User guide#
This guide helps you get started with PyLabRobot (PLR) and shows you how to build and run lab automation workflows. Whether you’re new to lab robotics or already have hardware set up, this guide will help you understand how everything fits together.
The guide is divided into three parts:
Getting Started – Learn how how to install PLR, and how its core system is designed.
Machines – Explore how to use the different types of lab hardware supported by PyLabRobot.
Machine-Agnostic Features – Discover powerful tools that work across all devices, like the visualizer, trackers, reusable protocol patterns, validation tools, and error handling.
| Machines |
| ├── Liquid Handling |
| │ ├── Pipetting Robots |
| │ ├── Plate Washers |
| │ └── Reagent Dispensers |
| ├── ⚙️ Material Handling |
| │ ├── Transport Systems |
| │ │ ├── Conveyors |
| │ │ ├── Robotic Arms |
| │ │ └── Smart Storage (e.g. carousels) |
| │ ├── Consumable Manipulation |
| │ │ ├── Cappers & Decappers |
| │ │ └── Sealers & Peelers |
| │ └── Identification |
| │ └── Barcode Labellers And Readers |
| ├── Environmental Control |
| │ ├── Temperature And Motion Control |
| │ │ ├── Automated Freezers/Fridges |
| │ │ ├── Automated Incubators |
| │ │ ├── Heated Cooled Blocks |
| │ │ ├── Incubated Shakers |
| │ │ ├── Shakers |
| │ │ ├── Thermal Shakers |
| │ │ └── Thermocyclers |
| │ └── Airflow & Contamination Control |
| │ ├── Air Circulation Fans |
| │ ├── HEPA Filtration Modules |
| │ └── UV-C Decontamination Units |
| ├── Sample Preparation And Processing |
| │ ├── Automated Centrifuges |
| │ ├── Chromatography Systems |
| │ ├── Colony Pickers |
| │ └── Tissue Homogenizers |
| └── 🔬 Analytical And Detection |
| ├── Balances / Scales |
| ├── Optical Detection |
| │ ├── Automated Microscopes |
| │ ├── Flow Cytometers |
| │ ├── Plate Readers |
| │ └── Spectrophotometers |
| └── pH Meters |