Wedoany.com Report on Feb 5th, Laboratory automation companies HighRes Biosolutions and Opentrons Labworks have announced a strategic collaboration to jointly develop what is described as an industry-first, artificial intelligence agent-driven laboratory automation workflow. The companies stated that this workflow aims to connect intuitive, modular robots with enterprise-grade scheduling and AI infrastructure.

Reportedly, this new AI-powered laboratory automation system is designed to enable scientists to adopt automation technology more rapidly and achieve seamless scaling. As the complexity of research AI laboratory automation workflows continues to increase, the characteristics of such integrated systems are considered crucial. Opentrons CEO James Atwood said, "This is a joint effort to rethink how automation is actually used in real-world labs. We are creating a tightly integrated system where AI-driven intent is directly translated into reliable, physical execution on the lab bench."

For HighRes Biosolutions, its CEO Ira Hoffman views Opentrons as an innovative partner. Hoffman stated, "We are unlocking faster speed and broader access for scientists, while maintaining the reliability and reproducibility required by life sciences organizations." This collaboration represents a merging of the two companies' philosophies, aiming to advance the democratization of AI laboratory automation.

The collaboration on the AI laboratory automation system is one of the first major initiatives since Atwood was formally appointed CEO of Opentrons in January 2026. Prior to this, Opentrons had already initiated a multi-year partnership with BD in 2025 to integrate its robotic liquid handling technology into BD's single-cell multi-omics instruments.

HighRes Biosolutions and Opentrons plan to conduct a live demonstration of this newly developed workflow at the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening conference in Boston in 2026.