Instrumentation

Instrumentation is a collection of devices and mechanics used to measure, evaluate, and test systems.

  • In biology, the instrumentation is considered a part of biomedical engineering where the working mechanism and the parts of a system are studies.
  • Instrumentation in biology or Bioinstrumentation is primarily concentrated on bringing the engineering and medical worlds together.
  • Different devices like centrifuges and autoclaves that are common in biological laboratories are a part of the instrumentation. Studies done in instrumentations allow the understanding of the parts and working mechanisms of such devices.
  • Other important techniques include chromatography which is routinely performed in laboratories to separate biological systems, which are also equally important.
  • Instrumentation is still an emerging discipline with new pieces of machinery still being produced for convenience in laboratories.
  • The application of bio-instruments is not only limited to laboratories as modern agriculture makes use of bio-instruments to monitor and evaluate soil and to measure plant growth.
  • Besides, these instruments can also be used to determine the physiological activities of plants like the carbon dioxide trade rate, net photosynthesis, etc.
  • Processes like electrophoresis make use of nucleic acids along with biosensors to compare the DNA sequences. This enables genetic testing and diagnosis of various diseases.
  • Genetic testing is heavily influenced by the progress made in instrumentation as new devices and techniques are discovered which makes the process faster, more accurate, and more reliable.
  • As RT-PCR and blotting are considered advanced molecular diagnosis methods, disease diagnosis becomes faster and more accurate than ever. 
  • Determination of radioisotopes and concentration of a solution has been made easier with techniques like spectroscopy and colorimetry.
  • As the discipline continues to grow, the main focus of the field remains in the improvements of technology to make the medical processes faster and more efficient.
  • Instrumentation, thus, is slowly becoming an integral part of all biological fields with new emerging new technology and the discovery of fast and reliable procedures.