Introducing AI Agents to FTIR Spectroscopy

Tue 05/19/2026 - 17:29

Challenge:

Scott Wilson, Fourier-Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) Manager at SOCOTEC UK & Ireland, has developed a FTIR service agent for BlueGen to ensure a more efficient working experience for his team in SOCOTEC’s Air & Emission’s department.

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Managing FTIR spectroscopy instruments requires constant availability for technical queries, which are mostly routed through one individual. This became a challenge, as answering these questions and solving issues created a repetitive and substantial workload, taking time away from Scott’s other core responsibilities.

FTIR users were struggling to find necessary information such as previous site testing history, FTIR spectrometer troubleshooting procedures, and various requirements or calculations. There are existing centralised databases with a lot of the relevant information, but not all users are able to effectively navigate these excessive databases to find the resolutions needed, especially when in the field. Another issue is that complex conversion calculations for FTIR spectroscopy are difficult to perform quickly when on site.

Project Background:

The FTIR spectrometer is used by the Air and Emissions team to collect high-resolution spectral data – FTIR is the technique for obtaining an infrared spectrum of absorption or emission of a solid, liquid, or gas.

Scott has developed SOCOTEC’s internal FTIR Service Agent on BlueGen to act as an AI assistant, with a specialist focus on FTIR for those using, or in need of the FTIR instrument. The agent centralises requests, filtering the queries before Scott is required to provide any input, allowing for users to self-serve with AI and create a more efficient working process.

Solution:

Scott has created the BlueGen FTIR Service Agent to provide FTIR expertise, utilising existing databases and documents. This includes SOCOTEC FTIR reference data, project records, fleet data, procedures and training material – allowing for technical support to come from AI, using SOCOTEC’s current data, as well as the ability to provide evidence-based responses.

Through developing this agent within the confines of the existing databases and documents, the FTIR AI assistant has been able to retrieve the relevant information, meaning that Scott and users of the FTIR spectrometer don’t have to search through extensive documents themselves.

This database-first approach reduces the number of queries dropping into Scott and his team’s inboxes. It also allows for users to receive answers instantly instead of waiting for someone to get to their query – this is especially useful for those working on-site as using BlueGen on a smartphone is a quick and easy way to solve issues.

Six custom prompts are available to ensure the most accurate answers possible when using BlueGen, reducing ambiguity and increasing consistency. There are prompts for database information retrieval, complex calculations, and FTIR instrument troubleshooting. Guardrails and instructions have been implemented to limit AI hallucinations and ensure the correct answer is provided with consistent standardised responses.

The FTIR Agent can cover theory, training, troubleshooting, reference spectra, Gasmet/Protea models, data checking, surrogate gases, saturation/dilution, flex scope rules, management and QA.

A feedback option is also available at the bottom of the agent menu for users to log any issues or raise any potential ideas so the FTIR Service Agent can continue to develop.

The FTIR Agent can cover theory, training, troubleshooting, reference spectra, Gasmet/Protea models, data checking, surrogate gases, saturation/dilution, flex scope rules, management and QA.

A feedback option is also available at the bottom of the agent menu for users to log any issues or raise any potential ideas so the FTIR Service Agent can continue to develop.

Conclusions

This shifts from having a one-person dependent support service to having on demand access to knowledge, helping improve efficiency across the whole team.

It’s important to remember that all official FTIR data checking and validation remains human led – the AI agent is a support tool, not a replacement for human skill. The responses from the FTIR Service Agent are just for internal support and to provide explanations. Humans continue to carry out the FTIR tasks, just with additional guidance from the BlueGen agent.

The responses from the AI assistant should always be checked against source files before being used in official documentation and reports.

Scott has also produced guides, Learning 360 tutorials and a video explanation of how to effectively use the FTIR Service Agent, ensuring users can understand it and to allow for a smooth transition into the introduction of the AI assistant.

There is also potential for BlueGen agents like this to be developed for other areas of the business to conduct similar data retrieval for relevant services.