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Robot system to test 10,000 chemicals for toxicity  Washington: A new high-speed robot screening system can test 10,000 different chemicals for potential toxicity. These chemicals include compounds found in industrial and consumer products, food additives and drugs. A thorough analysis of more than 200 public databases of chemicals and drugs used in the U.S. and abroad was conducted to select the initial 10,000 chemicals for testing, according to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) statement. Testing results will provide information useful for evaluating if these chemicals have the potential to disrupt human body processes enough to lead to adverse health effects. The system marks the beginning of a new phase of an ongoing collaboration, referred to as Tox21, that is working to protect human health by improving how chemicals are tested in the U.S. Tox21 has already screened more than 2,500 chemicals for potential toxicity, using robots and other innovative chemical screening technologies. The robot system, which is at the NIH Chemical Genomics Centre (NCGC) in Rockville, was purchased as part of the Tox21 collaboration. Tox21 was established in 2008 between the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences National Toxicology Program (NTP), the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the addition of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010. "Tox21 has used robots to screen chemicals since 2008, but this new robotic system is dedicated to screening a much larger compound library," said NHGRI Director Eric Green. "Understanding the molecular basis of hazard is fundamental to the protection of human health and the environment," said Paul Anastas, assistant administrator of the EPA Office of Research and Development. A robot is a mechanical intelligent agent which can perform tasks on its own, or with guidance. The term robot can also apply to a virtual agent. In practice it is usually an electro-mechanical machine which is guided by computer or electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous or semi-autonomous and come in those two basic types: those which are used for research into human-like systems, such as ASIMO and TOPIO, as well as those into more defined and specific roles, such as Nano robots and Swarm robots; and helper robots which are used to make or move things or perform menial or dangerous tasks, such as Industrial robots or mobile or servicing robots. Another common characteristic is that, by its appearance or movements, a robot often conveys a sense that it has intent or agency of its own. When societies began developing nearly all production and effort was the result of human labour. As mechanical means of performing functions were discovered, and mechanics and complex mechanisms were developed, the need for human labour was reduced. Machinery was initially used for repetitive functions, such as lifting water and grinding grain. With technological advances more complex machines were slowly developed, such as those invented by Hero of Alexandria in the 4th century BC, and the first half of the second millennium AD, such as the Automata of Al Jazari in the 10th century AD. They were not widely adopted as human labour, particularly slave labour, was still inexpensive compared to the capital-intensive machines. Men such as Leonardo Da Vinci in 1495 through to Jacques de Vaucanson in 1739, as well as rediscovering the Greek engineering methods, have made plans for and built automata and robots leading to books of designs such as the Japanese Karakuri zui (Illustrated Machinery) in 1796. As mechanical techniques developed through the Industrial age we find more practical applications such as Nikola Tesla in 1898, who designed a radio-controlled torpedo, and the Westinghouse Electric Corporation creation of Televox in 1926. From here we also find a more android development as designers tried to mimic more human-like features including designs such as those of biologist Makoto Nishimura in 1929 and his creation Gakutensoku, which cried and changed its facial expressions, and the more crude Elektro from Westinghouse in 1938.