Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) scientists have released to the public the Autonomous Research System open-source software (ARES OS), which uses artificial intelligence algorithms to improve research processes.
ARES OS tasks autonomous “robots” made from carbon nanotube synthesis reactors to direct and perform research in the most efficient way possible without intervention from human scientists, AFRL said Wednesday.
Benji Maruyama, AFRL’s ARES OS team lead, explained that AI-powered robots would free researchers from performing individual experiments, pointing out that “humans and autonomous research robots can team together to solve research problems more effectively than either could alone.”
Initially developed for work in carbon nanotube synthesis, the research software was expanded by scientists to cover several applications in various fields such as additive manufacturing and flow chemistry.
By making the software public, Maruyama expressed hope that research efforts are faster and more effective for a wider userbase and speed up technological discovery in various fields.
Currently, Carnegie Mellon University, Sandia National Laboratories and several institutions in the U.S. and abroad are evaluating the benefits of ARES OS to their respective initiatives.
