Torch Launches “Lab Automation Starter Kit” Starting at ¥250,000 per Month, Adopting ROKAE Collaborative Robot as OEM Model

The kit uses an OEM model made exclusively for Torch, based on a ROKAE collaborative robot and featuring Torch brand colors and logo.

Cutting the cost of adopting lab automation to as little as ¥250,000 per month significantly lowers the initial investment hurdle for companies considering automation in research and development. This could expand automation options for smaller research institutions and startups that have not previously been able to take the step.

The announcement’s core is its pricing, which lowers the barrier to adopting lab automation, and a service design that allows for expansion. Reducing an investment that has traditionally been said to range from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of yen to a starting price of ¥250,000 per month significantly cuts initial costs and makes it easier for R&D sites to begin automating. The configuration also allows users to add needed functions as options later, enabling a phased adoption process in which they can verify the benefits without committing to large-scale system development from the outset. The OEM version of the ROKAE collaborative robot used in the kit appears to reflect a strategy in which Torch focuses on its integration capabilities and limits development costs by branding an existing collaborative robot rather than developing the robot itself. As a laboratory automation specialist integrator, Torch handles system development and implementation support. The kit standardizes the robot at the core of that work and offers it as a service. In terms of the industry’s structure, high system investment has been a barrier to adopting lab automation. This small-start service could open the door to automation for smaller research institutions and startups. Phased expansion through added options is also a business model that adds functions to meet customer needs and could help build long-term customer relationships. Some points, however, remain unclear. The specific services included in the monthly price of ¥250,000, such as robot leasing, maintenance and software fees, have not been specified. If customers cannot implement automation themselves, Torch says it can support the implementation of automation functions at a cost of several hundred thousand to several million yen. The release does not provide prices for individual options or detailed performance and operating records for the ROKAE robot. It also remains to be seen how much business the JASIS 2026 exhibition will generate.

Adding a pipette hand or cap-opening module can automate liquid dispensing and opening and closing containers. Combining a measurement-probe cleaning module with an image analysis system supports automation of measurement and quality-check processes. Customers can teach the robot themselves to automate simple tasks such as sample handling, continuous measurement of pH and EC, dispensing, weighing and stirring, opening and closing container lids, and label application. The system can also connect with measurement instruments and analytical equipment, such as balances and pH meters, to automatically collect and consolidate measurement results. Torch will exhibit a PFAS analysis automation system at the Ikeda Rika booth (8A-101) and the “Lab Automation Starter Kit” at the Altair Giken booth (8B-302) at JASIS 2026, which will be held at Makuhari Messe from September 2 to 4, 2026.

In Japan, high system investment and a shortage of specialized personnel are barriers to automation in R&D. This small-start service offers an easier-to-adopt option for domestic research institutions and companies facing these challenges. The use of a ROKAE collaborative robot is also notable as an example of a foreign-made robot being used in Japan’s robot integration market.