Designed from the ground up for agentic workflows. Help develop the science of agentic phenomics with connected imaging, analysis, and robotic handling.
An AI-ready benchtop Petri dish imaging system. Each base configuration includes a cobot arm, five shelf racks, and a 20 MP Basler RGB imaging station with backlight. Choose 440 mm or 700 mm cobot arm reach; an enclosure with door interlock and a safety controller with arm switch, reset, and status light are standard. Included MCP and CLI interfaces provide real-time access to acquired images and instrument controls.
Base systems from$24,9001-year warranty includedOrdering starts November 15 · Quotes available now
Click to enlarge ↗Reference system shown with a 700 mm-reach cobot arm, two shelf racks, RGB imaging station, enclosure and safety-controller kit. Base systems include the arm, five shelf racks, imaging station, enclosure with door interlock, and safety controller with arm switch, reset, and status light. Appearance may vary.
Why PheneMachine? A phene is an elemental unit of phenotype—one of the individual characteristics that together describe an organism. Functional phenomics connects these phenes to biological function and performance. PheneMachine helps researchers capture images and turn them into measurements for understanding biological traits. Read Larry York’s functional phenomics paper (2019) ↗
Standalone imaging
PheneMachine Imager
Need imaging without the robotic workcell? The standalone PheneMachine Imager is available to customize for your research needs. Contact us to discuss your requirements and request a quote.
Both base systems include the cobot arm, five shelf racks arranged in a semicircle, and a single RGB imaging station. The 440 mm and 700 mm measurements refer to cobot arm reach, not the overall system size. Standardized plate adapters accommodate 100 mm round or square Petri dishes. The 440 mm-reach arm serves 10 dishes per rack (50 total); the 700 mm-reach arm serves 20 per rack (100 total). For best imaging results, we recommend plates without grid lines or markings. Other plate sizes are available through customization. An enclosure with door interlock and a safety controller with arm switch, reset, and status light are standard.
Compare PheneMachine Workcell reach and base configuration options
Specification
440 mm cobot arm reach
700 mm cobot arm reach
Base price (USD)
$24,900
$29,900
Cobot arm reach (included)
440 mm (Lite 6)
700 mm (xArm 5)
Base format
Benchtop
Benchtop
Cobot arm ambient range
0–50°C (32–122°F)
0–50°C (32–122°F)
Dishes per rack
10 plates
20 plates
Total base capacity
50 plates
100 plates
Shelf racks (included)
5 semicircular shelf racks
5 semicircular shelf racks
RGB imaging station (included)
1 RGB station
1 RGB station
RGB camera
20 MP Basler
20 MP Basler
Imaging backlight
Included
Included
Plate orientation
Flat or angled
Flat or angled
Included computer
Linux PC
Linux PC
Included local storage
1 TB
1 TB
Acquisition software
Scheduling & imaging GUI
Scheduling & imaging GUI
Agent interfaces
CLI & MCP server
CLI & MCP server
Image access
Real-time access to captured images
Real-time access to captured images
Enclosure & door interlock
Included
Included
Safety controller
Arm switch, reset & status light
Arm switch, reset & status light
Included warranty
1 year
1 year
Included at either base price: cobot arm, five shelf racks, one RGB imaging station with backlight, Linux PC, 1 TB storage, real-time image access, imaging/scheduling GUI, and CLI + MCP interfaces. An enclosure with door interlock and a safety controller with arm switch, reset, and status light are also standard. The mobile cart, custom image analysis, and additional software are optional upgrades or separately quoted services; installation safeguards require site-specific review.
PheneMachine Workcell is purpose-built around petri dish presentation at a dedicated RGB imaging station.
01 / Imaging
20 MP Basler RGB
A single RGB station is included in both base configurations for visible-light petri dish imaging.
02 / Presentation
Flat or angled
Choose the sample orientation appropriate for your workflow and imaging geometry.
03 / Capacity
Five included shelf racks
Five racks arranged around the cobot arm offer 50 total positions (10 per rack) with 440 mm arm reach, or 100 positions (20 per rack) with 700 mm arm reach.
Plate-handling footage from an earlier research system. Production hardware may differ from the images and video while retaining the described core imaging functionality.
Built for connected laboratories
Image-ready. Agent-ready.
Both benchtop models include a Linux computer, imaging and scheduling GUI, and an MCP server plus CLI for programmatic access to newly acquired images and instrument controls. Your scripts or AI agents can integrate the system into larger autonomous laboratory workflows, while routine imaging does not require an AI service.
Included in base price
Linux computer
The supplied Linux PC runs the imaging system's control and acquisition software, with 1 TB of local storage included.
Included in base price
GUI control, imaging & scheduling
Control the system, configure imaging sessions, and schedule acquisitions through the included graphical user interface.
Included in base price
MCP server + CLI
Agent-ready interfaces provide real-time access to captured images and instrument controls. Connect your scripts, existing research software, or AI agents without a proprietary AI subscription.
Fully unlocking robot movement is possible, but invalidates the warranty.
