Derrick Henry
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and Microsoft are collaborating to develop robotics and materials discovery innovations using artificial intelligence.
Under the partnership, the two parties will explore autonomous robot teaming systems, APL said Wednesday. APL and Microsoft will combine their expertise to advance AI capabilities for research and development projects.
Developing Robotic Teams That Operate Independently
“This is all about accelerating our impact. By combining cutting-edge AI technologies with our expertise in mission-driven pioneering research, we will continue to drive transformative impact on our nation’s toughest challenges,” explained Bart Paulhamus, head of the Intelligent Systems Center at APL.
The collaborative effort will enable APL researchers to use Microsoft’s generative AI models to develop robotic teams that can plan, coordinate and execute tasks without human intervention. Paulhamus noted that AI models can accelerate technology development from concept to scalable system.
Testing and Enhancing AI Models’ Capabilities
The partnership will also allow APL to test MatterGen, a generative AI model for materials discovery from Microsoft Research. The laboratory will study MatterGen’s ability to predict and measure novel oxide superconducting materials and explore how it can contribute to closed-loop discovery of novel superconductors. APL researchers will also provide feedback to help enhance the model’s capabilities. By working with Microsoft, APL aims to introduce AI technologies that will support the use of robotics and materials science for mission-critical applications.
