Opentrons
A laboratory-automation company known for accessible liquid-handling robots and open-source software.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Opentrons, formally Opentrons Labworks, Inc., is a United States biotechnology and laboratory-automation company that develops robotic systems for handling liquids in scientific workflows. Its products are designed to automate repetitive pipetting and related preparation tasks involving small liquid volumes, including work used in biochemical, chemical, molecular-biology, and diagnostic procedures. The company’s principal commercial systems are the OT-2 and Flex platforms, supported by software, application programming interfaces, electronic pipettes, and laboratory modules. The company emerged from Genspace, a community biology laboratory in Brooklyn, New York. Its founding group included Will Canine, Nicholas Wagner, and Chiu Chau. Opentrons received early backing from HAXLR8TR, a hardware accelerator based in Shenzhen, and used crowdfunding to develop its first commercial robot. The OT-1, released in 2015 after a Kickstarter campaign, adapted conventional handheld micropipettes for robotic operation. It was positioned as an affordable alternative to the expensive, highly specialized automation systems traditionally used by large laboratories. The project helped establish Opentrons in the do-it-yourself biology and open-science communities. Opentrons later moved toward a more capable and commercially scalable platform. The OT-2, introduced in 2018, became the company’s best-known robot and was adopted by academic laboratories, biotechnology companies, pharmaceutical researchers, and diagnostic facilities. Although Opentrons software and application programming interfaces remain open source, later hardware has become proprietary in important respects. The company has released only limited enclosure-related computer-aided-design information for later systems, meaning that the OT-2 and subsequent products no longer satisfy contemporary open-hardware expectations in the same way as a fully documented open-hardware device. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the visibility of Opentrons’ technology. Its robots were used in or supplied to high-throughput testing and research environments, including the Pandemic Response Lab in Queens, New York. Institutions reported to have used Opentrons equipment for pandemic-related testing or research include Mayo Clinic, Harvard, Stanford, Caltech, MIT, and BioNTech. The company’s role in pandemic laboratory infrastructure demonstrated how comparatively accessible automation could be deployed beyond specialist research laboratories. In 2023, Opentrons introduced Flex as the successor-oriented platform to the OT-2. Flex retained an accessible programming model and open-source software approach while offering a larger, more modern automation system. It is sold through a one-time purchase model rather than a robot-as-a-service subscription. The platform’s API is intended to support integration with external software, including emerging artificial-intelligence tools. In 2024, the company introduced Flex Prep, a related system centered on no-code workflow setup and touchscreen operation for users who do not want to program pipetting protocols directly. Beyond equipment, Opentrons has expanded into adjacent laboratory and biotechnology activities. It established or operated businesses associated with robotics, diagnostic testing, genome-scale cell engineering, and artificial intelligence. Its Pandemic Response Lab partnership with NYU Langone Health provided diagnostic services to health systems in the United States, although that operation had shut down by the end of 2022. Opentrons also acquired NeoChromosome, subsequently referred to as Neo, in 2021 and Zenith AI later in the same year. The company’s broader positioning combines lower-cost automation, programmable laboratory workflows, and software accessibility for researchers ranging from do-it-yourself biologists to institutional life-science organizations.
