Science acceleration and accessibility with self-driving labs

Richard B. Canty; Jeffrey A. Bennett; Keith A. Brown; Tonio Buonassisi; Sergei V. Kalinin; John R. Kitchin; Benji Maruyama; Robert G. Moore; Joshua Schrier; Martin Seifrid; Shijing Sun; Tejs Vegge; Milad Abolhasani

doi:10.1038/s41467-025-59231-1

Science acceleration and accessibility with self-driving labs

Richard B. Canty
, Jeffrey A. Bennett
, Keith A. Brown
, Tonio Buonassisi
, Sergei V. Kalinin
, John R. Kitchin
, Benji Maruyama
, Robert G. Moore
, Joshua Schrier
, Martin Seifrid
, Shijing Sun
, Tejs Vegge
, Milad Abolhasani

Quantum Heterostructures

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

In the evolving landscape of scientific research, the complexity of global challenges demands innovative approaches to experimental planning and execution. Self-Driving Laboratories (SDLs) automate experimental tasks in chemical and materials sciences and the design and selection of experiments to optimize research processes and reduce material usage. This perspective explores improving access to SDLs via centralized facilities and distributed networks. We discuss the technical and collaborative challenges in realizing SDLs’ potential to enhance human–machine and human–human collaboration, ultimately fostering a more inclusive research community and facilitating previously untenable research projects.

Original language	English
Article number	3856
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	16
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59231-1
State	Published - Dec 2025

Funding

M.A. graciously acknowledges the financial support of the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate of the National Science Foundation (award #2332452) and the records made by Pragyan Jha, Fernando Delgado-Licona, Sina Sadeghi, and Nikolai Mukhin during the FUTURE Labs Workshop (NSF #2332452) at North Carolina State University. S.V.K. was supported by the Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (CAMM) and the NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC). R.G.M. acknowledges support from the INTERSECT Initiative as part of the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the US Department of Energy under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725. JS acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation (PHY-2226511, OAC-2320718). T.V. acknowledges support from the Pioneer Center for Accelerating P2X Materials Discovery (CAPeX), DNRF grant number P3.

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10.1038/s41467-025-59231-1

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AU - Kitchin, John R.

AU - Maruyama, Benji

AU - Moore, Robert G.

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Science acceleration and accessibility with self-driving labs

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