How Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Is Preparing Lab Data for AI
The company is wiring its instruments into orchestrated workflows designed for repeatable research
Beckman Coulter Life Sciences announced a strategic partnership with Automata to integrate Beckman’s liquid handling, genomic, and cell analysis instruments with Automata’s LINQ laboratory orchestration platform, the companies said on January 30. The integration is intended to support faster, more consistent, and more scalable experimentation in research laboratories, according to Beckman.
The integration connects Beckman Coulter Life Sciences’ instruments to software-coordinated laboratory workflows rather than operating them as standalone systems. Under the partnership, Beckman instruments will be linked to a platform that schedules tasks, routes samples, and records execution data across multi-step experimental processes.
The announcement comes amid growing adoption of laboratory automation as research organisations manage higher sample volumes and more complex protocols. Market research firms estimate the global lab automation market is valued in the multi-billion-dollar range and is expected to grow steadily over the rest of the decade, driven by genomics, cell biology, and drug discovery workloads.
How Lab Automation is Moving Upstream
Beckman Coulter Life Sciences supplies liquid handling systems, centrifuges, and analytical instruments used across academic, biotech, and pharmaceutical laboratories. These systems form part of core research infrastructure in genomics, cell analysis, and bioprocessing workflows.
In many laboratories, these instruments operate independently. Multi-step experiments often require researchers to move samples manually between devices, manage timing outside of instrument software, and reconcile data generated by separate systems. Reviews of preclinical research workflows have linked these handoffs to variability and documentation gaps.
Laboratory orchestration software is designed to coordinate how instruments are used within a single workflow. These systems define execution sequences, schedule tasks across devices, and track samples as they move through experimental steps, while recording metadata such as timestamps, parameters, and system states.
Under the partnership, Beckman instruments will integrate with Automata’s LINQ platform. LINQ combines a benchtop robotic system with scheduling software and a cloud-based orchestration engine that allows laboratories to design workflows digitally and execute them across multiple instruments using a single control layer.
The integration places Beckman instruments inside standardized workflows without Beckman developing a proprietary orchestration platform. Instrument performance, assay configuration, and application-specific validation remain with Beckman, while workflow coordination and execution are handled through LINQ.
Other large life sciences suppliers have also paired hardware portfolios with workflow software to coordinate laboratory operations. Public product documentation from several vendors shows increased emphasis on connected systems that manage instruments collectively rather than individually.
Before AI, the Data Has to Hold Up
Reproducibility remains a persistent issue in biomedical research. A widely cited analysis estimated that irreproducible preclinical research accounts for tens of billions of dollars in annual costs in the United States alone, reflecting the scale of inefficiencies tied to experimental variability.
Variability in experimental execution is a contributing factor. Differences in sample handling, timing, and protocol adherence can alter results, particularly in workflows that involve multiple manual steps. National Academies reports have identified poor documentation and inconsistent execution as recurring causes of irreproducibility.
Automated liquid handling and standardized workflows reduce operator-dependent variability by enforcing fixed volumes, timings, and execution sequences. Peer-reviewed studies and reviews have found that automated systems produce more consistent outcomes than manual processes across a range of laboratory applications.
For downstream analysis, consistency affects data usability. Machine-learning systems depend on structured datasets with complete metadata describing how data was generated. Analyses of AI deployments in research settings have shown that poor data quality limits the usefulness of advanced analytics regardless of model sophistication.
By integrating its instruments into orchestrated workflows, the integration enables laboratories to capture execution data alongside experimental results. Orchestration platforms log parameters, timestamps, and process steps as experiments run, creating datasets that are easier to audit and reuse.
Automata supplies the orchestration layer used in this integration. LINQ coordinates workflow execution and data capture, while Beckman instruments perform the experimental steps. The division of responsibilities follows system function rather than overlapping product roles.
Beckman Coulter Life Sciences operates within Danaher Corporation, which reports multi-billion-dollar annual revenue across its life sciences businesses. Beckman instruments are deployed across a large installed base in research and industrial laboratories.
As part of the partnership, Danaher Ventures is participating in Automata’s Series C funding round and will take a board seat. The investment establishes a longer-term relationship tied to the deployment of orchestration software alongside Beckman instruments.
For laboratory users, the integration enables workflows with fewer manual handoffs, consistent execution across runs, and centralized records of how experiments were performed. These capabilities address operational constraints that affect throughput, reproducibility, and data reuse in automated laboratory environments.