History
Opentrons originated in Genspace, a community biology laboratory in Brooklyn, New York, where interest in accessible laboratory equipment intersected with the emerging do-it-yourself biology movement. Will Canine, described as a biohacker and former Occupy Wall Street organizer, worked with Nicholas Wagner and Chiu Chau, whom he encountered through a DIY-biology mailing list. Their objective was to make liquid-handling automation available to smaller laboratories and individual researchers rather than limiting it to organizations able to afford conventional industrial systems. The company formally launched in 2014 and received early support from HAXLR8TR, a hardware accelerator in Shenzhen, China. During the same period, Opentrons pursued crowdfunding for its first robot. The campaign helped finance the OT-1, which was released in 2015 at a stated price of $2,000. Instead of using a purpose-built industrial pipetting mechanism, the OT-1 used adapters to actuate ordinary handheld micropipettes. This design reduced the barrier to entry and made the system attractive to community laboratories, academic groups, and researchers interested in modifying or extending their equipment. The OT-1 was significant as an early commercial open-source liquid-handling robot in the life-science field. It was also the last Opentrons product in the series to adhere most closely to open-hardware principles, although editable computer-aided-design files were not released in full. The robot was eventually discontinued, but its design remained influential enough that at least one independent replication was attempted. Opentrons’ early identity therefore combined hardware experimentation, software openness, community participation, and a price-oriented alternative to established laboratory-automation vendors. Jonathan Brennan-Badal, previously associated with ComiXology and Genspace, joined the company in 2014 and is identified as its chief executive officer. In 2016, Opentrons participated in Y Combinator’s Winter cohort. This period marked a transition from a crowdfunding-backed hardware project toward a venture-supported laboratory-technology company with ambitions to serve professional life-science organizations as well as the DIY-biology community. The OT-2, released in 2018, became the company’s central commercial platform. It automated liquid transfers through software-controlled pipetting and could be extended with electronic pipettes and hardware modules. Its software and Python API allowed users to create, customize, and share protocols, strengthening Opentrons’ appeal to technically capable researchers. The company’s products were adopted in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, academic, and other research settings, where they could reduce manual work and standardize repetitive preparation steps. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a major practical test for the platform. Opentrons participated in establishing the Pandemic Response Lab in Queens, New York, a sequencing and diagnostic facility developed in partnership with NYU Langone Health. The company’s robots supported pandemic-related testing and were also used by or associated with institutions including Mayo Clinic, Harvard, Stanford, Caltech, MIT, and BioNTech. The pandemic period showed that relatively compact and programmable automation could be integrated into rapidly expanding diagnostic operations. The Pandemic Response Lab later shut down, with the operation reported as closed by December 31, 2022. Opentrons expanded its corporate scope in 2021 through the acquisition of NeoChromosome, later called Neo, which provided genome-scale cell-engineering capabilities for therapeutic research. It also acquired Zenith AI, bringing no-code artificial intelligence and machine-learning capabilities into the company’s technology portfolio. These moves indicated an effort to connect physical laboratory automation with computational biology and automated experimental design. In 2023, Opentrons introduced Flex as a newer generation of laboratory robot positioned as the successor to the OT-2. Flex retained the company’s emphasis on an accessible API and software extensibility, while offering a larger system intended for broader laboratory use. It was sold through a one-time purchase rather than a robot-as-a-service subscription. In 2024, the company introduced Flex Prep, which focused on no-code setup and touchscreen execution of pipetting workflows. The product evolution reflects Opentrons’ continuing effort to serve both programmers who want direct API control and laboratory users who prefer guided or graphical operation. Although Opentrons continues to describe its software as open source, its hardware strategy has become more proprietary than that of the original OT-1. Later robots, electronic pipettes, and modules do not provide the same level of complete hardware documentation, and released enclosure CAD information does not expose all internal designs. The company’s current identity consequently rests on a hybrid model: accessible commercial laboratory hardware combined with open-source software, programmable interfaces, community-oriented documentation, and expanding integrations with computational and artificial-intelligence systems.
- 2024
Flex Prep launched
[1]Flex Prep introduces no-code workflow preparation and touchscreen-based execution for pipetting tasks.
- 2023
Flex launched
[1]Opentrons launches Flex as a newer-generation automation platform with an accessible API and one-time purchase model.
- 2021
NeoChromosome acquired
[1]The company acquires NeoChromosome to add genome-scale cell-engineering capabilities.
- 2021
Zenith AI acquired
[1]The acquisition adds no-code AI and machine-learning capabilities to Opentrons’ technology portfolio.
- 2020
Pandemic-response deployment
[1]Opentrons equipment is deployed in COVID-19 testing and research settings, including the Pandemic Response Lab in Queens.
- 2018
OT-2 released
[1]The OT-2 becomes Opentrons’ principal commercial liquid-handling platform for research and laboratory workflows.
- 2016
Y Combinator Winter cohort
[1]Opentrons joins Y Combinator’s Winter cohort as it develops from a crowdfunding-backed project into a broader laboratory-technology company.
- 2015
OT-1 released
[1]The OT-1 reaches the market as an affordable robot using adapters to operate handheld micropipettes and is described as the first commercial open-source liquid-handling robot in the life-science industry.
