Surrendering to the robot army: why we resist automation in drug discovery and development

“Generals in the robot army should brace themselves with a healthy dose of intestinal fortitude, but the long-term benefits will far outweigh the pain.” As scientists, the prospect of acquiring and learning how to utilize new laboratory instrumentation, such as mass spectrometers, generally fills us with enthusiasm if not glee. Some scientists are continually striving to obtain cutting- or bleeding-edge technologies, but a surprising number are slow to adapt to new tools and understand how best to utilize them within our daily work. Although LC–MS almost completely superseded liquid chromatography with UV or fluorescence detection at a very rapid pace,...