Lab of the Future Starts Now: Why Modular, Tech-Ready Design is Key to Reducing Downtime

Thoughtful, tech-enabled lab design—featuring scalable infrastructure, modular layouts, and IoT integration—can significantly reduce equipment downtime, streamline operations, and future-proof laboratories for emerging technologies like AI and real-time monitoring.

In today’s fast-evolving lab environments, downtime caused by equipment failures and missed calibrations is more than just an inconvenience—it’s a costly disruption to innovation. As a recent survey by MachineQ reveals, nearly 60 percent of lab professionals experience significant unplanned downtime, often due to preventable issues like asset mismanagement and lack of real-time visibility.

Thoughtful lab design plays a crucial role in minimizing these disruptions by supporting infrastructure that not only anticipates today’s operational challenges but also scales with tomorrow’s technologies. By embedding flexible systems that can accommodate the growing adoption of IoT and AI/ML, labs can future-proof their environments for real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and smart asset tracking.

To explore these themes further, Lab Design News spoke with Steve Corbesero, Jr., senior director, product & solutions with MachineQ, on how lab infrastructure and design can evolve to meet the demands of the Lab of the Future.

Q: How can lab design minimize downtime caused by equipment failures and missed calibrations?

A: Integrating advanced Internet of Things (IoT) solutions can significantly minimize downtime from equipment failures and missed calibrations for interdepartmental teams involved in lab design.

By implementing solutions like indoor asset tracking using active asset tags, power monitoring, and other IoT devices, labs can remotely monitor the location, usage, and condition of assets to infer utilization through different modalities and patterns (e.g., in hours or runs). This approach helps infer utilization patterns and significantly decreases downtime—a critical need highlighted by our latest survey report, where 60 percent of respondents indicated experiencing downtime.

Moreover, accurate and reliable asset tracking ensures consistent compliance with timely calibration and preventative maintenance. Service teams can quickly locate equipment and perform necessary services without delay, ensuring 100% uptime for critical lab operations.

Additionally, by overlaying IoT data with AI, labs can implement predictive maintenance strategies, extending the lifecycle of assets. This minimizes unexpected equipment failures and optimizes resource utilization, further supporting a lab’s operational goals.

Infographic: Courtesy of MachineQ

Q: What architectural or technological solutions optimize asset tracking and reduce inefficiencies in modern labs?

A: Through IoT-enabled solutions, modern labs can optimize asset tracking and reduce inefficiencies, including indoor asset tracking, asset utilization, ambient temperature and humidity, and space utilization.

For example, indoor asset tracking provides real-time visibility into equipment location and status when integrated with enterprise asset management (EAM) and computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) platforms. This integration enhances decisionmaking and operational efficiency by minimizing scientist downtime and ensuring rapid access to essential instruments, thereby reducing disruptions to experimental workflows. Additionally, it supports proactive resource planning, preventing overstocking or underutilization, and eliminates the need for manual inventory checks by providing a live digital map of all assets, which streamlines compliance and audit readiness. Further, it accelerates service workflows by allowing OEMs and maintenance teams to remotely locate and assess equipment before dispatching technicians, saving on unnecessary trips and avoiding unwanted costs. Alerts can notify lab managers if high-value or restricted equipment moves from a defined area, enhancing security and compliance. Finally, integration with room booking and scheduling systems ensures the right equipment is in the right place at the right time, improving team coordination.

Asset utilization data provides vital metrics on equipment condition and usage, helping to identify underused or redundant equipment and enabling lab managers to rebalance and decommission assets intelligently. The data can also be used for maintenance, extending asset lifespan, and preventing downtime. IoT technology can also monitor environmental parameters, including temperature, humidity, water leak, and door open and close activity, to identify critical environmental issues that can negatively impact labs.

Lastly, space utilization solutions using people counting and occupancy tracking offer valuable insights into space use. These metrics inform decisions about growth or reconfiguration, servicing frequency, and understanding where and when people spend their time.

