BiOS Automated Storage System by Hamilton Company

The system is offered in three different configurations—BiOS M, BiOS L and BiOS XL—which makes it capable of ensuring the integrity of 100,000 to >10 million sample tubes (based on 1.0 mL tubes in 96-position racks).

BiOS provides excellent temperature stability during sample storage in lid-covered chest freezer compartments. Special measures are taken to minimize warming events during internal processing, in addition to sample introduction and sample removal. One of the key components for this is our patented ultra- low temperature tube picker. As a result, BiOS prevents samples from significant temperature rises throughout their lifetime in the system.


Features & Benefits:

• Chest freezers guarantee ultra-low temperature— In the case of any process delay, malfunction, or system error, the cold stays pooled inside the storage compartment ensuring the temperature of the samples is maintained at temperatures down to -80°C.
• Ultra–low temperature picking—The ULT tube picker provides temperature stability throughout the sample’s entire workflow. Additionally, BiOS moves the tube picker to the storage location of the sample tubes instead of transporting the racks through warm -20°C air to a central tube picker. This minimizes robotic hand-offs and warming events.
• Simultaneous input/output—Racks of tubes or plates can be introduced or retrieved from BiOS while a pick list job is being performed. Additionally, users can introduce and retrieve samples individually or in bulk modes. This allows minimal temperature impact when handling samples outside the storage system on dry ice.
• Sample tracking—The samples’ locations are tracked throughout their lifetime in the system. Additionally, a temperature profile for each individual sample tube can be derived from the BiOS database.
• Security—Users may be granted differing levels of system operations with access restricted to specific sample sets.
• Scalable storage capacity—The capacity of the system can be scaled according to the specific needs of the customer, from 100K to >10 Mil sample tubes (based on 1.0 mL tubes in 96-position racks).
• Flexible storage and processing—BiOS provides storage for multiple labware types in configured compartments and picking of multiple tube types.
• Field upgradable—BiOS can be expanded without removing samples from their ultra-low temperature storage location.
• Automatic defragmentation— The automated defrag mode is an ongoing background process in the BiOS designed to optimize capacity at all times, even when no job is initialized by a user.
• Redundant refrigeration—BiOS provides an optional redundant refrigeration system to satisfy even the highest level of sample safety expected by users.
• Backup system—All refrigeration compartments are equipped with LN2 cooling backup in case of breakdown of the main power lines.
• No robotics in ultra low temperatures—All active automation and processing sensors are placed out of -80˚C areas in order to maximize reliability and allow maintenance and service to occur without warming up the samples.

Applications:

• Biobanking
• Forensics
• DNA and RNA research
• Drug discovery
• Life science research
• Pharmacogenomics
• Genotyping