Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast

Episode 71: Automating Materials Discovery

27 snips
Aug 28, 2023
This podcast explores the advancements in automating materials discovery, the significance of knowledge graphs and training for chemists and material scientists, the challenges and opportunities of requiring extra data for academic papers, the costs of autonomous experiments, and the importance of interdisciplinary teams in approaching unsolved chemistry challenges.
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INSIGHT

Gradual Evolution of Automation

  • Automation in chemistry has evolved gradually over 20 years from automated instruments to autonomous robots using AI.
  • This evolution accelerates recent years but falls short of sci-fi visions like Jarvis from Iron Man.
INSIGHT

Hardware Lags AI Progress

  • AI development is advancing faster than the hardware for autonomous chemistry labs.
  • Improving hardware robustness and reliability is the current critical challenge to match AI capabilities.
ANECDOTE

Robot Broke Lab Floor

  • The 400-kilo mobile robot broke the lab floor, requiring a costly rebuild similar in price to the robot itself.
  • The lab had a sprung wooden floor unsuitable for heavy robots, causing a track to wear quickly.
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