Laboratory Automation and Robotics in Indonesia: Challenges, Workforce Transformation, and a Roadmap for Equitable Implementation

The rapid advancement of laboratory automation, robotics, and digital technologies has significantly transformed laboratory medicine worldwide, improving efficiency, diagnostic accuracy, and quality management. However, the adoption of these technologies in developing countries such as Indonesia remains uneven and is influenced by infrastructural, financial, regulatory, and workforce-related challenges. This structured narrative review aimed to critically examine the current landscape of laboratory automation and robotics in Indonesia, with particular emphasis on implementation challenges, workforce transformation among medical laboratory scientists (Ahli Teknologi Laboratorium Medik, ATLM), and pathways toward equitable integration. Studies published between 2015 and 2025 were identified through PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, complemented by Indonesian regulatory documents, professional guidelines, and relevant grey literature. The review was informed by PRISMA principles and synthesized narratively to explore technological developments, operational impacts, policy contexts, and implementation barriers relevant to Indonesian laboratory systems. The findings indicate that automation and robotics offer substantial benefits, including improved turnaround time, enhanced quality assurance, reduced laboratory errors, and greater operational efficiency. Nevertheless, significant barriers persist, particularly disparities in digital infrastructure, financial constraints, limited workforce readiness, and the absence of comprehensive implementation frameworks. The review further highlights that automation is reshaping rather than replacing the role of ATLM, shifting professional responsibilities toward digital competency, automation oversight, data interpretation, and quality management. Achieving sustainable laboratory automation in Indonesia therefore requires an equity-centered and systems-oriented approach involving regulatory strengthening, workforce development, infrastructure investment, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. With strategic planning and policy alignment, laboratory automation and robotics hold considerable potential to modernize laboratory services and support Indonesia’s broader healthcare transformation agenda.