Anthropic is pushing Claude beyond the computer screen and into the physical world with a new program designed to let AI agents operate laboratory equipment, robots and other programmable machines.
The AI company on Thursday unveiled a research preview of its Model Hardware Standard (MHS), a specification intended to give AI agents a common way to discover, communicate with and safely control physical devices. Anthropic is initially making the preview available to a group of scientific research labs and advanced manufacturers, with plans to eventually open-source the standard.
MHS is designed to allow AI agents to operate multiple machines simultaneously, including microscopes, liquid handlers and robotic arms. Anthropic said potential applications range from routine drug-discovery experiments to calibrating lasers on quantum computers. The project began as a collaboration between Anthropic and HHMI Janelia Research Campus.
The effort targets a longstanding problem in laboratories and manufacturing facilities: getting equipment from different vendors to work together. Anthropic said integrating hardware can take weeks or months because devices often have their own programming interfaces and require specialists to build custom connections.
