Opentrons Labworks Inc., a leader in artificial intelligence-driven robotic laboratory automation, today announced it raised $40 million in new funding to scale its robotics, software and data infrastructure tools.

Healthcare investor Avego led the Series E round alongside BroadOak Capital Partners.

Founded in 2014, Opentrons makes benchtop robots that automate repetitive laboratory tasks, using motorized pipettes to transfer small amounts of liquid between samples inside transparent enclosures. The company’s products include the Flex and OT-2, both programmable robots that can sit in the lab and provide these services.

The company also sells AI software tools for automating sample preparation and other repetitive experimental work.

The Flex and OT-2 resemble small, transparent laboratory cabinets that house the robotic workstations.

Opentrons Flex is the more advanced of the two: an enclosed benchtop robot that transfers small amounts of liquid between laboratory samples. It can work on more samples at once and use an optional robotic gripper to move plates, allowing more steps of an experiment to run without human intervention.

The OT-2 is a smaller, less expensive robot focused on repetitive liquid-handling tasks. It suits laboratories that want to automate routine pipetting but do not need Flex’s higher capacity or automated plate handling.

“Millions of scientists spend much of their day on manual work a robot can do. Giving that time back to discovery is the biggest opportunity in science,” said Chief Executive James Atwood, PhD. “We made lab automation accessible for any lab and our systems are built for AI to run experiments directly.”

The robots can be configured for common lab applications including DNA extraction; polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, the rapid multiplication of DNA copies so it can be studied and detected; protein purification; and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, ELISAs, a common liquid analysis used to detect antibodies, antigens and other proteins in bodily fluids (looking for immunity signs of bacteria, viruses and fungi).

According to Opentrons, although AI models are transforming how science is conducted, the physical lab is becoming a bottleneck. The Flex helps close that gap by using a robot for pipetting and AI software to design, run and improve the continuous experimental loop.

The company added that it has deployed over 11,000 robots to laboratories in over 80 countries, including at 90% of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies. Opentrons seeks to use smart lab equipment to combine physical AI and robotics at scale to create autonomous science.

Image: Opentrons