- 2014
Company launches with accelerator support
[1]Opentrons formally launches after developing out of the Genspace community-laboratory environment and receives backing from HAXLR8TR in Shenzhen.
- 2014
Crowdfunding campaign begins
[1]The company uses Kickstarter to support development and commercialization of its first liquid-handling robot.
Products and positioning
Accessible, programmable, and relatively low-cost laboratory automation with open-source software and an API-oriented workflow ecosystem.
Liquid-handling robot · 2015
OT-1
The OT-1 was Opentrons’ first commercial robot. Released in 2015 after a Kickstarter campaign, it used adapters to mechanically operate standard handheld micropipettes. Its relatively low price and modifiable concept targeted community laboratories, DIY-biologists, and researchers who wanted an accessible alternative to established laboratory automation. It is discontinued and was the last product in the series most closely associated with open-hardware standards.
Liquid-handling robot · 2018
OT-2
The OT-2 is a programmable benchtop liquid-handling robot released in 2018. It automates repetitive pipetting and small-volume liquid transfers for biochemical, molecular-biology, chemical, and diagnostic workflows. Users can create protocols through Opentrons software and its Python API, while electronic pipettes and hardware modules extend the system’s capabilities. The OT-2 became especially visible during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was used in testing, sequencing, and research environments.
Laboratory automation robot · 2023
Opentrons Flex
Flex is a newer-generation laboratory automation platform introduced in 2023 and positioned as a successor to the OT-2. It offers a larger benchtop system, programmable operation through an accessible API, and compatibility with software-driven laboratory workflows. Opentrons presents Flex as a platform that can interact with external computational tools, including potential artificial-intelligence applications. It is sold through a one-time purchase model rather than a robot-as-a-service subscription.
No-code laboratory automation system · 2024
Flex Prep
Flex Prep is a 2024 addition to the Flex ecosystem. It is designed for users who want to configure and run pipetting workflows without writing code. A touchscreen interface supports no-code setup and execution, making the automation platform more approachable for laboratory personnel who do not need direct control through the Python API.
Marketing campaigns
- 2014OT-1 Kickstarter campaign
United States · International
Opentrons used Kickstarter to fund and publicize development of the OT-1, presenting an affordable robotic approach to liquid handling for community, DIY-biology, and research users.
Outcome. The campaign was successfully funded and led to the OT-1’s commercial release in 2015.
Brand decisions
2024
Introduction of Flex PrepProduct launchBackground
Opentrons sought to make laboratory automation usable by personnel who may not want to write protocols through a programming interface.
Action taken
The company introduced Flex Prep with no-code workflow configuration and touchscreen operation for pipetting tasks.
Aftermath
Flex Prep expanded the Flex ecosystem from API-oriented automation toward guided, low-code laboratory operation.
2023
Launch of Flex as a newer-generation platformGeneration changeBackground
The OT-2 had become Opentrons’ established commercial platform, while users increasingly sought larger, more capable, and easier-to-integrate automation systems.
Action taken
Opentrons introduced Flex with an accessible API, a larger form factor, and a one-time purchase model instead of robot-as-a-service subscription pricing.
Aftermath
Flex became the company’s successor-oriented platform and extended its software-first positioning toward broader laboratory use and possible AI integrations.
2021
Acquisitions in genome engineering and artificial intelligenceM&ABackground
Opentrons pursued capabilities beyond physical liquid-handling hardware, particularly in biological engineering and computational laboratory workflows.
Action taken
The company acquired NeoChromosome in March and Zenith AI in June, according to the available reference material.
Aftermath
The acquisitions broadened the company’s stated scope toward genome-scale cell engineering, no-code AI, and machine learning.
2018
Move from OT-1 to OT-2Product launchBackground
After establishing an early identity around the OT-1, Opentrons needed a more capable commercial platform for professional research and laboratory users.
Action taken
The company released the OT-2 as a programmable liquid-handling robot supported by software, electronic pipettes, modules, and a Python API.
Aftermath
The OT-2 became the company’s principal platform and was subsequently used across academic, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and pandemic-response settings.
Recent events
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