Table II.
Requirements for a Liquid Handling System for Sample Preparation
| Eight or more independent probes | |
| Can handle volumes of 10–5,000 μL for sample and diluent (5 μL may be required for 384-well format) | |
| Probes can access 8 or more sample tubes with different fill levels simultaneously | |
| Supports a variety of tubes and labware | |
| Can hold large volumes of diluent in reservoirs with small dead volume | |
| Can hold sufficient number of dilution blocks/tubes, assay plates, and disposable tips | |
| Can read tube and plate barcodes | |
| Can track volumes of sample and diluent used for preparation of dilutions | |
| Can track positions to which samples were pipetted | |
| Safety features (discussed in section THE FOUR BLOCKS OF LBA AUTOMATION) |