A computable representation of the physical laboratory enables verifiable workflows

arXiv:2609.03621 · cs.AI · Submitted 2026-09-03 · Read on arXiv

cs.AI

Submitted: 2026-09-03

Updated: 2026-09-03

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

The gist: Making science computable requires representations of both scientific knowledge and the physical world in which scientific claims are tested.

Terminology

Abstract

Making science computable requires representations of both scientific knowledge and the physical world in which scientific claims are tested. A computable representation of the physical laboratory is established through typed research objects, capability-bound operations and a compositional workflow algebra. It provides the physical-world counterpart to machine-readable knowledge, expressing workflows as programs over evolving laboratory states with explicit dependencies, decisions, iteration and concurrency. The representation was implemented in a modular agentic robotic laboratory by binding formal operations to executable Function Skills. For diverse scientific intents, capability-relative workflows were generated, while stateful simulation propagated object transformations and verified operation preconditions and laboratory constraints before dispatch. The proposed representation and its engineering framework jointly establish a general computational interface between agent reasoning and capability-bound physical transformations, providing a foundation for end-to-end autonomous scientific discovery.

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