A device for testing the quality of a biological sample, preferably semen, in cooperation with an electronic apparatus, the device comprising; a slide slot adapted for receiving a slide containing a biological sample; a receiving surface adapted for receiving an electronic apparatus containing a camera, where the receiving surface comprises a through hole extending through said receiving surface; a light source arranged opposite the through hole; a lens arranged between the slide slot and the receiving surface, and adapted to magnify the image received at the receiving surface; where the slide slot is arranged between the light source and the through hole, the device further comprising a housing attached opposite the receiving surface, the housing having a shape allowing for a plurality of stable resting conditions in which the electronic apparatus lies on the receiving surface, and alignment between the camera and the through hole is maintained by friction.

A gripping apparatus includes: a temperature adjusting device held in a substrate wherein the substrate defines an open region; a phase change material held within the open region and thermally coupled with the temperature adjusting device such that a temperature change in the temperature adjusting device causes a temperature change in the phase change material; and a controller connected to the temperature adjusting device and configured to send a signal to the temperature adjusting device to change its temperature and thereby change the temperature of the phase change material that is thermally coupled with the temperature adjusting device. The phase change material is either in a solid state and configured to grip a stick or in a liquid state and the phase change material and configured to loosen its grip on the stick such that the stick is capable of moving through the phase change material.

A bag hanger has a main bracket body with a first leg configured for mounting the main bracket body on a support and a second leg extending from the first leg that is configured for hanging a bag. The second leg includes an open-ended slot that is accessible at a distal end of the second leg, the open-ended slot being sized to receive at least one hangable portion of the bag.

A specimen container holding apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus is configured to hold a container for receiving liquids from a bronchoscope. The apparatus includes a needle guide with a first and a second opening configured to receive a needle of the bronchoscope. The first and second opening may be disposed on a removable tip of the needle guide. The removable tip may be detachably connected to a removable tip connection point. The apparatus may further include a slide holder configured to hold a slide.

Embodiments of lab automation workstations are disclosed in which the pod that performs pipetting operations is integrated with pipette tip-loading functionality. To generate the necessary tip-loading force, a dual drive system is used that is symmetric about the Y-axis to allow for offset or partial tip box loads by dynamically centering the drive force (e.g., the tip-loading force) over the reaction load. This minimizes the need for oversized linear motion components while still allowing for the generation of high tip-loading forces needed to properly load a large number of pipette tips simultaneously.

A fluid laying device includes a manifold block. The manifold block defines a first channel, and also defines a first fluid inlet, a first fluid outlet, and several carrier interfaces. Each carrier interface has a first hole connecting one of a channel inlet and channel outlets of the flow cell carrier. The manifold block is provided with an inlet valve device, a bypass valve device, and outlet valve devices. The inlet valve device and the outlet valve devices are one-to-one corresponding to the carrier interfaces, and disposed on a fluid path from the corresponding carrier interface to the first channel. The first channel includes a first section and a second section. A bypass valve device is between the first and second sections to control connection and disconnection between the first and second sections. The inlet valve device connects the first section, and the outlet valve devices connect the second section.

An environmentally enhanced pipette tip rack includes a molded fibrous cellulose shell and an injection molded plastic tip deck; the shell and other features of the rack are configured for strength, minimal contamination, and to be biodegradable, compostable, or recyclable.

A sample rack includes a housing that has multiple spaces or compartments each for receiving and retaining sample containers of various sizes. The sample rack includes dual hooks on the ends for engaging a sample rack handling system. Chamfers formed in the housing of the sample rack assist in placing and removing the sample rack from a sample rack handling system. The sample tube rack also includes a handle that extends upward from one end and includes gripping features. A groove and bar, incorporated into each sample rack, are able to selectively interlock with adjacent racks to assist in lifting multiple sample racks together.

A rack for holding samples and various reagents, wherein the rack may be used for loading the samples and reagents prior to using the reagents. The rack accepts complementary reagent holders, each of which contain a set of reagents for carrying out a predetermined processing operation, such as preparing biological samples for amplifying and detecting polynucleotides extracted from the samples.

A device and a driving method for driving a microfluidic chip are disclosed. The device for driving a microfluidic chip includes a carrying member configured to carry the microfluidic chip; a releasing member configured to electrically connected to the microfluidic chip, and control the release of the reagent of the microfluidic chip a valve control member configured to control the opening and closing of the flow channel in the valve control area of the microfluidic chip when the valve control area is within the valve control range of the valve control member a fluid driving member configured to drive the flow of fluid in the microfluidic chip, and a controller configured to control the driving process of the microfluidic chip.