Data collection, documentation, and organization is an essential task in any laboratory. Paper-based documentation is common in most laboratories, and as the number of experiments, instruments, and collaborators increases, notetaking on paper becomes laborious.
Laboratory equipment documentation is particularly difficult to maintain on paper because devices are multi-user and last for years. Lab instruments need proper records that are accessible and comprehensible to everyone on the team. An instrument logbook usually records the equipment condition, users, time of use, and remarks on machine performance for maintenance, service needs, or legal applications such as patents. Moreover, national and international regulatory authorities require periodic mandatory tests, calibrations, and analysis reports to authenticate the appropriate use of an instrument, where the failure to comply with the requirements could revoke user licenses. However, manual logbook entries are inadequate when it comes to the real-time performance of the equipment. For example, devices used for long-term ...
