Artificial Intelligence: A Robotic Scientist That Works 21.5/7

August 5, 2020 | Artificial Intelligence, News
https://dailyalts.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/High_res_grasp_web-Liverpool-lab-robot.jpg

This new lab assistant at the University of Liverpool conducts experiments by itself.

Work from home has a new meaning for researchers at the University of Liverpool, U.K. – they still can conduct experiments at the university laboratory. There’s a not-so-small difference, however. And it’s an intelligent, 1.75-meter tall robot-scientist that conducts experiments in the lab at their bidding. (World Economic Forum)

The intelligent lab robot at the University of Liverpool

The robot uses AI, a highly flexible arm, and a special gripper to conduct experiments independently. Impervious to COVID, the robot can work 21.5 works a day, all days of the week. (If you’re wondering, it takes 2.5 hours to recharge itself)

It moves around the lab effortlessly, skirts human beings and impediments, and does several lab tasks that would otherwise have required a human being.

Its repertoire: weigh solids, dispense liquids, remove air from vessels, conducting catalytic reactions, and assessing the reaction outputs.

The robot, therefore, frees up the human scientists for more creative and urgent work.

In a trial stint, the robotic assistant could perform 688 experiments over eight days.

Professor Andrew Cooper from the University’s Department of Chemistry and Materials Innovation Factory, who led the project, said: “Our strategy here was to automate the researcher, rather than the instruments.”

COVID applications

“It can work autonomously, so I can run experiments from home,” Ph.D. student Benjamin Burger, who built and programmed the robot, told BBC News. Unsurprisingly, the robot proved invaluable during the COVID lockdowns, carrying out lab tasks on its own.

The robot-scientist has therefore excited a lot of interest from organizations carrying out COVID-19 research. In such cases, the researchers can conduct experiments from a safe distance using the robot, without running the gauntlet of a virus infection.

According to Burger, it was a challenge to build a robot that was robust enough to work for long periods conducting thousands of delicate manoeuvers.

The completed robot makes far fewer mistakes than a human operator, according to Burger.

Related Story:  A UVC Robot Disinfects 4,000 Sq Ft Food Bank in 30 Minutes

Image Credit: University of Liverpool                                                   

Free Industry News

Subscribe to our free newsletter for updates and news about alternatives investments.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.


Shape

Latest Alternative Investment News

https://dailyalts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/AMD_headquarters_santa_clara.624da707519a6.jpg
Artificial Intelligence: AMD Takes On Rivals In The AI Chip Sweepstakes
December 7, 2023     Artificial Intelligence, News

Chipmaker AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) has unveiled a range of innovative AI solutions spanning from data centers to personal computers. The AMD Instinct MI300 Series features data center AI accelerators, while…

https://dailyalts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/RHCEU-Inline.jpg
Digital Assets: Robinhood Debuts Crypto Trading On Its App In The EU
December 7, 2023     Digital Assets, FinTech, News

Robinhood (NASDAQ: HOOD) has launched its Crypto app in the European Union (EU), allowing eligible customers to engage in crypto trading with the added incentive of earning Bitcoin rewards. Customers…

https://dailyalts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Samsung_UK_Samsung_Pay_Lifestyle_0552-revised-Pictogram-23.11.30-1024x744-1.png
FinTech: Samsung Electronics Ties With Mastercard’s Wallet Express
December 7, 2023     FinTech, News

Samsung Electronics (KRX: 005930) and Mastercard (NYSE: MA) have partnered to launch the Wallet Express program, offering banks and card issuers a cost-effective way to expand digital wallet offerings. Through…

https://dailyalts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Revaia-founders.jpg
Venture Capital: Revaia, Europe’s Biggest Female-Led VC Firm, Racks Up $160M For Second Fund
December 7, 2023     ESG and Sustainability, News, Venture Capital

Revaia, Europe’s largest female-founded venture capital firm, has successfully raised €150 million ($160 million) for its second fund, Revaia Growth II. The funding was secured from sovereign wealth funds, family…