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Thursday, April 02, 2009

Robot Scientist Designs Its Own Experiments

A robotic system can design and carry out experiments on its own.

Unlike other pieces of lab equipment, a robotic system created by scientists from Aberystwyth University and the University of Cambridge can design and perform new experiments on its own.

In a study called "The Automation of Science," published in the latest issue of Science, the researchers asked the robot, named Adam, to find out which genes code for several enzymes of unknown origin ("orphan enzymes") in baker's yeast. Drawing on a database of yeast and other biological information, Adam came up with 20 hypotheses and designed several experiments to methodically test mutant strains against normal ones. The robot successfully identified--for the first time--the origins of several enzymes.

In the video, Adam carries out experiments to identify orphan enzymes in baker's yeast. First, it takes out a yeast library plate from the freezer. Then, it stab-picks the strain it wants and inoculates a plate. Adam carries the plate to an incubator and lets the yeast grow for 24 hours. Finally, Adam shakes and reads the sample, getting growth measurements for three days.

"The knowledge that Adam produces is expressed in logic," Ross King, a professor of computer science at Aberystwyth and first author on the paper, explained to me. This "makes the knowledge more reproducible and more useful." King believes that intelligent lab assistants like Adam will be common in labs within a decade or so.

In addition to its control software, Adam consists of a huge array of equipment, including a freezer, incubators, plate readers, a plate washer, air filters, seven cameras, 20 sensors, and four computers.

King and his team are working on another robotic system called Eve. Eve will intelligently test drugs for malaria by hypothesizing how drug molecules of various shapes would perform. Adam will help Eve in its experiments by creating yeast cultures for testing.

Comments

  • Deja vu ?
    "Adam will help Eve ...."

    And in return, Eve will offer Adam an apple...
    Rate this comment: 12345

    z0rr0
    04/03/2009
    Posts:59
    Avg Rating:
    4/5
  • step technologies
    It is good to know about similar technologies to address human analysis. I think, this is a speedup process to make machines with human-like intelligence.
    In our experience we got a developed technology called LiveFlow A.I.R (Autonomous Integrated Robot) software which is capable to classify data, eliminate errors, and model highly-nonlinear and complex process integrating physics basis without human intervention for industrial simulation or prediction purposes. It allows to eliminate human errors in complex and highly-nonlinear modeling tasks, assure reliable and stable precision in many applications to speedup modeling in 7000%. Absolutely revolutionary technology, one of the mosta advanced autonomous systems in the world we think.
    www.liveflowenergy.com
    Rate this comment: 12345

    liverock
    04/08/2009
    Posts:2
    Avg Rating:
    5/5
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