The Lab of the Future: Self-Driving Labs for Molecule Discovery

Abstract

Self-driving laboratories (SDLs) are at the intersection of robotics, artificial intelligence, and laboratory automation. From materials design, small molecule discovery, to synthetic biology, SDLs have infiltrated a diverse range of applications across academia and industry. The following Perspective (inspired by Future Labs, a workshop held at NC State University in early 2024) describes how SDLs might become an integrated component to future research processes and generally applicable in many research and development areas for increased molecule innovation and discovery.