Autonomous Mobile Robot Chemists

自主移动机器人化学家

• 批准号: EP/T031263/1
• 负责人: Andrew Cooper
• 金额: $ 87.98万
• 依托单位: University of Liverpool
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FT031263%2F1
• 关键词: Autonomous; Mobile; Robot; Chemists

The use of autonomous robotic technologies is increasingly common for applications such as manufacturing, warehousing, and driverless vehicles. Automated robots have been used in chemistry research, too, but their widespread application is limited by the cost of the technology, and the need to build a bespoke automated version of each instrument that is required. We have developed a different approach by using mobile 'robotic chemists' that can work within a relatively standard laboratory, replicating the dexterous tasks that are carried out by human researchers. These robots can operate autonomously, 24/7, for extended periods, and they can therefore cover a much larger search space that would usually be possible. Also, the robots are driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and can search highly complex multidimensional experimental spaces, offering the potential to find revolutionary new materials. They can also carry out multiple separate experiments in parallel, if needed, to make optimal use of the available hardware in a highly cost-effective way.Our proposal is to establish a globally unique user facility in Liverpool that covers a broad range of materials research problems, allowing the discovery of useful products such as clean solar fuels catalysts, catalysts for plastics recycling, medicinal materials, and energy materials. This facility will allow researchers from both academic teams and from industry to access this new technology, which would otherwise be unavailable to them. Because the automation approach is modular, it will be possible for users to bring along specific equipment for their experiments to be 'dropped in' temporarily to create new workflows, greatly expanding the possible user base. The scope here is very broad because we have recently developed methods that give these robots have very high placement precision (+/- 0.12 mm): to a large extent, if a human can use the instrument, then so can the robot. We have identified, initially, a group of 25 academic users across 12 universities as 'day one' prospective users, as well as 7 industrial organisations with a specific interest in this technology. The potential user base, however, is far broader than this, and we will solicit applications for access throughout the project and beyond. This will be managed by a Strategic Management Team and an Operational Management Team that involves academics as well as permanent technical, administrative, and business development staff in the Materials Innovation Factory in Liverpool. Our overall objective is to build a sustainable AI-driven robotic facility that will provide a unique competitive advantage for the UK to discover new functional materials on a timescale that would be impossible using more conventional research methodology. In addition to focusing on excellent science, we will also consider diversity and career stage when prioritising access; for example, even a short, one-week visit to this autonomous facility might lead to 100's or even 1000's of new materials with associated property measurements, which might radically transform a PhD project or the change the direction of the research programme for an Early Career Researcher. This facility will therefore build the base of the UK research pyramid, as well as supporting activity that is already internationally leading, and our day-one user base includes researchers at all career stages.

在制造、仓储和无人驾驶汽车等应用中，自动机器人技术的使用越来越普遍。自动化机器人也被用于化学研究，但它们的广泛应用受到技术成本的限制，以及为所需的每一台仪器制造定制的自动化版本的需要。我们开发了一种不同的方法，使用移动的“机器人化学家”，可以在相对标准的实验室内工作，复制由人类研究人员执行的灵活任务。这些机器人可以在更长的时间内全天候自主操作，因此它们可以覆盖通常可能的更大的搜索空间。此外，这些机器人由人工智能(AI)驱动，可以搜索高度复杂的多维实验空间，为发现革命性的新材料提供了潜力。如果需要，他们还可以并行进行多个单独的实验，以高成本效益的方式优化利用现有硬件。我们的建议是在利物浦建立一个全球唯一的用户设施，涵盖广泛的材料研究问题，允许发现有用的产品，如清洁太阳能燃料催化剂、塑料回收催化剂、医药材料和能源材料。这一设施将允许学术团队和产业界的研究人员使用这项新技术，否则他们将无法获得这项技术。由于自动化方法是模块化的，因此用户可以为他们的实验带来特定的设备，以便临时“投入”创建新的工作流程，从而极大地扩大了可能的用户基础。这里的范围非常广泛，因为我们最近开发的方法使这些机器人具有非常高的放置精度(+/-0.12 mm)：在很大程度上，如果人类可以使用仪器，那么机器人也可以。我们已经初步确定，来自12所大学的25名学术用户是第一天的潜在用户，以及7个对这项技术特别感兴趣的行业组织。然而，潜在的用户基础远远不止于此，我们将在整个项目期间及以后征求访问申请。这将由一个战略管理团队和一个运营管理团队管理，该团队包括学者以及利物浦材料创新工厂的长期技术、行政和业务开发人员。我们的总体目标是建立一个可持续的人工智能驱动的机器人设施，为英国提供独特的竞争优势，在时间尺度上发现新的功能材料，这是使用更传统的研究方法是不可能的。除了专注于卓越的科学，我们在优先考虑访问机会时也会考虑多样性和职业阶段；例如，即使是对这个自主设施进行短暂的一周访问，也可能导致100‘S甚至1000’S的新材料以及相关的性能测量，这可能会从根本上改变一个博士项目或改变早期职业研究人员的研究计划的方向。因此，这一设施将建立英国研究金字塔的基础，以及支持已经在国际上领先的活动，我们的第一天用户基础包括所有职业阶段的研究人员。