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Opentrons has raised $40 million to expand its laboratory robotics, software and data infrastructure, SiliconANGLE reports. Its benchtop robots automate repetitive lab work, while its AI software is designed to help plan and run experiments, bringing physical automation closer to the scientific process itself.

What happened Healthcare investor Avego led the Series E round alongside BroadOak Capital Partners, according to SiliconANGLE. Founded in 2014, Opentrons makes programmable robots including the Flex and OT-2, which handle tasks such as transferring liquid between laboratory samples. The company also sells AI software for automating sample preparation and other repetitive experimental work. The Flex can process more samples and use an optional gripper to move plates, allowing more experimental steps to run without human intervention. Opentrons says its robots are used in more than 80 countries and that it has deployed over 11,000 units. Those figures and the company’s broader ambitions come from the report. Why it matters

Discuss: Can automating more of the laboratory make research meaningfully faster, or will the hard part remain designing experiments worth running?

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