A robot assembled a working tabletop laser cavity in less than 30 minutes, handling precise alignment usually done manually. MIT researchers developed a reconfigurable robotic optics laboratory that can pick up and position mirrors, lenses and other components, fine-tune them with micron-scale precision and correct the setup after it is disturbed. According to MIT News, the system assembled a functioning tabletop laser cavity in 50 autonomous manoeuvres within 30 minutes. When researchers deliberately moved components, the robotic system automatically adjusted the setup to maintain the laser's intensity, demonstrating how an autonomous laboratory could continuously monitor and repair its own experiments. The system can start with optical components randomly placed on a tabletop, identify them, move them into position, align them and continuously fine-tune the experiment, and can dismantle one configuration and build another. At its centre is a robotic arm with seven movable joints, operating on a metallic tabletop and handling optical components in specially designed 3D-printed mounts, each carrying a QR code with information about the component inside. Magnetic bases hold components securely, and a wireless fine-adjustment tool attaches to standard optical mounts to turn adjustment knobs automatically. Two cameras positioned above the experiment provide a bird's-eye view, with software coordinating recognition, placement and safe picking.