Joint collaboration unites powerful robotics with AI-driven orchestration to redefine how labs scale automation
HighRes, Inc., a leader in laboratory automation and orchestration software, and Opentrons Labworks, Inc., the leading laboratory robotics company building the physical infrastructure for AI-driven autonomous science, today announced a strategic partnership to co-develop and demonstrate the industry’s first AI agent-to-agent laboratory workflow. Together, the companies are introducing a new model for workflow automation that connects intuitive, modular robotics with enterprise-grade orchestration and AI-ready infrastructure.
This collaboration brings Opentrons’ flexible, high-throughput Opentrons Flex® robotic platforms and OpentronsAI, together with the FlexPod™ Configurable Lab Automation Platform and Cellario®, HighRes’ industry-leading scheduling and orchestration software, enabling scientists to adopt automation quickly and scale seamlessly as workflows grow in complexity.
“We see Opentrons as an innovative partner that has driven democratization of lab automation through cost-effective, capable liquid handling and more accessible, agentic protocol creation,” said Ira Hoffman, CEO of HighRes. “We share that philosophy, and together we’re unlocking greater speed and access for scientists while maintaining the reliability and repeatability life science organizations demand.”
“This is a joint effort to rethink how automation actually gets used in real labs,” said James Atwood, CEO of Opentrons. “With HighRes, we’re creating a tightly integrated system where AI-driven intent is translated directly into reliable, physical execution at the bench.”
Debuting the First Agent-to-Agent Workflow at SLAS 2026
At SLAS 2026, HighRes and Opentrons will debut a live demonstration of the industry’s first agent-to-agent lab workflow, showing how autonomous software agents communicate across platforms to plan and execute experiments using natural language.
The demonstration will feature:
- Agent-to-agent orchestration, leveraging HighRes orchestration software, OpentronsAI, and the Opentrons MCP server to generate semi-automated qPCR workflows from natural-language input.
- A unified digital lab experience, integrating experiment planning, execution, and data management.
- A scalable automation pathway, extending accessible, bench-friendly robotics into fully orchestrated lab ecosystems.
- An AI-ready operational model, unifying data, devices, and decisions through a shared orchestration layer.
Designed for Interoperability and Scale
Interoperability underpins the partnership, with both companies committed to open, extensible APIs and transparent system architectures. This approach enables Opentrons’ robotic platforms to operate alongside instruments from multiple vendors within HighRes’ orchestration environment.
Visit HighRes at Booth #1408 and Opentrons at Booth #912 at SLAS 2026 in Boston, from February 9 to 11, to see the integration in action.