Mobile Robotic Chemists For Advanced Formulations
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Liverpool
Department Name: Chemistry
Abstract
Stage 1
Set up a simplified workflow in the laboratory using existing equipment that involves three or four separate tasks that would operate in series, such as dose, mix and measure. This first workflow and any others that follow will largely be based around polymer chemistry. The initial work will revolve around screening a series of potential workflows in the laboratory to decide upon suitability. The polymer chemistry being looked at will have an industrial application with temperature-responsive polymers or those that will enhance mechanical properties being promising workflows that will be evaluated first.
Stage 2
The next step will be using the mobile robots, and for certain tasks the static robots, to do each of the tasks involved in the workflows separately, with the code being developed to allow for both ease of use and easy changing of key variables such as mass added or mixing time.
The code will then be developed to allow for multiple tasks in the workflow to be carried out in a single workflow, once again with the ability to change the same key variables as before.
Stage 3
Once the robot is up and running there will be an element of fault and error control implemented into the code, to allow for real time solving of unexpected problems encountered by the robots. Along side this there is also the potential to incorporate some aspects of machine learning to this error control to allow the robots to develop their own error solving protocols.
Stage 4
If time permits, it will be explored as to how the code could be structured in a way that would allow easy reconstruction should the workflow need to be adapted to reflect small changes in the methodology.
Set up a simplified workflow in the laboratory using existing equipment that involves three or four separate tasks that would operate in series, such as dose, mix and measure. This first workflow and any others that follow will largely be based around polymer chemistry. The initial work will revolve around screening a series of potential workflows in the laboratory to decide upon suitability. The polymer chemistry being looked at will have an industrial application with temperature-responsive polymers or those that will enhance mechanical properties being promising workflows that will be evaluated first.
Stage 2
The next step will be using the mobile robots, and for certain tasks the static robots, to do each of the tasks involved in the workflows separately, with the code being developed to allow for both ease of use and easy changing of key variables such as mass added or mixing time.
The code will then be developed to allow for multiple tasks in the workflow to be carried out in a single workflow, once again with the ability to change the same key variables as before.
Stage 3
Once the robot is up and running there will be an element of fault and error control implemented into the code, to allow for real time solving of unexpected problems encountered by the robots. Along side this there is also the potential to incorporate some aspects of machine learning to this error control to allow the robots to develop their own error solving protocols.
Stage 4
If time permits, it will be explored as to how the code could be structured in a way that would allow easy reconstruction should the workflow need to be adapted to reflect small changes in the methodology.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Andrew Cooper (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Alexander White (Student) |