Researchers at the University of Amsterdam have developed RoboChem Flex, a low-cost autonomous synthesis robot designed to democratize AI-powered chemical synthesis optimization. The system costs approximately $5,000 — a 10x reduction from the original $50,000+ RoboChem — and uses 3D-printed components, off-the-shelf hardware, and an open-source control package called OmniPlatypus. It features a modular Bayesian Optimization AI agent and supports inline analytics (NMR, UHPLC-MS, Raman) for fully autonomous closed-loop operation, or a human-in-the-loop sampling approach for labs with limited budgets. The design has been validated across six case studies covering photocatalysis, biocatalysis, and thermal cross-coupling. All code, firmware, 3D printing files, and schematics are openly available on GitHub, enabling any lab worldwide to build their own system.
