Our patented robots and handling systems can improve efficiency three to 20 fold, lower costs by up to 90%, and significantly enhance the quality of plantlets. Plants with better physiology require shorter nursery residence time, show negligible attrition, and lower costs.
The SmartClone™ robotic system operates in our Zephyros laminar flow cabinet to first propagate plantlets. At appropriate growth stages the SmartClone™ robot is then used to add or subtract any media component by simple transfer ofplantlets to boxes with different media. The Janus transplanter is then used totransfer plantlets to soil whilerecovering consumables. Finally, the Neptune washerallows the pods and boxes to be reused efficiently. NuPlant provides the completesystem.
Up to 3x increase in value & reduced unit costs
SmartClone™ plantlets have increased value, reduced unit costs and increased nursery success rates. The system can provide data to operators to improve management. There are two SmartClone™ models, the original Sirius and the more recent Gemini, which doubles production.
The Janus transplanter is synergistic with the SmartClone™ system. After a growth cycle and pre-hardening steps, it takes pods with grown plantlets, ejects agar plugs with corresponding plantlets to potting mix in nursery trays, then recovers empty pods, and re-assembles these in the original (now empty) growth box ready for cleaning and reuse.
After completion of growth and transfer of plantlets to the nursery by the Janus transplanter, the recovered SmartClone™ growth boxes contain only empty pods as the agar plugs (with plantlets) have been ejected. The Neptune Washer then efficiently washes these boxes without dis-assembly. This allows easy re-use of assembled growth boxes numerous times.
NuPlant’s consumables are washable and reusable up to ten times, resulting in substantial cost-savings for clients. NuPods, NuLids, and NuBoxes are containers with patented design that allows the robotic arm to efficiently and precisely move the pods. They also significantly improve plant physiology by controlling gas exchange, nutrients, and growth factors.
The Zephyros laminar flow cabinet is a horizontal flow clean cabinet designed to suit the SmartClone platform. The modular design can be shipped with half the volume of an assembled cabinet and allows simpler installation in less than an hour. Additional features such as adjustable spotlights help to focus on the dissection area.
The SmartClone™ is a unique robotic system designed for clonal plant propagation through tissue culture methods. It addresses the limitations of conventional tissue-culture methods by providing a more efficient and cost-effective solution. The key innovation is its "plantlet pod," which enables robotic handling, dramatically improving operator efficiency and increasing throughput.
The SmartClone™ system offers two models: the Sirius and the Gemini. Both models are equipped with the advanced ABB IRB1100-4/0.58M robotic arm, which boasts a precision of 0.01 mm. The Gemini, with its twin fingers and pod-stand platforms, doubles the Sirius's handling capacity from 4,000 to 8,000 plantlets per shift.
The Janus Transplanter is NuPlant’s newest robotic system. It is designed for seamless ex-vitro transfers and automates the entire transplantation process, relieving the cost of manual labour. The machine picks up a row of four plantlets from a growth box, moves these above a nursery tray, changes the spacing to match that of the cell in the tray, then splays the pod open, ejects the agar plug in which the plantlet is growing, and then returns the empty pods to the empty growth box before progressing to the next row of plantlets.
The Neptune Consumables Cleaner is a robust laboratory washer designed to thoroughly and efficiently clean NuPods and NuBoxes.
Created to complement the SmartClone™ System, the Zephyros Laminar Flow Cabinet (LFC) provides the controls and monitoring systems to optimize the plant tissue dissection and handling conditions. The base of the SmartClone™ platform is recessed into the cabinet base and becomes integral to the cabinet.
The NuPods, NuLids, and NuBoxes are not just containers. Their patented design allows the robotic arm to grip and move pods with precision and accuracy. More importantly, they allow significant improvement to physiology of the plantlets by facilitating gas exchange, dynamic change to nutrient composition and hormones, etc, leading to healthier and more productive plants.