Application with multiple species
Demonstrated improvement in plantlet physiology leads to greater success in nursery operations generally. This translates into fewer stages, shorter residence time, and reduced attrition for most plants.
The SmartClone™ is a unique robotic system designed for a new paradigm of tissue culture for clonal plant propagation. It addresses the limitations of conventional tissue-culture methods by providing a more efficient and cost-effective solution, which also improves plantlet physiology. The key innovation is its "plantlet pod," which enables robotic handling, dramatically improving operator efficiency, increasing throughput, and allowing unparallelled ability to easily change media and gaseous composition.
Outperforming traditional methods
Precision & Accuracy
Precise control over micro-environmental conditions in plant tissue culture including media, hormones and gaseous formulations. This allows optimisation of growth conditions, including dynamic changes for each growth stage as needed.
Automation & Robotics
Increase efficiency and reduce labour-intensive tasks. Automated systems can handle tasks such as media preparation, sub-culturing, and environmental monitoring, leading to increased throughput and improved reliability.
Data Analysis
Realtime monitoring of various parameters can be used to identify trends, optimize conditions, or trouble shoot issues promptly. Data insights also contribute to better decision-making and process optimization.
SmartClone™ Options
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Sirius
Equipped with the advanced ABB IRB1100-4/0.58M robotic arm, which boasts a precision of 0.01mm and handling capacity up to 4,000 plantlets per shift.
Gemini
The Gemini, with its twin fingers and pod-stand platforms, doubles the handling capacity from 4,000 to 8,000 plantlets per shift. Also equipped with the advanced ABB IRB1100-4/0.58M robotic arm with precision of 0.01mm.
Potato
Mini-tuber yield tripled.
Strawberries
Faster nursery production.
Teak
Teak conventional (Left) cf SmartClone (Right) with
10x biomass (same age, same clone)
Frequently asked questions
Some of your questions may be answered below, however if you would like to get in touch to discuss your business needs please fill in the form above.
Why is SmartClone™ not fully automated without need for an operator?
Operators are adaptable to plant variation and provide a valuable QC role. By increasing throughput up to 20-fold labour costs are no longer dominant.
Does the operator have trouble keeping up with the robot?
No. The robot quickly moves pods, but only if the operator activates a pedal.
Is contamination an issue?
The SmartClone™ system is designed to reduce contamination. Operators do not reach into containers with pod access only by robotic tools that are frequently sterilised automatically. Lids have a double seal and anti-capillary barrier; internal condensate is guided away from the seal; gas exchange is facilitated by a large area of gas-exchange membrane that avoids need to open boxes during growth. Polypropylene vessels are sterilised by irradiation or autoclaving.
Do operators need special training?
Novices can learn to use in only a few minutes. Speed generally increases with familiarity - a rate of ~3 seconds per plantlet is achievable after a few batches.
Is it necessary to remove the pod or agar before nursery transfer?
Special pods allow gel to be retained while sugars are removed. This protects roots and avoids plant set-back. Pods can be left in place or easily popped off.
Are safety guards provided?
A guard rail is supplied as a standard feature.
Can the pods be accidentally dislodged from the pod-stand?
Locking pod-stands are available to securely hold pods. This is recommended with basal dissections where operators are more likely to dislodge the pods.
Can the vessels and pods be re-used?
The lids and boxes are readily re-used in conjunction with the Janus transplanter and Neptune washer. With SmartClone in the absence of the Janus transplanter, it is simple to combine manual transfer to soil with re-assembly of pods into the empty boxes for washing and re-use after autoclaving. Typically they can be re-used ten times, but many more re-uses are possible depending upon the care taken to avoid breakage or distortion.
What facilities are needed to install a SmartClone system?
It slides into a flow cabinet (D 600mm, W 1200mm, H 750mm) on a normal laboratory bench. Power 220-240V and compressed air (60-80 psi) is used.
Can the SmartClone robotic system be readily removed from the clean cabinet?
It is reasonably easy to slide the SmartClone system from the cabinet onto a trolley or bench of the same height.
What type of plants does it work with?
NuPlant has developed the SmartClone system to suit basal and aerial dissections with plants of essentially all forms. It can also interface with somatic embryogenesis for easier singulation. Custom changes to better suit specific applications can be explored as needed.
NuPlant provides the complete system.
The SmartClone™ robotic system operates in our Zephyros laminar flow cabinet. The Janus transfers plantlets to soil and the Neptune washer to allow the pods and boxes to be reused.
Check out our complete range to see how our system can work for you.