 The spit robot is a device which can quickly freeze proteins in crystalline form for observation. It uses a piston to apply a liquid solution to the crystals which are then frozen using liquid nitrogen. This allows researchers to observe the chemical reactions taking place within the crystals without having to wait for them to melt. The spit robot has been used to study the effects of various drugs on proteins as well as the formation of new molecules from existing ones. This article was authored by Pedro Merabi, Sihun Sun, David Von Stettin and others.