The Kitchin Research Group

In this paper, I introduce Claude-Light, a lightweight self-driving lab prototype built on a Raspberry Pi with an RGB LED and ten-channel photometer, all accessible via a simple REST API and Python library. By demonstrating structured automation—from basic scripting and statistical design of experiments through Gaussian process active learning—and exploring large language models for instrument selection, structured data extraction, function calling, and code generation, I showcase both the opportunities and challenges LLMs bring to lab automation (reproducibility, security, and reliability). Claude-Light lowers the barrier for students and researchers to prototype and test automation and AI-driven experimentation before scaling to full self-driving laboratories.

@article{kitchin-2025-evolv-role,
  author =	 {John R. Kitchin},
  title =	 {The Evolving Role of Programming and LLMs in the Development
                  of Self-Driving Laboratories},
  journal =	 {APL Machine Learning},
  volume =	 3,
  number =	 2,
  pages =	 {026111},
  year =	 2025,
  doi =		 {10.1063/5.0266757},
  url =		 {http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/5.0266757},
  DATE_ADDED =	 {Thu May 1 09:22:44 2025},
}

Copyright (C) 2025 by John Kitchin. See the License for information about copying.

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