A Closed Loop Discovery Robot Driven by a Curiosity Algorithm Discovers Proto-Cells That Show Complex and Emergent Behaviours
2018-08-13T13:34:00Z (GMT)
by
<p><b>We
describe a chemical robotic discovery assistant equipped with a curiosity
algorithm (CA) that can efficiently explore a complex chemical system in search
of complex emergent phenomena exhibited by proto-cell droplets. The CA-robot is
designed to explore proto-cell formulations in an open-ended way with no
explicit discovery or optimization target. By applying the CA-robot to the
study of multicomponent oil-in-water proto-cell droplets, we discovered an
order of magnitude more instances of interesting behaviours than possible with a
random parameter search. Among them, a formulation displaying a sudden and
highly specific response to temperature was discovered. Six modes of proto-cell
droplet motion were identified and classified using a time-temperature phase diagram
and probed using a variety of techniques including NMR, which allowed the
design of a payload release system triggered by temperature. This work shows
how objective free search can lead to the discovery of useful and unexpected
properties, with real-world applications in
formulation chemistry.</b></p>
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