RapidPick MP 20-Pin Automated Colony Picker
A high throughput, highly flexible for workcell automation offering efficient picking of microbial colonies.
The RapidPick MP 20-Pin Automated Colony Picker is the fastest, most accurate automated colony picking system in the world, with innoculation rates of more than 99%. RapidPick MP is ideal for researchers who need the accuracy and high outgrowth rates, but whose workload doesn’t require the added automation available in the other versions of the RapidPick.
Description
The RapidPick™ MP 20-Pin Automated Colony Picker features:
- A small footprint saves lab space and easily fits into anaerobic chambers and biosafety hoods.
- TA typical colony picking rate of 2,400 colonies per hour.
- Software Plug-Ins are available to communicate with all Hudson Robotics instruments and over 200 instruments from other manufactures such as LiCONiC incubators, media dispensers, robotic arms and more. The open physical layout allows for easy integration with other instruments and cleaning. Hudson Robotics can provide chambers to showcase your workcell.
- Designed to pick from petri dishes, Nunc™ Omnitray ™ or any SBS plates, including: 1, 6, 8, 24, 48 and 96-well plates. They will inoculate SBS 1, 24, 96, 384, 1536 deep well and standard height microplates.
- Includes barcode scanners to identify barcodes on each of the source colony plate (user optional).
- Optional 2nd destination plate the user can create both an assay plate and an archive plate.
- Users can manually load a colony plate and a media-filled target plate, then start the automated picking through an easy operator interface on the instrument’s control computer.
- Major competitive automated colony picker systems use batch picking, so there is a delay in placing colonies into the destination plate. The delay may weaken E. coli or other bacterial colonies or cause death.
Specifications
- Dimensions measure 29” (73.7cm) W x 18” (45.7cm) D x 28” (71.1cm) H
- Standard configuration supports one or two inoculation plates
- High resolution USB camera and lens
- Software/camera images whole plate in 1 image field
- Automatic colony selection parameters based on: radius, amplitude, elongation, conformity, separation between colonies, size, shape, blue/white
- 20 tungsten picking pins rotate 360⁰ from picking to destination to vacuum to wash bath to heater coil
- 360˚ rotation allows for continuous picking and processing
- Tungsten pins heat and cool quickly allowing sterilization to be done with direct heat
- Barcode readers for source and destination plates are standard
- Unlimited number of image parameter files for different users and sample types
- Pick from segmented plates using onboard masks
User interface advantages
The RapidPick software supports a full range of choices ranging from fully automatic colony selection to fully manual selection. The user sets the orphology parameters including: Radius, Amplitude, Elongation, Conformity, and Separation, and the automatic mode will select colonies that meet those settings. The user can optionally review the image and add colonies or delete pre-selected colonies. The zoom feature allows the user to zoom in to view colonies close up and includes a ruler in millimeters that scales with size. Grid overlays or masks can be added to dish or tray images, allowing the use of segmented and multi-well plates.
Hudson’s RapidPick systems are designed to pick from petri dish, Nunc™ Omnitray™ or any standard 1, 6, 8, 24, 48 or 96-well microplate. They will inoculate SLAS 1, 24, 96, 384, or 1536 deepwell and standard height plates. A second destination plate option is available for archiving. Optional fluorescent or halo detection functionality is also available.
- RapidPicks are simple, robust picking systems that combine easy operation with high speed and durability.
- The RapidPick MP uses 20 pins for constant delivery of colonies to the destination plate by rotary action.
- Up to 2,500 picks per hour can be attained.
- The RapidPick MP is compatible with manual or automatic loading of petri dishes, Omnitrays and microplates.
- Barcode reading is included for source and destination plates.
- Tungsten pins are heat sterilized between colony picks, ensuring no cross-contamination of colonies.
Applications
- Colony Picking : Microbial colonies: Bacteria and yeast – any colony that can be manually picked with a toothpick
(see the Hudson Harvester for fungal applications) - Re-arraying: Move a colony from any source well to any destination well.
- Pooling: Select colonies from multiple source locations to move to one destination well.
- Plate Replication: Create copies of inoculated plates.