Model-driven complex workflow automation for laboratories

Abstract

This article addresses the potential of model-driven workflow automation in R&D laboratories of life sciences. The presented approach takes up the notation standard BPMN 2.0 published in 2011 as the graphical modeling and automation language for any business processes. The challenges and goals of the work presented here focus the overall control integration of activities and subprocesses executed by automation systems as well as manually. For it BPM-based generic automation platforms will be evaluated by representative examples using several information systems, hierarchical automation components up to complex laboratory robot solutions. It can be summarized, that the modern BPM methods and tools open a new efficient way for overall process automation in hybrid heterogeneous systems environments, not only in case of life science automation. The BPM approach has been confirmed as an efficient method of cross control and integration to use mobile transfer robots for connecting automation islands in future labs.