The Classic Gilson Microman Pipette works by air displacement. An air space forms between the disposable pipette tip and the nondisposable piston that drives the liquid forward. The Bio Gilson Microman works by positive displacement. The capillary tube and the piston are disposable, and an air space does not separate them. This prevents aerosol formation, minimizing contamination.
Robots can perform the highly repetitive tasks of liquid handling.
The Biomek 2000 Laboratory Automation Workstation does practically everything but design experiments-it can be programmed to pipette, dilute, dispense, heat and cool, and wash plates, as well as transfer liquids. The system also provides an audit, tracking and recording every step. In our view, one of the most significant benefits of automated liquid handling is not so much speed and throughput, but precision and reproducibility of assays. It uses disposable and nondisposable pipette tips and can adapt tip spacing to particular container set-ups. It is an automated pipettor, operated via a syringe filled with a diluent.