Workflow Execution Interface (WEI): Streamlining Autonomous Scientific Discovery through Open-Source Robotics and Instrumentation Integration

The integration of scientific instruments and robotics is often a barrier for physical scientists developing new autonomous discovery capabilities. At Argonne National Laboratory, the Rapid Prototyping Laboratory (RPL) team has made progress toward fully automated laboratories through the development of an open-source, extensible and Python-centric software framework called the Workflow Execution Interface (WEI). WEI enables scientists to coordinate the diverse instruments and services required for stepwise execution of various experimental workflows using human-readable YAML formatted definitions. Additionally, Docker containers facilitate the deployment and operation of instruments that can be controlled via various protocols, including REST, ROS2, and others, allowing for the rapid integration of new instruments with minimal effort. WEI successfully enabled autonomous experimentation in benchmark studies and has since been deployed into other exemplar experiments in the fields of biology and material science.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Illustrate how to integrate robotic instruments for autonomous discovery

2. Review on the state of autonomous discovery at Argonne National Laboratory