Development and Expanding Use of NIMO, an Open-Source Platform for Autonomous Materials Exploration
Ryo Tamura
National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)
Group Leader, Center for Basic Research on Materials
He develops NIMO, open-source software that supports autonomous materials exploration by bridging AI and automated experiments. Releasing it as OSS has expanded its use across academia and industry both in Japan and abroad. This talk presents an overview of the platform and how a national research institute builds industry and international collaborations.
AI-Enabled Experimental Systems and Their Real-World Implementation
Hiromichi Taketa
ForDx, Inc.
President & CEO
The challenges of building autonomous, automated experimental systems that companies can actually use — through AI integration, systematization, and the combination of the two — and how they are implemented.
Introducing Automated Serial-Transfer Robots in Evolution Experiments — and the Real Challenges We Faced
Norikazu Ichihashi
The University of Tokyo
Professor, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
The long-term evolution experiments on self-replicating RNA carried out in our laboratory require tedious serial-transfer work, day after day, for years on end. Since no one wants to do it, we introduced a robot. Robots for such a specialised purpose are not sold anywhere, so we asked KiQ Robotics to build one for us. This talk covers how we went about it and the difficulties we ran into along the way.
Automating Experiments: Dispensing and Stirring with Collaborative Robots
Takashi Takimoto
KiQ Robotics Inc.
CEO
This talk introduces the background behind "Lab Auto" — which uses robots to automate the dispensing and stirring work that places a heavy burden on medical and scientific laboratories — along with real deployment cases. It covers the value of automation in research settings and its potential to improve working conditions: fewer human errors, four-day continuous experiments including nights and weekends, and less time researchers are tied to the bench.
Panel Discussion: "Rethinking LabDX with AI and Robots"
Keisuke Nagato
The University of Tokyo
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering
With four panellists, including the speakers above, we will consider the current state of LabDX using AI and robots, and the challenges ahead.
- Norikazu Ichihashi (Professor, The University of Tokyo)
- Hiromichi Taketa (President & CEO, ForDx, Inc.)
- Takashi Takimoto (CEO, KiQ Robotics Inc.)
- Hisaki Ikebata (CEO, CrowdChem Inc.)
About the AIRDS Exhibition in the LabDX Zone
Naruki Yoshikawa
National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)
Senior Researcher
An introduction to the collaborative exhibition AIRDS will present in the JASIS LabDX Zone.
* Honorifics omitted.