A Japanese university has launched a robotics laboratory where machines now conduct medical experiments previously performed by human researchers.

The facility developed by the Institute of Science Tokyo operates with 10 robots, including the humanoid Maholo LabDroid, and no on-site human staff.

The university plans to expand the number of robots over time while combining automation systems with AI, with the long-term goal of automating nearly the entire medical research process.

Last month, Researchers at Japan’s Hokkaido University developed FLUID, an open-source 3D-printed robot enabling affordable, customizable lab automation for material synthesis and advanced experimentation.

AI lab workforce

The robotics laboratory is designed to automate medical research tasks traditionally handled by scientists. The facility at the Yushima campus of the Institute of Science Tokyo, known as the Robotics Innovation Center, currently operates with 10 robots and no human staff on site.

Among them is the humanoid Maholo LabDroid, which uses two robotic arms to perform delicate laboratory procedures such as transferring precise amounts of reagents and handling temperature-controlled equipment, reports Japan Today.

The robots are also capable of automatically carrying out programmed cell cultivation tasks, reducing the need for manual intervention in repetitive experimental work. The university aims to expand the number of robots at the facility to around 2,000 by 2040 as part of a long-term effort to automate nearly the entire research process, from hypothesis generation to experimental verification.

The initiative comes as research institutions face growing labor shortages and increasing pressure to minimize human error in laboratory operations. Maholo has already been deployed at an ophthalmology-focused hospital in Kobe, where it supports clinical research involving induced pluripotent stem cells and automated cell culture work. Researchers connected to those operations have also joined the new robotics center, reports Japan Today.

Humanoid labs rise

Recently, a US-based biotechnology firm Insilico Medicine, introduced the first bipedal humanoid robot into its AI-powered automated drug discovery laboratory, marking a major step toward fully autonomous biotechnology research facilities.

The humanoid system, called Supervisor, is designed to collect and generate data for embodied artificial intelligence systems that can replicate the actions and decision-making processes of human laboratory scientists.

The robot will initially support tasks including laboratory supervision, telepresence operations, tracking activities, and assisting with guided tours. Over time, the company plans for humanoid systems to handle more advanced laboratory functions such as pipetting, managing reagents, and operating scientific equipment.

The development highlights a growing push to combine robotics with generative AI to increase research efficiency and speed up pharmaceutical discovery. Most laboratory equipment today is built for human operation, making complete automation difficult even in facilities that already use autonomous guided vehicles. Humanoid robots could bridge that gap by interacting directly with existing tools and instruments without requiring major infrastructure redesigns.

According to experts, integrating humanoid robots with agentic AI systems could reduce the need for constant human supervision while improving workflow consistency and productivity. The firm’s broader AI platform already uses deep generative models, reinforcement learning, transformers, and other machine learning technologies to identify biological targets and design novel molecular structures for drug development and sustainability-related applications.