Unmanned Japan lab opens with robots at work as researchers push AI, automation
The Institute of Science Tokyo opened a fully robotic lab with 10 automatons, including the humanoid Maholo LabDroid, to automate medical research tasks like reagent handling and cell cultivation. The university aims to expand to 2,000 robots by 2040, reducing human error and addressing labor shortages in experimental work.
A Tokyo-based university has launched the Robotics Innovation Center at its Yushima campus, a fully unmanned laboratory where robots perform medical experiments previously handled by humans. The facility features 10 automatons, including a humanoid model named Maholo LabDroid, and no human staff. Robots in the lab use two arms to handle delicate tasks such as transferring precise reagent amounts and managing temperature-controlled equipment, with cell cultivation already automated. The university plans to scale up operations significantly, targeting around 2,000 robots by 2040 to execute nearly all research tasks—from hypothesis generation to experimental verification. Keiichi Nakayama, head of the center, stated at the mid-April opening ceremony that the goal is to make Japan’s science the best globally, leveraging AI and robotics as key tools. The initiative addresses challenges faced by research institutions, including labor shortages and the need to minimize human error in experiments. Maholo LabDroid has already been deployed at a hospital in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, for clinical research involving induced pluripotent stem cells, particularly in cell culture tasks. The lab’s automation systems integrate AI to enhance precision and efficiency, marking a major step toward fully autonomous research environments. The university’s expansion reflects a broader trend in Japan to embrace advanced robotics and AI-driven solutions in scientific and medical fields.
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