'Robot scientist' could help find cures

It is hoped that a "robot scientist" with the ability to think for itself could lead to more treatments for a wide range of diseases being found.

There is potential for the robot, called Adam, to help to improve scientific processes in the future, as it is the first robot that is fully automated.

Researchers from Aberystwyth University and the University of Cambridge, with funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, allowed Adam to work without human intervention to discover new scientific knowledge.

Professor Ross King, the lead researcher, commented that automation has been "the driving force" behind much advancement in the past.

"Ultimately we hope to have teams of human and robot scientists working together in laboratories," he stated.

"If science was more efficient it would be better placed to help solve society's problems. One way to make science more efficient is through automation."

Malaria is one disease that "robot scientists" are being touted as having a possible effect on.

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