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Nick Kleiner edited this page Dec 2, 2025 · 6 revisions

Welcome to ARES OS 2.0

ARES OS (Autonomous Research System) is a cross-platform operating system designed to automate the scientific method. It serves as the center piece for self-driving laboratories, closing the loop between Execution (Robots/Hardware), Analysis (Sensors/AI), and Planning (Decision Algorithms).

Why ARES?

Traditional lab automation is often rigid, scripted specifically for one machine or one experiment. ARES is designed to be:

  • Modular: Swap out a planner or a device without rewriting your entire experiment.
  • Cross-Platform: Runs natively on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
  • Python Friendly: Core components run in high-performance C#, but you can integrate hardware and logic using Python (via PyAres).

Core Concepts

ARES organizes your research into three main component types:

  1. Devices: Physical hardware interfaces (Lasers, Pumps, Furnaces) or virtual simulators.
  2. Analyzers: Software that processes data (Images, Logs) to determine the result of an experiment.
  3. Planners: Algorithms that look at previous results and decide the parameters for the next experiment.

These components come together in a Campaign, a defined workflow that runs autonomously until your research goals are met.

Getting Started

For Researchers

If you want to start running experiments, head to the user guide. Here you'll learn how to:

  • Install ARES using the Launcher
  • Set up your first Device
  • Run your first Autonomous Campaign

For Developers

If you want to extend ARES with new hardware support or custom algorithms, check out the developer guide.

  • Learn the ARES Architecture
  • Build a native C# Plugin
  • Understand the gRPC Data Model

Quick Links

Download the ARES Launcher
The Official ARES Python Library
The ARES Datamodel
Report a Bug

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