The Laboratory Robotics Interest Group is a special interest group focused on robotics applications in the laboratory. Their membership consists of over 1200 scientists and engineers primarily on the East Coast of the U.S., although they are becoming more geographically diverse due to their presence on the World Wide Web. Most of the members are from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry with others from the chemical, agriculture, cosmetic, food, and specialty industries.

Five meetings are held each year during which members discuss their experiences in automation. Among the topics discussed are the uses of laboratory robotics in high throughput screening, drug discovery, combinatorial chemistry, chemical synthesis, compound purification, compound distribution, data management, dissolution testing, bioanalytical technology, chemical analysis, solid phase extraction, validation, and product formulation.

They are a non-profit topical group of the American Chemical Society (ACS), but you do not need to be a member of the ACS to join. No dues are collected.

For more information, check out their web site at http://lab-robotics.org. There are meeting announcements, a message board, and career opportunities. They've even got a Swap Shop where you can sell, buy, or trade used laboratory robotics equipment