A team from the University of Liverpool in the U.K. has developed a smart mobile robotic chemist that can autonomously conduct experiments in the lab.

According to its developers, the robotic chemist has already found a new catalyst and decides on its own what experiments to conduct following an algorithm search.

Aided by laser scanning and touch feedback for positioning, the robot chemist reportedly uses instruments, operates equipment, weighs out solids, dispenses liquids, removes air from vessels, runs catalytic reactions and quantifies the reaction product within the lab along with other lab-related tasks.

At 1.75 meters tall and 400 kg, the robotic chemist only stops what it is doing to recharge its battery after roughly 21 hours of autonomous operation within the lab.

Its developers believe that the robotic chemist, which makes fewer errors than its human counterparts, thereby freeing up humans to take on more complex tasks, could potentially discover materials for the clean energy sector or new pharmaceuticals via the investigation of unexplored chemical spaces.

The research appears in the journal Nature.

For more on the robotic chemist, watch the accompanying video that appears courtesy of the University of Liverpool.