Over the last two decades, embryology laboratories have shifted from using large tissue culture incubators to smaller, streamlined tabletop incubation systems, which appear to allow for more precise control of temperature, pH, and gas homeostasis. A welcome added feature to these incubators has been the ability to continuously photograph embryo development without disturbing culture conditions. This emerging technology has fostered the adoption of time-lapse microscopy (TLM) in many in vitro fertilisation laboratories. Beyond optimising culture conditions, the use of these incubators for continuous observation of embryo development has provided an opportunity to expand our fundamental knowledge of early embryogenesis. Indeed, the adoption of these devices in the ART laboratory is not only invaluable in advancing our scientific understanding of early human development, it also optimises clinical outcomes by enhancing our ability to select morphologically superior embryos for transfer.