HighRes, a laboratory automation and orchestration software program supplier, and Opentrons Labworks, a laboratory robotics firm constructing the bodily infrastructure for AI-driven autonomous science, have agreed a strategic partnership to co-develop “the {industry}’s first AI agent-to-agent laboratory workflow”.
Collectively, the businesses are introducing a brand new mannequin for workflow automation that connects intuitive, modular robotics with enterprise-grade orchestration and AI-ready infrastructure. They demonstrated their innovation on the latest Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening occasion.
This collaboration brings Opentrons’ versatile, high-throughput Opentrons Flex robotic platforms and OpentronsAI, along with the FlexPod Configurable Lab Automation Platform and Cellario, HighRes’ industry-leading scheduling and orchestration software program, enabling scientists to undertake automation shortly and scale seamlessly as workflows develop in complexity.
“We see Opentrons as an revolutionary companion that has pushed democratization of lab automation by way of cost-effective, succesful liquid dealing with and extra accessible, agentic protocol creation,” mentioned Ira Hoffman, CEO of HighRes.
“We share that philosophy, and collectively we’re unlocking larger velocity and entry for scientists whereas sustaining the reliability and repeatability life science organizations demand.”
“This can be a joint effort to rethink how automation really will get utilized in actual labs,” mentioned James Atwood, CEO of Opentrons. “With HighRes, we’re making a tightly built-in system the place AI-driven intent is translated straight into dependable, bodily execution on the bench.”
Debuting the primary agent-to-agent workflow at SLAS
At SLAS 2026, HighRes and Opentrons held a reside demonstration of the agent-to-agent lab workflow, exhibiting how autonomous software program brokers talk throughout platforms to plan and execute experiments utilizing pure language.
The demonstration featured:
- Agent-to-agent orchestration, leveraging HighRes orchestration software program, OpentronsAI, and the Opentrons MCP server to generate semi-automated qPCR workflows from natural-language enter
- A unified digital lab expertise, integrating experiment planning, execution, and information administration
- A scalable automation pathway, extending accessible, bench-friendly robotics into absolutely orchestrated lab ecosystems
- An AI-ready operational mannequin, unifying information, gadgets, and selections by way of a shared orchestration layer
Designed for interoperability and scale
Interoperability underpins the partnership, with each corporations dedicated to open, extensible APIs and clear system architectures.
This strategy allows Opentrons’ robotic platforms to function alongside devices from a number of distributors inside HighRes’ orchestration atmosphere, say the businesses.
