HUDSON LAB AUTOMATIONAutomated Colony Picking Instruments
Browse our range of automated colony pickers and solutions. Contact our team today to learn more.
Versatile Colony Picking for any Application or Scale
The RapidPick family from Hudson Lab Automation includes standalone colony pickers and fully integrated workcells, all powered by advanced, AI-ready imaging and workflow software.
Designed for seamless integration into automated workflows through Hudson’s scheduling software, robotic arms, and liquid handling tools, RapidPick systems can be incorporated into complex upstream and downstream processes with ease.
RapidPick Complete Colony Pickers
Discover the ultimate solution for automated colony picking with Hudson’s RapidPick™ Complete Colony Pickers. These fully automated high-throughput workcells offer unparalleled performance and precision, revolutionizing colony picking processes in the life science industry.
The Complete version of the system contains the multi-pin picking unit (RapidPick MP), along with a PlateCrane robotic arm, 10 microplate stacks, a Micro10x media dispenser, an adhesive plate sealer and a stand-alone enclosure. Upgrades include optional UV and HEPA filtration, GFP fluorescence colony picking, Halo detection and a LiCONiC automated shaking incubator.
The RapidPick™ is designed to pick from SBS-compatible omni-trays, segmented colony plates, 24-well, 96-well and 384-well plates and petri dishes. It will inoculate SBS-compatible omni-trays, 24-well, 96-well and 384-well deepwell and standard height plates.
Applications
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Synthetic biology: supports full pipeline from automated oligo synthesis and gene assembly through transformation, colony picking and plasmid preparation.
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Colony picking: bacterial, yeast and fungal; Easy-to-use, but sophisticated software interacts with the picker and the incorporated camera to identify and select appropriate colonies.
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Protein expression & purification: integrates with Hudson’s broader automation tools.
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Re‑arraying & replication: handles source/destination plates efficiently in a compact workcell.
Specifications
| Plate Format – Pick From | SLAS compatible omni-trays, segmented colony plates, 24-well, 96-well and 384-well plates and petri dishes |
| Plate Format – Inoculate to | SLAS compatible omni-trays, 24-well, 96-well and 384-well deepwell and standard height plates. |
| Control Software | SoftLinx™ (Plugins are available to communicate with all Hudson Robotics instruments and over 200 instruments from other manufactures) |
| Imaging | High resolution USB camera and lens |
| Tungsten Pin Cleaning | Quick heat and cool steps allow sterilisation to be done with direct heat |
| Colony Picking Rate | 1 pick every 1-1.5 seconds; ~40 a minute, ~2400+ per hour |
| Colony Selection | Based on radius, amplitude, elongation,conformity, separation between colonies, size, shape, blue/white |
RapidPick Lite Colony Picker
The RapidPick ‘Lite’ offers all the capacity, throughput and picking/re-arraying features of the RapidPick Complete, but without the liquid dispenser or microplate sealer. The RapidPick Lite averages 2,400 colonies per hour and includes the RapidPick MP, a PlateCrane Robotic Arm and 5 plate stacks. The RapidPick Lite’s small footprint saves lab space and easily fits into anaerobic chambers and biosafety hoods.
Using the RapidPick Lite, users can manually load a colony plate and a media-filled target plate in the plate stacks of the PlateCrane robotic arm, then start the automated picking through an easy operator interface on the instrument’s control computer.
RapidPick MP: 20 Pin Colony Picker
The RapidPick MP is the fastest, most accurate automated multi-pin colony picking system in the world with over 99% inoculation rates and typical speeds of picking over 2,400 bacterial colonies per hour. The small footprint saves lab space, allows for easy cleaning and fits into anaerobic chambers for microbiota research and biosafety hoods.
The RapidPick MP is at the heart of the Complete and Lite systems which include robotic plate loading, media filling as well as other features, such as plate sealing in the RapidPick Complete Workcell.
The RapidPick MP is intended for researchers who need the accuracy and high outgrowth rates of the RapidPick colony-picker, but whose workload doesn’t require the added automation available in the Complete or Lite systems.
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.
