Definition
Plain language
A sealed box with built-in gloves that lets you handle materials without ever exposing them to open air.
As stated in the literature
An airtight enclosure with an inert atmosphere, accessed through built-in gloves, used to manipulate air- or moisture-sensitive materials; cited as the missing hardware that prevents the Qumus robot from working with air-sensitive 2D crystals.
Why it matters: It is the only way to handle materials that react with air or moisture, so without one whole classes of sensitive experiments simply cannot be done.
For example, a chemist handling a powder that bursts into flame in open air can work with it safely by reaching through the sealed gloves of a glovebox filled with inert gas.
Heard on the show
“They acknowledge no glovebox yet, which means air-sensitive materials — the most interesting frontier — are still out of reach.”Episode 072 — A Robot Made Graphene Without Help, And Caught Itself Hallucinating