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The Model Hardware Standard aims to cut device integration time from weeks to hours, with partners including Genentech, Carnegie Mellon, and Amazon Web Services
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Anthropic announced a new software standard on Thursday designed to let AI agents discover, communicate with, and operate physical hardware such as robotic arms, microscopes, and liquid handlers used in scientific research and manufacturing.
The Model Hardware Standard, or MHS, works by introducing a standardized driver that translates between a computer's operating system and a hardware device using simple commands such as "read" and "write," the company said. The driver also stores information about a device's physical characteristics — weight, safety limits, adjustable parameters — that previously existed only in paper manuals or as tacit knowledge held by specialists.
