The emerging Internet of Things (IoT) is a virtually connected network of physical devices, such as lab equipment and sensors. It can help solve problems that researchers have traditionally addressed over hours or days of direct monitoring. The-Scientist.com brought this interesting information to our attention in their article, “Bringing the Internet of Things into the Lab.”
Several startups have emerged in the last few years with the intention of developing the IoT for laboratory use. They believe it can help address the crisis of reproducibility that plagues scientific research. Other companies are going beyond just monitoring lab equipment, they’re offering remote control. In some cases, the IoT can provide immediate feedback to researchers using connected equipment.
It personally excites me that it is not just humans seeing the changes brought about by a connected lab. Moving animal research to the cloud has fostered the rise of international collaborations, given small companies the option of pursuing costly and time-consuming work in rodents, and minimized stress on lab organisms.
The future is likely going to connect anything and everything.
Melody K. Smith
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