With almost 100 million euros in funding from the National Growth Fund, professor of physical-organic chemistry Wilhelm Huck is developing a fully automated laboratory. By combining chemistry with artificial intelligence (AI), the materials of the future are designed –a breakthrough in the materials transition.
“A huge materials transition is coming,” says Wilhelm Huck, professor of physical-organic chemistry at Radboud University Nijmegen. With the growing need to leave fossil resources behind, new materials are becoming essential. The traditional trial and error approach in chemistry can’t keep up. “This method takes an incredibly long time. In addition, AI enables us to search further than we are used to. AI is not limited by background knowledge and can go beyond the existing search area.”
To harness this potential, Huck is leading the development of a revolutionary robotics lab. In this lab, robots and AI come together to fully automate chemistry and accelerate the development of biobased materials. “We need to introduce new compounds very quickly in all kinds of applications, which ultimately have the same effect. That is difficult, because the properties of mixtures are difficult to predict. That is why I think AI and chemistry are a really brilliant combination.”
The robot lab, which is supported by an investment of almost 100 million euros from the National Growth Fund, uses self-driving modules. “Self-driving modules perform experiments independently and generate as much data as possible with as few steps as possible,” says Huck. Ultimately, these modules must work together in one integrated system. “We are now in the phase where we order and test smaller robots and systems. The goal is to have a fully integrated and automated lab in seven years.”
According to Huck, biobased materials come with unique challenges. “Materials from the factory are clean, precisely defined and reproducible. Always the same. The way we develop products is based on those well-defined compounds that we get from the fossil industry. Biobased materials are never identical. Take sugar beets for example. Sugar beets from the Netherlands are different from those from France. Ultimately, you want to design more robust products that are still good if there is a small deviation.”
One of the applications the robotics lab is currently working on is the development of alcohol-free beer. “Together with a beer producer, we are developing a process to make beer that smells and tastes like a normal variant, but does not contain any alcohol,” Huck explains. “In a groundbreaking project, we are now trying to make thousands of variants to come close to the desired product. In the future, we hope that you can simply describe the desired smell and taste profile, and the AI will then determine the ingredients and mix them just right.”
Huck emphasizes that the lab is a co-creation. Companies must eventually use the technology. “We do not think about what companies need. The danger is that we develop solutions that are of no use to the industry. That is why we involve companies in the process from the beginning and translate their problems into practical solutions.”
The robot lab is not only changing chemistry, but also the role of the researcher. “In the future, scientists will no longer perform experiments,” predicts Huck. “They will formulate hypotheses, while robots and AI will take over the execution and analysis. We will become increasingly distant from the practical execution and we will think more about the problem we want to solve.”
This also creates new demands on researchers. “Scientists need knowledge of multiple disciplines, such as chemistry and programming. Or they work in teams where different expertise comes together.” AI also makes it possible to think more freely. “We often work within the limitations of what is practically possible. If those boundaries disappear, solutions emerge that we don’t even dare to think about now.”
Come to the LabAutomation event on March 11th in Congrescentrum 1931, where Wilhelm Huck will tell you more about his groundbreaking project. Discover the latest technological innovations on the information market and be inspired by the diverse lecture program. Register for free and don't miss it!
Nederlands