MHS and MCP
How is MHS different from MCP?
MCP connects models to software tools and data; MHS describes physical devices, operations, state, and safety.
Model Context Protocol connects AI applications and agents to software tools, resources, and data. Model Hardware Standard focuses on physical equipment: what a device is, what it can do, its current state, and the limits around an operation.
They are complementary layers. An MCP server can expose a robot driver or laboratory API as tools, while MHS provides a consistent description of the hardware behind those tools.
MHS can also be used without MCP through a CLI or code API. MCP is therefore a connection path, not a replacement for the hardware description.