Together, these solutions create a robust framework for reducing inefficiencies, ensuring modern labs operate smoothly and efficiently.

Q: How can labs futureproof infrastructure to accommodate rising IoT and AI adoption?

A: The best way for labs to futureproof their infrastructure is to invest in an IoT platform that will grow with their evolving business needs. That means that labs need an enterprise-grade network connectivity infrastructure capable of scaling to support multiple use cases using the same network. It’s also advantageous if the network operates on and is supported by an open ecosystem, like LoRaWAN®, so you’re not limited to proprietary devices that can work with one network. Also, ensuring superior, redundant, and secure connectivity is essential. Finally, selecting a user-friendly, cost-effective connectivity option that is not a burden for IT teams or lab managers will go a long way toward accommodating the rising adoption of IoT, AI, and other technologies.

Q: What role do flexible and modular designs play in integrating emerging technologies without major renovations?

A: Open and modular labs are the new norm, so configurations can and should change. However, figuring out those changes is an art. Factors, including the type of science occurring, the blend of equipment needed, and the positioning of the equipment on the bench or lab for the overall efficiency of the end user, are all critical factors that go into the decision-making process.

Your technology can provide the data needed to optimize layouts and reconfigurations to ensure you make the right choices. For example, utilization data can answer questions like, how many benches do I need? How should the benches be set up? What supplies are needed? Where should the centrifuges go on the benchtop? How many pipettes and consumables should be stocked?

Equipment and space utilization data can inform what spaces are being used, and more specifically, the equipment that's being used, telling how that space may need to change based on the scientist's needs. If lab space is underutilized, it might be reconfigurable for a different group or converted into storage or admin space. Or, vice versa, design teams can reconfigure modular spaces to support redistributed equipment. For example, if you have multiple benchtop centrifuges and find that a few are seldom used, you can relocate those assets in favor of new equipment placed on the benches. Or, you can remove the bench and add more biosafety cabinets. The options to fit your needs are available if you have the correct data.

Q: How can labs balance budget constraints with the need for high-tech infrastructure when transitioning to a "Lab of the Future" model?

A: It combines focusing on the business's most significant problem areas and investing in a scalable platform solution. So, maybe tracking critical equipment is the most vital challenge now, but you know that monitoring utilization is not far behind. With a platform solution deployed, you can tackle additional use cases as you move from one problem to the next, ensuring those solutions are futureproofed—meaning you get support from the provider through continued investment and innovation in the products as well as lifecycle management via continuous upgrades, refreshes, and more.

Q: What lab design strategies improve workflow efficiency and reduce reliance on manual processes?

A: The rise of automation through robotics and the connected lab will drive significant efficiency now and into the future. IoT will also play a substantial role in lab ops efficiencies, reducing much of the manual and periodic auditing performed across labs today. Inventory management and workflow processes for PPE, chemicals, reagents, waste management, equipment servicing, and equipment calibration are just a few examples where labs would benefit tremendously by moving from a manual, periodic audit to a remotely monitored, automated, request-driven workflow.

So, instead of visiting a point of use (POU) twice a day, service personnel will receive a notification when a specific item is running low and will be dispatched to replenish it before the stock runs out.

Q: How can lab design support scalable infrastructure for future adoption of real-time monitoring and tracking technologies?

A: As many labs move to an open and modular concept, they can design using a “flex on the fly” model rather than the traditional “design and construct” model. So, whether projects wind down, or new ones begin, or new teams need space as relocations and consolidations occur, labs can be modified quickly to support these different scenarios.

Another consideration for supporting a scalable infrastructure is connectivity. Ensuring you have local area network (LAN), wireless, and IoT connectivity with the capacity to support thousands of pieces of equipment and sensors/devices will be vital for future success.

Finally, system interoperability is a must. From building management systems to EAM/CMMS, LIMs, ELNs, and more, interoperability or integration options can yield efficiencies, especially as lab modularity leads to changes.