architecture. Stations spanning the full X-axis of the conveyor network can interact with samples on any conveyor lane, allowing each station’s tools to reach any position on the work surface without requiring sample hand-off between separate transport systems.

Computer vision integration. Visual sample identification and tracking using camera-based systems is integrated into the controller, enabling reliable sample management without RFID tags or barcode scanners at every stage.

Reduced human maintenance. By consolidating multiple instrument functions into a single platform with a unified control system, the design significantly reduces the daily human maintenance burden that traditional multi-analyser laboratories require.

Who Is Behind It?

Team Conveyer Royalty A LLC is a US entity. The inventor is John G. Gorman. This application is a divisional of AU 2024249870, which corresponds to PCT/US2024/018538 filed 5 March 2024, claiming priority to US provisional application 63/458,738 filed 12 April 2023. The application is managed by FB Rice Pty Ltd in Sydney.

Why It Matters

Laboratory diagnostics underpin the vast majority of clinical decisions – it is estimated that 70 per cent of medical decisions depend on laboratory results. Yet clinical laboratories in many healthcare settings operate with equipment that is ageing, fragmented and expensive to maintain. A compact, unified automation system that can perform the full range of common diagnostic tests at substantially lower cost and with less manual intervention could democratise access to high-quality laboratory medicine across a much wider range of healthcare settings.

For larger laboratories, a consolidated automation platform also offers the prospect of leaner, more efficient operations with reduced reagent waste, better sample traceability and simplified quality management. With IPC classifications spanning laboratory equipment (B01L 9/02), conveyor systems (B65G 1/06, B65G 1/10, B65G 1/137, B65G 43/00) and computer vision for conveyor applications (G06V 20/60), the patent spans a genuinely novel integration of laboratory science and industrial automation engineering.

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AU 2026201541 was published in the Australian Official Journal of Patents on 19 March 2026 and is open for public inspection. Patent applications represent inventions that are sought to be protected and do not necessarily reflect commercially available products.

Related Concepts

Laboratory automation encompasses the technologies, instruments and software used to increase efficiency and reproducibility in clinical and research settings. Modern clinical laboratories rely on automated platforms for haematology, immunoassay and biochemical testing – each traditionally performed on separate, costly instruments.

Integrating computer vision with conveyor-based sample routing represents a new frontier in consolidating laboratory functions, reducing both footprint and maintenance burden – particularly valuable in resource-limited or regional healthcare settings.