RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT 27 April 2026 Low-cost system can optimize synthesis of a wide variety of products. A ‘self-driving’ chemistry laboratory costs only US$5,000. Credit: S. Pilon, E. Savino & O. M. Bayley et al./Nature Synth. ( CC-BY-4.0 ) An inexpensive robotic chemistry laboratory can help to speed up repetitive but crucial experiments to optimize a desired product’s synthesis 1 . Access options Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $32.99 / 30 days cancel any time Subscribe to this journal Receive 51 print issues and online access $199.00 per year only $3.90 per issue Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from $1.95 to $39.95 Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Additional access options: Log in Learn about institutional subscriptions Read our FAQs Contact customer support Nature 652 , 1095 (2026) doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-01283-4 References Subjects Latest…