Anthropic has released the Model Hardware Standard in research preview, a specification that stores how a piece of hardware works and how an AI may safely operate it, such as limiting a robot arm’s speed and angles. Europe’s Machinery Regulation starts covering AI-based safety functions on 20 January 2027.
Anthropic has written a standard for telling an AI how a machine works. The Model Hardware Standard, out in research preview, stores what a piece of hardware does and how it may be operated, so a model does not have to rely on a paper manual or on the two people who know.
The example the company gives is a robot arm. A vendor can specify in an MHS file how an AI may move a heavy arm safely, limiting the speeds and angles it is allowed to use.
The pitch is about knowledge that exists but cannot be reached. “In many cases, the science doesn’t happen because you can’t use the equipment,” said Jonah Cool of Anthropic’s life sciences arm.
The precedent is Anthropic’s own. “What MCP did for software, MHS will do for the hardware world,” said Alek Kemeny, referring to the Model Context Protocol that now connects assistants to Gmail, Calendar and Slack.
