National Laboratory of the Rockies Launches “Self-Driving Laboratories”
- Dan Powers
- 5 hours ago
- 1 min read
Self-driving cars use artificial intelligence (AI) to get from point A to point B without human drivers. Now, scientists at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) are using a similar concept to create “self-driving laboratories.”
Using AI, NLR scientists are working to automate linked laboratory tasks to increase the speed, precision, and throughput of NLR’s materials research—ultimately aiming to accelerate the pace of scientific breakthroughs.
In one case study, an NLR research team is automating the manufacturing of semiconductor films, which are useful for light absorption and energy conversion.
In another, researchers reimagined the process of synthesizing catalytic nanocrystals—used for advanced chemical and fuel production processes—so it can be accomplished by robotics.
NLR researchers say it may one day be possible to form a “closed loop” where humans point to an exploratory realm and computers perform their own experiments. That would allow AI to become a “research co-pilot,” helping AI systems move beyond their training data toward scientific breakthroughs.
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