Japan's AIST Develops Automated Experiment System for Solid-State Battery Materials
Japan's AIST and partners have developed a collaborative robotic system that automates mechanochemical synthesis of solid-state battery materials, processing up to 10 samples per command.
The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan announced on November 5, 2026, the development of a "collaborative automated experiment system" in partnership with DENSO WAVE, Aichi Institute of Technology, and the Aichi Prefectural Industry Science Center. The system is designed to automate the entire process of mechanochemical synthesis for all-solid-state battery materials, from powder weighing to sample storage.
All-solid-state batteries are considered a next-generation energy storage technology offering high safety and energy density. However, developing their core solid electrolytes and electrode materials requires testing numerous combinations of compositions and synthesis conditions. Traditionally, these experiments had to be performed manually inside inert-gas gloveboxes, a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. The new system integrates small collaborative robots with specialized modules to automate key equipment such as planetary ball mills.
According to AIST, the system can process up to 10 samples continuously with a single command (handling two samples per milling cycle across five cycles). It not only replicates researchers' experimental techniques but also centrally manages parameters like reagent amounts, milling speed, and processing time as digital data. This data can be directly utilized for Materials Informatics (MI) and Process Informatics (PI) analysis, accelerating AI-driven closed-loop material discovery.