Mobile Computing Options for the Lab

With a trend towards the use of Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELN) and the introduction of the iPad, many users are beginning to ask vendors when they will be able to run on the Apple OS. A word of caution, while the iPad is getting the most press right now, it is most likely not the best option for the majority of microbiology and chemistry laboratories.  Since many of the manufacturing area and laboratories are either aseptic or have harsh chemical environments, hardware durability and the ability to sanitize are paramount.

Selecting a hardware platform for your lab information systems is just as important as selecting the software itself. My advice is to sit with your users and compliance team members to define your hardware requirements carefully; don’t be dazzled by a slick marketing campaign. If you take the time, a detailed set of requirements will allow you to understand your business needs, and also build your basis for cost justification.

Here are just a few of the discussion points to include when interviewing your users:

• When and where will you use the system?
• Will your users be wearing clean room gowns & gloves?
• How will the hardware need to be cleaned? If so, with what solvents/sporacides, etc?
• Will you need printing capabilities for bar code labels?
• Could your manufacturing or lab equipment interfere with the Wireless or RFID?

The good news is that there are vendors dedicated to the manufacture of rugged slate PCs for laboratory and field use. These hardware options have touch screen and stylus based inputs, some even have onboard barcode scanners and RFID capabilities. Best of all – you can drop them, spray them, and since they are sealed and fan-less, you will not create new airflow patterns or introduce particulates in to your environment.  Based on my experience implementing mobile lab information systems, the top two candidates are the Panasonic Toughbook H1-Health and the DRS Technologies Armor X10. While the Armor X-10 has a solid customer base, the H1 has a sleek and easy to clean design as well as on-board bar code scanner and other ease-of-use tools.

There are rugged hardware and software platforms that can take your lab from being 100% paper based to virtually paperless – it is being done in pharmaceutical labs on a global scale. When done correctly it will save you countless work hours that are currently spent completing, tracking, reviewing, correcting and filing paper forms.