<P> Scientific laboratories can be found as research room and learning spaces in schools and universities, industry, government, or military facilities, and even aboard ships and spacecraft . </P> <P> Despite the underlying notion of the lab as a confined space for experts, the term "laboratory" is also increasingly applied to workshop spaces such as Living Labs, Fab Labs, or Hackerspaces, in which people meet to work on societal problems or make prototypes, working collaboratively or sharing resources . This development is inspired by new, participatory approaches to science and innovation and relies on user - centred design methods and concepts like Open innovation or User innovation, . One distinctive feature of work in Open Labs is phenomena of translation, driven by the different backgrounds and levels of expertise of the people involved . </P> <P> Early instances of "laboratories" recorded in English involved alchemy and the preparation of medicines . </P> <P> The emergence of Big Science during World War II increased the size of laboratories and scientific equipment, introducing particle accelerators and similar devices . </P>

What is the main function of a laboratory