The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) has unveiled a groundbreaking smart research laboratory that is revolutionizing the way nano materials are developed. This state-of-the-art facility is equipped with robots that autonomously synthesize nano particles based on researchers’ input of desired properties, significantly reducing the time and effort required for experimentation.
According to sources in the science and technology sector, the smart research laboratory at KIST can achieve in 200 attempts what would take a human around 10,000 attempts to accomplish. This efficiency is made possible by the use of Bayesian optimization and early stopping strategies, which ensure consistent and high-quality data production.
The impact of this innovative laboratory extends beyond just efficiency. Researchers at KIST have already developed candidate materials for catalysts, semiconductors, batteries, and more, while also acquiring new chemical knowledge previously unknown. The emergence of smart research laboratories like this one is seen as a new paradigm in research and development (R&D).
The trend of unmanned scientific laboratories is gaining momentum globally, with the potential to address issues such as labor shortages and safety concerns in research environments. In fact, a research team at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States recently announced the development of an AI “coscientist” that can learn chemical reactions and command robots to produce compounds.
With the launch of the smart research laboratory at KIST, the future of scientific research is looking more efficient, innovative, and accessible. Researchers from universities and companies can now access the facility remotely via the Emerald Cloud Lab system, marking a significant step towards a more automated and collaborative approach to scientific discovery.