What it takes to automate high-content imaging at scale

Sponsored by 2026-03-25T15:00:002026-03-25T16:00:00

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This webinar examines the design trade-offs and technical constraints involved in building a high-throughput robotic imaging pipeline for complex biological workflows.

As laboratories seek to automate increasingly complex cell-based workflows, high-content imaging often becomes a limiting step. While robotic platforms can scale liquid handling and incubation, integrating advanced imaging into automated systems introduces challenges around reliability, throughput, software compatibility and experimental flexibility. In many cases, these challenges create new bottlenecks rather than removing them.

In this webinar, Automation Scientist Dr Sant Kumar from ETH Zurich’s Lab Automation Facility (LAF) presents a detailed academic case study on the design and deployment of a modular robotic WorkCell. The session focuses on how imaging hardware, robotic sample handling and scheduling software were integrated into a single operational system capable of supporting complex biological workflows.

The webinar explores the practical realities of system integration, including:

  • Design trade-offs: balancing imaging performance with operational robustness and scalability
  • Case study in 3D: how confocal imaging and automated target search were implemented to support reliable 384 well tumour spheroid screening
  • System design considerations: how imaging requirements and robotic constraints informed layout and scheduling decisions
  • Managing complexity: when automation improves throughput and where added system complexity can begin to undermine reliability

This session is intended for researchers, automation scientists and facility managers who are evaluating or building automated imaging workflows.

Key learning points:

  • Understand the practical constraints that arise when integrating high-content imaging into automated robotic WorkCells.
  • Learn which system design choices affect reliability, throughput and long-term scalability in automated imaging workflows.
  • See how imaging requirements influence WorkCell layout, scheduling and overall automation performance.
  • Understand how automated 3D tumour spheroid screening can be implemented at scale in 384 well plates.
  • Take away transferable considerations for laboratories planning or evaluating automated imaging systems.