Automated plaque picking and arraying on a robotic system equipped with a CCD camera and a sampling device using intramedic tubing

Abstract

This report describes an automated method of M13 plaque identification using a monochrome charge coupled device (CCD) camera and picking and arraying of selected plaques using intramedic tubing as the inoculating mechanism. M13 plaques are identified in round petri dishes using industrial vision techniques and specifically designed software. Intramedic polyethylene tubing segments provided by a tubing spool attached to the sampling system are used to harvest individual plaques. The tubing segment carrying the plaque on its tip can be deposited either in a dry tube or in a tube containing culture media, without affecting the quality of the DNA sequencing results. The basic components of the positioning, imaging, and sampling systems are described, along with detailed steps of the plaque identification procedure and of the custom-designed sampling system's operation. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.