Transferring and dispensing liquids are simple and mundane tasks that have profound influences on experimental results. Using manual single-channel pipettes to transfer samples or reagents is commonplace among researchers. Incorporating multi-channel pipettes improves productivity to an extent, but that benefit diminishes as the number and scale of experiments increase. Researchers can improve the speed, precision, and reproducibility of their liquid handling by making the switch to an automated system.
While manually dispensing liquids, user-to-user variation in pipette handling introduces errors. Improper pipette handling, inconsistency in aspiration and dispensing rhythm, and variability in pipetting speed are common examples of user error that reduce experimental efficiency and precision. For example, excessive or rough pipetting of protein or nucleic acid solutions degrades sample quality. Additionally, users can easily cross-contaminate their samples, which leads to unreliable results or failed experiments.
In addition to operator error, the characteristics of different liquid types contribute to inaccuracies. ...