Specifications
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 737 x 457 x 711 mm |
| Plate Format – Pick From | Petri dishes, Nunc™ Omnitray ™ or any SBS plates, including: 1, 6, 8, 24, 48 and 96-well plates |
| Plate Format – Inoculate to | SBS 1, 24, 96, 384, 1536 deep well and standard height microplates |
| Control Software | SoftLinx™ (Plugins are available to communicate with all Hudson Robotics instruments and over 200 instruments from other manufactures) |
| Imaging | High resolution USB camera and lens |
| Tungsten Pin Cleaning | Quick heat and cool steps allow sterilisation to be done with direct heat |
| Colony Picking Rate | Up to 2,500 colonies per hour |
| Colony Selection | Based on radius, amplitude, elongation,conformity, separation between colonies, size, shape, blue/white |
RapidPick SP: Single Pin Colony Picker
Hudson’s RapidPick SP brings the precision of the acclaimed RapidPick multi‑pin systems into a compact, single‑pin format built for modern molecular biology workflows. Designed for labs that need reliable automated colony picking and robust data handling—without the demands of ultra‑high throughput—the RapidPick SP delivers dependable medium‑throughput performance at around 250 colonies per hour.
Its small footprint makes it an easy fit on standard benchtops and perfectly suited for microbiome research inside anaerobic environments, including Coy Chambers, where accurate single‑colony isolation is essential. The RapidPick SP gives researchers a streamlined, automation‑ready solution for consistent, high‑quality colony picking in constrained or specialised lab spaces.
Specifications
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 600 x 482 x 741 mm |
| Plate Format – Pick From | Petri dishes, Nunc™ Omnitray ™ or any SBS plates, including: 1, 6, 8, 24, 48 and 96-well plates |
| Plate Format – Inoculate to | SLAS 1, 24, 96, 384 or 1536 deepwell and standard height microplates |
| Control Software | Intuitive and user-friendly |
| Imaging | High quality USB camera and lens |
| Tungsten Pin Cleaning | Quick heat and cool steps allow sterilisation to be done with direct heat |
| Colony Picking Rate | Up to 250 colonies per hour |
| Colony Selection | Based on size, shape, separation from neighbours, blue/white; fluorescent imaging option is available |
RapidPick Harvester
The RapidPick Harvester™ identifies and extracts sample plugs of stem cell clusters, microbial colonies, or fungal samples grown on agar or in semi-solid media. This robotics picking platform is uniquely easy-to-use, accurate and durable.
Equipped with a digital camera, the Harvester allows the researcher to manually identify sample locations across the microplate or omnitray, or to run any of a variety of imaging programs to automatically select qualified colonies or samples for picking. The Harvester then stores the image and selection coordinates for later picking, or can be directed to pick the selected samples right then. The extracted sample plugs are then transferred to a media-filled growth plate for outgrowth and testing. The Harvester is perfect for stem cell research.
Options include automated media filling, seal application/removal and incubation.
Specifications
| Plate Capacity | 4 to 6 positions; up to 150 plates with optional PlateCrane accessory. |
| Plate Format | SBS standard footprint, any well configuration, or 4-inch Petri dish |
| Pipettor/picker unit | Stainless steel main deck; powder-coated steel upper arm covers over machined aluminium structural components |
| Enclosure | Anodised aluminium frame, with Lexan sliding access doors |
| Spill Protection | All electronics protected by solid, non-penetrated cover to prevent any leakage onto electrical devices |
| Arm Mechanism | Horizontal Travel/Vertical Stroke: x=22.5″; y=9.3″; z=4.0″ |
| Pipettor/picker unit (W x D x H) | 749 x 495 x 610 mm |
| Enclosure (W x D x H) | 1524 x 838 x 914 mm |
| Weight | 23kg; ~54kg w/ enclosure; ~75kg w/ PlateCrane |
| Power Requirements | 120-240 VAC, 50-60Hz, 2Amps Max at 120 |
| Computer Interface | RS-232 serial cable |
Why Choose Verulam Scientific?
Verulam Scientific is the UK distributor for many highly reputable US and European manufacturers, and we are committed to providing unrivalled quality on products and services. Our curated team of industry professionals have been delivering innovative solutions and reliable instruments to customers since 2009.
What Do Our Customers Say?
You can read what our past clients—including institutions like the University of Oxford, the University of Edinburgh, and Vernalis Research—have to say about their partnerships with Verulam Scientific on our Testimonials page linked below.
Colony Picker FAQs
What is automated colony picking
Automated colony picking uses robotic systems with imaging software to identify and transfer colonies. The technique is commonly used in high-throughput and biotechnology laboratories.
How is carryover and contamination prevented?
Contamination and carryover is prevented using water washing and reliable heat-coil sterilisation. Washing removes loose debris from the pins. They are then sterilised with direct heat. The tungsten construction allows the pins to rapidly cool before being used for picking again.
Can I integrate my colony picker with other instruments?
RapidPicks are designed to easily work with other Hudson instruments, as well as instruments from other manufacturers, allowing you to automate complete workflows. Add incubators, media dispensers, microplate sealers, barcode readers and over 200 other instruments to your workcell.
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