LABSHIELD: A Multimodal Benchmark for Safety-Critical Reasoning and Planning in Scientific Laboratories

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Sun, Qianpu, Chi, Xiaowei, Rui, Yuhan, Li, Ying, Ge, Kuangzhi, Li, Jiajun, Han, Sirui, Zhang, Shanghang
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Sun, Qianpu
Chi, Xiaowei
Rui, Yuhan
Li, Ying
Ge, Kuangzhi
Li, Jiajun
Han, Sirui
Zhang, Shanghang
author_facet Sun, Qianpu
Chi, Xiaowei
Rui, Yuhan
Li, Ying
Ge, Kuangzhi
Li, Jiajun
Han, Sirui
Zhang, Shanghang
contents Artificial intelligence is increasingly catalyzing scientific automation, with multimodal large language model (MLLM) agents evolving from lab assistants into self-driving lab operators. This transition imposes stringent safety requirements on laboratory environments, where fragile glassware, hazardous substances, and high-precision laboratory equipment render planning errors or misinterpreted risks potentially irreversible. However, the safety awareness and decision-making reliability of embodied agents in such high-stakes settings remain insufficiently defined and evaluated. To bridge this gap, we introduce LABSHIELD, a realistic multi-view benchmark designed to assess MLLMs in hazard identification and safety-critical reasoning. Grounded in U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), LABSHIELD establishes a rigorous safety taxonomy spanning 164 operational tasks with diverse manipulation complexities and risk profiles. We evaluate 20 proprietary models, 9 open-source models, and 3 embodied models under a dual-track evaluation framework. Our results reveal a systematic gap between general-domain MCQ accuracy and Semi-open QA safety performance, with models exhibiting an average drop of 32.0% in professional laboratory scenarios, particularly in hazard interpretation and safety-aware planning. These findings underscore the urgent necessity for safety-centric reasoning frameworks to ensure reliable autonomous scientific experimentation in embodied laboratory contexts. The full dataset will be released soon.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_11987
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle LABSHIELD: A Multimodal Benchmark for Safety-Critical Reasoning and Planning in Scientific Laboratories
Sun, Qianpu
Chi, Xiaowei
Rui, Yuhan
Li, Ying
Ge, Kuangzhi
Li, Jiajun
Han, Sirui
Zhang, Shanghang
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is increasingly catalyzing scientific automation, with multimodal large language model (MLLM) agents evolving from lab assistants into self-driving lab operators. This transition imposes stringent safety requirements on laboratory environments, where fragile glassware, hazardous substances, and high-precision laboratory equipment render planning errors or misinterpreted risks potentially irreversible. However, the safety awareness and decision-making reliability of embodied agents in such high-stakes settings remain insufficiently defined and evaluated. To bridge this gap, we introduce LABSHIELD, a realistic multi-view benchmark designed to assess MLLMs in hazard identification and safety-critical reasoning. Grounded in U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), LABSHIELD establishes a rigorous safety taxonomy spanning 164 operational tasks with diverse manipulation complexities and risk profiles. We evaluate 20 proprietary models, 9 open-source models, and 3 embodied models under a dual-track evaluation framework. Our results reveal a systematic gap between general-domain MCQ accuracy and Semi-open QA safety performance, with models exhibiting an average drop of 32.0% in professional laboratory scenarios, particularly in hazard interpretation and safety-aware planning. These findings underscore the urgent necessity for safety-centric reasoning frameworks to ensure reliable autonomous scientific experimentation in embodied laboratory contexts. The full dataset will be released soon.
title LABSHIELD: A Multimodal Benchmark for Safety-Critical Reasoning and Planning in Scientific Laboratories
topic Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.11987