The aim of the module is to introduce robotic systems used to automate chemical research in a laboratory setting. This will culminate in a practical session where students showcase their skills through the design and delivery of an automated/robotic system to solve a chemistry problem. The course is aimed to achieve the following:
1. Introduce students to the fundamentals of chemistry laboratory automation, from creating simulation environments to programming embodied robots for laboratory experiments;
2. Give students an understanding of how chemical synthesis and formulation can be automated and analysed using digital methods;
3. Make students aware of embodied robots and automated platforms that are available for accelerating chemical research;
4. Provide an outline of ethical, sustainability, and safety considerations for AI, automation methods and robotics in chemical research.

(LO1) Analyse and evaluate the role of automation platforms and robotics systems as applied to chemistry labs.

(LO2) Translate a subset of standard automated methods/algorithms for solid dispensing, liquid handling, sample preparation and measurement systems into practical experiments.

(LO3) Implement and evaluate a functional, operational, complete automated/robotic system for a chemistry experiment.

(S1) Understanding state-of-the-art methods for Chemistry lab automation

(S2) Technical development of Chemistry lab automation methods for accelerating experiments

Lecture Workshops – 10 x 1.5 hours (15 hours)
The lecture workshops will follow 4 themes and will start with a short 20 mins lecture on the topic, followed by the journal club (1 h) that will focus on publications related to that theme. In the journal club, the students will be given the most recent papers in the field before the lecture, asked to critique the literature and present their judgement and justification.

The lecture workshops will be assessed by 2 assignments (group presentation and individual critical essay), which the students will choose from the 4 themes. The students will be split into groups, and assigned a topic from theme I or II for Assignment I and a topic from theme III or IV for Assignment II. The students will then give a group presentation, where each student needs to present during part of the presentation. This will be followed by a critical individual essay of around 1000 words.

Theme I: Fundamentals of Chemistry Laborato ry Automation
1. Introductory Overview & Principles of Chemistry Laboratory Automation for Industrial Application - The main concepts regarding automating chemical laboratories
2. Embodied Robots in Chemical Laboratories – How (mobile) manipulators are used in chemical laboratories
3. Software Architectures for chemical laboratory automation – Software development packages for chemical laboratory automation
4. Simulation/Digital Twinning –Simulators for creating digital twins of chemical laboratories

Theme II: Automation of Chemical Synthesis and Formulation
5. Automation of Solid Dispensing and Liquid Handling –Robotic systems and automated platforms that automate the process of solid dispensing and liquid addition
6. Automated Platforms for Sample Preparation – How different automated platforms e.g. ChemSpeed have been used for chemical synthesis and formulation in academic and industria l labs

Theme III: Automation of Analytical Methods
7. Automation of Analytical Instruments –How analytical instruments e.g. PXRD, NMR are used for chemical analysis and automated characterisation of molecule and materials
8. Algorithms for Non-Invasive Measurement –How computer vision can be used as an alternative method to traditional analytical instruments for solubility screening, viscosity estimation and other properties

Theme IV: Case Studies
9. Case Studies of Automated Chemistry –Several case studies of accelerating lab experiments through robotics and automation will be presented.
10. Ethical, Safety, and Sustainability considerations for robotics/automation in Industrial Chemical Laboratories and Industries – outline the ethical, safety, and sustainability considerations related to deploying robotics and automation methods in chemical laboratories

Experimental Project - 10 x 2 hours week ly drop-in sessions (20 hours)
The students will design a lab experiment to be automated and use the skills they have learnt over the course of the module to execute an autonomous demonstration. The experimental project will be carried out in groups. The students will be given a list of projects to choose from; however, there will also be the option of the students suggesting their own project. During the drop-in sessions, the students will be guided to define, carry out and complete their project.

Demonstration Day
Students will present individual posters, where each student will be assessed individually to gain experience of presenting an academic poster similar to how they would do it in a conference.

Theme I: Fundamentals of Chemistry Laboratory Automation
1. Introductory Overview & Principles of Chemical Laboratory Automation for Industrial Application
2. Embodied Robots in Chemical Labs
3. Software Architectures for Chemical Laboratory Automation
4. Simulation/Digital Twinning Methods

Theme II: Automation of Chemical Synthesis and Formulation
5. Automation of Solid Dispensing and Liquid Handling
6. Automated Platforms for Chemical Synthesis and Formulation

Theme III: Automation of Analytical Methods
7. Automation of Chemical Analysis Instruments
8. Algorithms for Non-Invasive Measurements

Theme IV: Case Studies
9. Case Studies of Chemistry Laboratory Automation in Industries
10. Ethical, Safety, and Sustainability considerations for robotics/automation in Industrial Chemical Laboratories