Autonomous Mobile Robot Chemists

自主机器人技术在制造、仓储和无人驾驶汽车等应用中的使用越来越普遍。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，并且需要为所需的每种仪器构建定制的自动化版本。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，复制人类研究人员执行的灵巧任务。这些机器人可以长时间全天候自主操作，因此它们可以覆盖通常可能的更大搜索空间。此外，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，从而有可能找到革命性的新材料。如果需要，他们还可以同时进行多个单独的实验，以最佳方式利用现有的硬件。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，可以发现有用的产品，如清洁太阳能燃料催化剂，塑料回收催化剂，药用材料和能源材料。该设施将使学术团队和工业界的研究人员能够获得这项新技术，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，因此用户可以携带沿着特定的设备进行实验，以便临时"插入"以创建新的工作流程，从而极大地扩展了可能的用户群。这里的范围非常广泛，因为我们最近开发了一些方法，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。我们已经确定了，最初，一组25个学术用户在12所大学作为“第一天”的潜在用户，以及7个工业组织在这项技术的具体利益。然而，潜在的用户群远不止于此，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，该团队包括利物浦材料创新工厂的学者以及永久性技术，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，这将为英国提供独特的竞争优势，以便在使用更传统的研究方法无法实现的时间尺度上发现新的功能材料。除了专注于优秀的科学之外，我们还将在优先访问时考虑多样性和职业阶段;例如，即使是对这个自主设施的短暂的一周访问也可能导致100甚至1000的新材料与相关的属性测量，这可能从根本上改变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，该设施将建立英国研究金字塔的基础，以及支持已经处于国际领先地位的活动，我们的第一天用户群包括所有职业阶段的研究人员。

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.