Optional software · Quote on request
Analysis packages & Phenotyper AI+
We consult on segmentation models and provide basic segmentation, colony counting, colony morphology, and colony spectral features, with suitable imaging hardware and data. Further model development, software customization, and research-specific AI or autonomous phenotyping workflows are available by quote. The included MCP server and CLI make PheneMachine Workcell agent-ready; independent experiment planning, analysis models, decision-making, and end-to-end autonomous workflows require separately scoped software, safety measures, and validation.
We provide basic image-analysis packages and work with customers toward trained models when their samples and research questions require more specialized segmentation.
01 / Basic analysis
Thresholds, counts, area & color
Separate foreground objects using intensity or color thresholds. Measure object counts, projected area, and color features within defined regions. Review masks and tune settings for your lighting, background, and samples.
02 / Time series
Images linked to time and sample
Combine repeat acquisitions with per-image measurements to examine growth trajectories and treatment responses. Preserve original images so segmentation and analysis can be reviewed or repeated as methods improve.
03 / Customer collaboration
Develop trained models together
For complex backgrounds, touching objects, or specialized traits, we can scope representative image collection, annotation, model training, and validation on held-out samples. Model development is a collaborative service, not a guaranteed pretrained solution for every sample.
Analysis packages and trained models are quoted separately from the base acquisition system. RGB color features describe visible appearance; hyperspectral features require suitable optional hardware. Threshold-based counts represent segmented objects and may differ from biological colony counts when objects merge.
Phenotyping built for agents from the ground up. We’re inventing the science of agentic phenomics. Join us.
Acquire images on a schedule. Access newly captured images through the included Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. Let your own agents or automation software connect image acquisition to experiment management and downstream analysis.
Agent-ready means accessible data and control interfaces—not a claim that the base system independently designs experiments or operates an entire autonomous laboratory without integration.
Start with either base system and select upgrades for your research needs. Prices below are additions to the base system price (USD).
+$2,000
Open front with safety light curtain
Replace the standard enclosure door with an open front protected by a safety light curtain. Final layout and protective functions are reviewed and validated for the installation.
+$2,000
Mobile cart
A mobile cart with wheels supports the robot, plate racks, imaging equipment, and included enclosure.
+$5,000
10× optical zoom imaging
Add a high optical zoom imaging station with 10× optical zoom alongside the base RGB imaging station.
+$3,000 / +$5,000
Double shelf expansion
Double the plate positions: 440 mm cobot-arm reach configuration to 100 positions (+$3,000), or 700 mm cobot-arm reach configuration to 200 positions (+$5,000), subject to available footprint.
Custom quote
Additional storage
Expand beyond the included 1 TB local storage. Tell us the capacity and data retention needs for your imaging workflow.
Upgrades are configurable additions. We will confirm final layout, compatibility, scope and combined pricing in your quote.
Custom configurations · Request a quote
Beyond the semicircle.
We can discuss robots on linear rails for large-scale plate handling, with custom layouts supporting up to 2,000 positions depending on the system design. Custom configurations can include a hyperspectral camera, plate hotels, agar sampling, delidding, local AI stations, and software customization. Laser scanning, additional lighting or sensing stations, analysis, and agentic workflows can also be scoped alongside the hardware.
Collaborative-style robot arms offer configurable collision detection and reduced-speed operation. These features can mitigate risk, but safety depends on the entire installation—including plate holders, pinch points, rack geometry, access, and operator behavior.
01 / Robot functions
Collision detection & limited speeds
Collision detection can cause a robot to stop when a configured threshold is exceeded, while lower operating speeds can reduce potential impact severity. Neither prevents all first contact, trapping, or crushing hazards, and neither should be assumed to provide a certified protective function without validation.
02 / Access planning
Risk-based safeguards
Both benchtop base systems include an enclosure with door interlock and a safety controller with arm switch, reset, and status light. Infrequent access, trained staff, defined procedures, and keeping people outside the working envelope can inform a site-specific assessment, but do not automatically remove the need for guarding, interlocks, or other protective measures.
03 / Installation choices
Interlocks and area protection
The standard enclosure includes a door interlock connected to the safety controller. An open front with a safety light curtain can replace the door for +$2,000. Design and verification of protective functions depend on the application.
Evaluate the whole system
Robot, end effector, dishes, equipment, mounting and access must be evaluated together through a documented risk assessment. Applicable references include ISO 10218-1:2025, ISO 10218-2:2025, ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025, and ISO/TS 15066:2016 for collaborative applications. These are design and assessment references, not claims of independent certification or system-wide compliance.
Site requirements
Built with your environment in mind.
The standard format is benchtop. The Lite 6 and xArm 5 robotic arms have a manufacturer-specified ambient operating range of 0–50°C (32–122°F). Systems may be installed in climate-controlled rooms or suitable incubators following a site review of temperature, humidity, condensation, ventilation, clearances, electrical requirements, and the limits of all integrated components. The 0–50°C figure is an arm specification, not a whole-system environmental rating.
Configuration & pricing
Let's discuss your system.
Tell us about your plates, imaging conditions, capacity goals, and any requested integrations.
