Meet Rainbow: The Multi-Robot Lab Racing to Discover the Next Quantum Dots

By Quantum Server Networks – August 2025

Rainbow multi-robot quantum dot lab

Imagine a laboratory that never sleeps, tirelessly running thousands of experiments each day to uncover the next breakthrough in quantum materials. That vision is now a reality with Rainbow, a pioneering multi-robot, AI-driven self-driving lab unveiled by researchers at North Carolina State University. Rainbow is designed to autonomously discover new, high-performance quantum dots—semiconductor nanocrystals essential for cutting-edge displays, solar cells, LEDs, and quantum technologies.

Reinventing Materials Discovery with Automation

Rainbow integrates robotics and artificial intelligence into a seamless platform that can perform and analyze up to 1,000 experiments per day without human intervention. Using multiple coordinated robots, the system prepares chemical precursors, mixes them, and executes up to 96 reactions simultaneously. A characterization robot then analyzes the resulting products, feeding real-time data back into machine learning algorithms that guide the next round of experiments.

In practical terms, researchers can set a target property—such as emission wavelength or bandgap—and Rainbow autonomously explores possible chemistries to identify the best recipe. By combining self-driving experimentation with AI-guided optimization, Rainbow can accomplish in days what would take human researchers years.

Why Quantum Dots Matter

Quantum dots are nanometer-sized semiconductor particles whose electronic and optical properties can be finely tuned by adjusting their size and composition. They are already used in QLED displays for TVs and monitors, and hold promise for next-generation photovoltaics, biomedical imaging, and quantum information science.

The challenge lies in discovering new formulations and surface chemistries that optimize performance. Rainbow’s automation allows researchers to explore vast chemical spaces that would be infeasible with traditional manual experimentation.

Scaling from Discovery to Manufacturing

Once Rainbow identifies the most promising synthesis recipe, the system can be seamlessly adapted from small-scale experiments to larger reactors, making the transition from discovery to manufacturing more efficient. This bridges a critical gap in nanomaterials research: how to rapidly move from laboratory breakthroughs to industrial-scale production.

A Paradigm Shift in Research: Self-Driving Labs

Rainbow is part of a broader revolution in self-driving laboratories—facilities where AI and robotics automate the cycle of hypothesis, experiment, and analysis. These labs are not meant to replace scientists but to empower them, offloading repetitive and time-consuming tasks so human creativity can focus on design, theory, and innovation.

According to Professor Milad Abolhasani, Rainbow’s lead developer, “Rainbow doesn’t sleep; it works around the clock, performing in days what would take human researchers years. It is not designed to replace scientists; it is built to empower them.”

The Future of Quantum Materials Discovery

By autonomously exploring chemistries beyond a fixed set of precursors, Rainbow broadens the landscape of possible quantum dots and nanocrystals. It can even investigate different ligand structures, which control the stability and performance of quantum dots. This capability may lead not only to better quantum dots for electronics but also to new insights into why certain materials work better than others.

Ultimately, Rainbow represents a paradigm shift in how we approach materials discovery. By combining AI, robotics, and chemistry, it enables unprecedented acceleration in the search for the materials that will power tomorrow’s technologies.

📖 Read the full original article on Phys.org: Meet Rainbow: The multi-robot lab racing to discover the next quantum dots

Footnote: This blog article was prepared with the assistance of AI technologies to support science communication and outreach.

Sponsored by PWmat (Lonxun Quantum) – a global leader in GPU-accelerated materials simulation software enabling breakthroughs in quantum, energy, and semiconductor research. Learn more at: https://www.pwmat.com/en

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#QuantumDots #SelfDrivingLabs #ArtificialIntelligence #Nanomaterials #QuantumComputing #AutomatedDiscovery #MaterialsScience #QuantumServerNetworks

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