For starters, Luan and Zhu are tackling the world of biotech labs, building a benchtop robot that will help coordinate and automate lab tasks.

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The biggest problem with getting such an idea off the laboratory benchtop and onto the factory floor is the speed at which the domain walls travel.

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These stunning benchtop biofuels breakthroughs are published with some regularity.

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For both Life shareholders, who wanted out, and Thermo, who can probably make the numbers work, this looks like a good deal, with limited downside and lots of potential upside if Torren does become a player in medicine, not just benchtop science.

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