HighRes Biosolutions and Opentrons Labworks are launching a strategic partnership to develop an AI agent-to-agent laboratory automation workflow. According to the two companies, the model will be an industry first.

What AI Workflow Means for Scientists

This new workflow automation, HighRes and Opentrons said, will connect intuitive, modular robotics with enterprise-grade orchestration and AI-ready infrastructure. What that means for scientists is that they will be able to adopt automation quickly, and scale seamlessly.

These characteristics are of paramount importance as workflows grow in complexity.

“This is a joint effort to rethink how automation actually gets used in real labs,” said Opentrons CEO James Atwood. “We’re creating a tightly integrated system where AI-driven intent is translated directly into reliable, physical execution at the bench.”

Other Opentrons News

For Atwood, the newly announced initiative is one of his first since being formally named CEO in January 2026. He has been serving in the position since July 2025.

Also in 2025, Opentrons launched a multi-year collaboration with BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) to integrate robotic liquid-handling capabilities into BD single-cell multiomics instruments.

HighRes Weighs In on Deal

As for HighRes, their CEO, Ira Hoffman, sees Opentrons as an innovative partner. Hoffman said Opentrons has “driven democratization of lab automation through cost-effective, capable liquid handling and more accessible, agentic protocol creation.”

Hoffman said HighRes shares that philosophy, and is looking forward to the partnership.

“We’re unlocking greater speed and access for scientists while maintaining the reliability and repeatability life science organizations demand,” Hoffman said.

HighRes and Opentrons will perform a live demonstration of the workflow at SLAS (Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening) 2026. The show takes place Feb. 7–11, 2026 in Boston.

At the event, HighRes can be located at Booth #1408; Opentrons, at Booth #912.