GentleGrab
“Tweezers? Yes, but different”
Better Sensitivity. Better Performance. Better Results
You won’t believe how easy it is to transform the way of manipulation with sensitive samples.
More sensitive than tweezers
Whether you work with seeds, sensitive tissues or living organisms, the gentle manipulation makes the difference between good results and perfect laboratory work. GentleGrab presents specialized suction tweezers enabling the work even with particles of 150 μm to objects reaching up to tens millimeters.
With GentleGrab you enjoy non-invasive manipulation, with no worry about its potential damage.
Touch the sensitivity
We developed GentleGrab laboratory tool with respect to missing technologies allowing noninvasive sample manipulation especially those of micro-scale size.
Gentle grip and precise placement of individual sample are now fully under your control. Secure as is the water adhesion, more gentle than is the finest tweezer.
GentleGrab allows you to touch the samples by the most sensitive way – by air hand.
Example: Comparative seeding of Arabidopsis seeds by GentleGrab and Tooth-stick.
Both methods provide sensitive seed manipulation with minimal risk of seed coat or embryo damage (in contrast to tweezers). Seeds in both rows look similar and for a first instance, no difference is observed. GentleGrab provides sensitive seeding to both seeds and surface (compare surface shadows on image and inset). The quality of seeding is different, those seeds germinating under the surface (frequent case in tooth-stick usage) are not-optimal for real-time growth analysis and might influence total phenotypical traits.
Preciseness in detail
Details make the difference between the good and perfectly performed experiment. The steady hands are alpha and omega for laboratory preciseness and for the manipulation, with objects smaller than 1 mm this counts twice.
GentleGrab provides you the working comfort with minimal risk of sample damage, safely without touching the surface, where you need to place your sample.
Hands in comfort
Unique GentleGrab construction allows you to keep your hands steady.
The GentleGrab chassis has been designed with care for physiological handling. Special two-positional sensitive trigger, optimal weight for non-shaking hands and non-slip surface – all of these traits make GentleGrab unique and allows comfortable work with micro-samples in terms of hours.
Other benefits of using GentleGrab
GentleGrab is in here also to make the laboratory routine more comfortable. Unique features allow you to work with samples under optimal lighting, with better sample visibility while retaining the sample sterility. To achieve this, custom LED lighting, magnifier, and 10 μm size filters for sample safety are integrated.
The benefits of LED lighting are not just better sample visibility. It allows for making things different. You use GentleGrab for special purposes such as secure manipulation with plant samples under green lighting.
The GentleGrab safety with manipulation of semidry samples is ensured, based on the water adsorbents inside the H2O stop filter.
Working Range
GentleGrab allows you to grip, hold, place and spread samples with the use of sensitive air touch. Air-based sample manipulation in contrast to other laboratory tools and approaches represents noninvasive approach (sensitive manipulation, non-water use) and gives you unaffected results once you are fixating samples or you wish to sort and store material in its pure nature.
You can use GentleGrab under sterile experimental conditionsas well as for dirty work conditions.
The work with GentleGrab is no further limited to dry and semi-dry objects. Currently, we are testing GentleGrab using water-reservoir, with promising results.
- minimal object size – 150 μm maximal object size – tens of
- millimetres* maximal object weight holding 20g (using suction pads)
(*depends on object weight and surface type)
(all functions are adequate to diameter of nozzle, object weight and shape)
Simple Use
– Nozzles from surgical steel of various diameter and length
– Polypropylene flexible nozzles
– Silicone suction pads
Human Health
When developing GentleGrab tool, eye protection has been important. The resolution limit of the eye depends on the contrast, brightness, and the number of observed details. If eyes stare for long periods at miniature objects under dim lighting, it forces them to work harder than usual. Despite its adaptability, the human eye, unlike any optical instrument, might get tired easily. Above that, focusing on miniature objects tends to less frequent blinking. People usually blink about 18 times a minute and thus naturally refreshes the eyes. But people only blink about half as often while reading or focusing on small objects. This can result in dry, tired and burning eyes and later on to focusing troubles and blurred or double vision symptoms. GentleGrab has been designed to prevent eye fatigue and possible described symptoms emergence. To achieve better contrast and optimal object magnification the LED light source is incorporated and a removable magnifying glass is provided.
References
Marek Randuch (2020) Elucidating the mechanism and alternative pathways of cytokinin signalling. Thesis, Masaryk University, Page 29
Jonas Blomme, Júlia Arraiza Ribera, Ward Develtere and Thomas B. Jacobs (2022) A Simple and Low‐Tech Heat‐Shock Method to Increase Genome Editing Efficiency in Plants. Current Protocols.2(12).