Enhancing environmental testing through automation.
Enabling microbiologists to scale processes and efficiencies with reliable testing results
Complete colony counting automation
The challenge
In microbiology labs for food testing and water testing, counting colonies is a critical, but time-consuming process.
Our solution addresses the limitations encountered by labs that want to improve their processes and accuracy of output.
Human accuracy
Humans can only work so fast, especially when manually counting colonies. But when mistakes happen, data integrity is at risk and precious time is wasted.
Staffing
Manually carrying out repetitive tasks day-in day-out is time consuming. As a result staff turnover is high and labs are understaffed.
Manual scale
Labs may not be able to increase output if they are already working to maximum capacity due to manual processes.
The solution
Automata Labs’ automated colony counting solution integrates a robotic solution to increase scale, quality and walk away time for lab workers.
The solution is a highly-flexible modular automation station, able to fit into labs of all shapes and sizes.
Machine precision
By using automated vision instruments, labs can increase quality and ensure consistent reliability of results.
Scalable
Able to run at maximum capacity with minimal human input, countings are completed quicker than ever before.
Walkaway time
By automating processing and digital data capture, staff are now freed up to more important analysis and verification work.
Colony counting is better with robotics
Robotic enabled colony counting for environmental testing
By combining benchtop instruments that integrate together such as Interscience Scan 4000tm and SciRobotics PetriSel, our solution automates the colony counting process by handling and counting plates at a rate of 10 seconds per plate from start to finish.
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Storage and carousel
The SciRobotics PetriSel dish storage carousel contains 12 stackers containing up to 15 petri dishes and includes a sensor that counts the number of dishes in each tower. Capacity can be increased if required.
Automata Labs Eva
Automata’s proprietary 6-axis robotic arm enables the movement of petri dishes between storage and colony counter analysis. Designed to hold petri dishes from 55mm to 120 mm, it has a small footprint and 1.25kg payload perfect for microbiology labs.
Colony counter
The Interscience Scan 4000 Ultra-HD automatic colony counter contains a 5 megapixel 69x zoom camera capable of detecting minimum sizes of colonies above 0.05mm. It can count on 55 - 150mm round petri dishes and up to 120 mm square petri dishes, and can count on pour, surface, spiral, and circle mode plated dishes.
Total lab automation solutions
Our automated workflow solutions are flexible and can be adapted to meet specific lab requirements across diagnostics, drug discovery, microbiology, virology and genomics.
Some of our clients
Resources
NHS partners with Automata to automate testing facility
Discover how University Hospital Southampton (UHS) rapidly scaled up capacity to meet new high throughput targets
Read case study
Using automation to improve your diagnostic efficiency
Efficiency in lab diagnostics is critical to ensuring the best possible patient outcomes. Here’s how to use automation to help you reach a better efficiency.
Read the full guide
Scaling diagnostic testing with lab automation
Efficiency in lab diagnostics is critical to ensuring the best possible patient outcomes. Here’s how to use automation to help you reach a better efficiency.
Read full case study
University Hospital Southampton (UHS) NHS Foundation Trust has signed a commercial collaboration agreement with Automata to develop new applications for laboratory automation technology
Cell culture labs are labour intensive which can contribute to a poor working environment. Can automation help?