Unitylife

Complete confocal microscope for live cell imaging.

Introducing the Aurox Unitylife, a new breed of all-in-one, compact laser-free confocal microscope system designed for ease of access and ease of use in your laboratory, at your bench.

Unity brings together in one fully integrated, compact and easy to use microscope, everything you need for live-cell confocal imaging.



For visual examples please click here!

Tap into digital control

with Unity’s iPAD Pro

Unity comes complete with an iPad Pro tablet computer for full fingertip control.

The iPAD communicates directly with Unity over a dedicated and secure private wireless connection, issuing commands and visualising data saved on Unity’s built in image server.

For speed of data stream response, images are optimised for fast feedback and display on the iPAD. The full high resolution collected images are permanently stored on Unity’s internal server.

The iPAD works only as a remote control and viewing platform, issuing commands and receiving feedback. All command actions are controlled by Unity’s internal control software and firmware.


Tap, Drag, Swipe

with Unity’s iOS software

Unity iOS provides all the functionality required for the set-up, control and review of confocal and widefield imaging experiments in a quick and easy to use iPAD application.

Imaging is easy with Unity.

Simply:

  • Tap
  • Drag
  • Swipe

Do your plates, dishes

and slides too, with Unity sample holders

Unity is supplied with three interchangeable sample holders allowing you to image all your samples, whether they are mounted in multi-well plates, petri-dishes or slides.

Each of the Unity sample holders has a retention system to hold the sample securely in the holder and a three point magnetic location system which connects to Unity’s XY stage on loading. This system ensures the sample holder position is securely held throughout imaging experiments.



See the light

with Unity’s bright, safe, LED

Our spinning disk confocal technology is upto 50% more light efficient than our competitors, meaning Lasers are not needed.

Instead, Unity uses a built in multi-spectral LED light source of high brightness and based on the CoolLED pE-300Ultra, making Unity:

  • Free from laser safety restrictions;
  • Low photo-toxicity;
  • Low photo-bleaching;
  • Low maintenance;
  • Low cost of ownership.


Big up your image

with Unity’s 2x(4MPix) scientific CMOS camera

At the heart of Unity is a custom designed large format and high performance sCMOS digital detector. Developed in collaboration with Ximea, the camera has been designed specifically for use in Unity and for confocal imaging experiments.

Unity’s camera has a novel design, consisting of two 2k x 2k scientific grade CMOS chips mounted side by side with shared electronics such that the two chips are pixel to pixel registered allowing Aurox’s patented approach to laser-free confocal imaging.

Unity uses the camera to record both confocal and widefield images in both the low magnification sample overview mode (large field of view of 4mm x 4mm) and also in the high magnification 4-100x mode for the imaging of high resolution Z-stacks.

Play all the angles

with Unity’s patented optical path

The patented optical path is central to the design of Unity and its enabling technology. It allows sample imaging from both above and below the sample, providing confocal and widefield imaging whilst maintaining an extremely compact size.


See the big picture..

with Unity’s 3x sample overview

Unity sees things differently, using a built in 3.25x magnification opto-electronic lens positioned above the sample position.

This low magnification lens provides a 4mm field of view, multi-channel, overview image of the sample from above the multi-well plate, petri-dish or slide.

Switching between overview (low) magnification and high magnification is virtually instantaneous and the decoupling of the respective lenses allows you to switch back and forth at anytime without the need to adjust the focus.

..and View the fine details

with Unity’s high magnification objective

Unity comes with both a low magnification (3.25x) overview; used for bulk sample imaging and an integrated high magnification objective lens for detailed study. The high magnification objective is customisable at point of order and can be selected from 20-60x magnification Nikon oil, water or dry lenses.


Glide through life

with Unity’s re-invented motorised XY stage

Carrying is hardwork. Regular microscope stages carry the sample, sample mount, incubator, and most of all, the heavy microscope stage itself, all are driven by large heavy duty motor assemblies.

Unity is different. Sample is mounted on our holder which glides horizontally on a low friction glass plate like a hockey puck. Pushing is done by two ultra compact precision magnetic motors moving along guide poles.

Take it eaZZZZy

with Unity’s Objective Z-drive

Instead of moving the sample stage up and down Unity moves the objective lens.

The high magnification objective is mounted on a piezo motor Z-drive and focusing is achieved by moving the objective closer or farther away from the sample. This enables enormous focus range of several cm.

When collecting a Z-stack, the objective Z position is driven in one smooth continuous motion as the individual image slices in Z are recorded.


Embrace the process

with Third Party Processing and Analysis Software

For a closer look and post processing, you can simply read Unity OME.TIFF image data directly into a wide range of third party image processing software, including:

  • DRVision Aivia
  • Image-J/Fiji
  • Media Cybernetics Image Pro 11
  • Andor Imaris

Unity data is fully compatible with post processing algorithms such as 3D SRRF, SOFI, Huygens and Microvolution.

Live long and prosper

with Unity’s Incubator and CO2

Unity’s red cased incubator sample stage provides heating and CO2 gas connections for sample environment control, allowing your live-cell samples to be maintained at 35-37 degrees Celsius and under the set CO2 concentration for the duration of your longer term imaging experiments. Hypoxia studies are equally possible with suitable gas supply.

For external CO2 gas supply we recommend the climate solutions from Bioptechs or OkoLab. The low volume and gas consumption of Unity allows to run live experiments from domestic 425 g CO2 bottles.






For visual examples please click here!

Key specifications
Confocality 0.6 μm (FWHM) with 1.4 N.A oil objective
Disk 1 sector structured illumination disk.
Minimum exposure 20 ms
Maximum frame rate Up to 40 fps (1 colour)
Up to 13 fps (3-colours)
Imaging channels 3 integrated filter channels, DAPI, FITC, TRITC.
Channel switching Instantaneous.
Detector Integrated sCMOS 2x (2048 x 2048), 6.5 µm pixels.
Excitation range 370 – 700 nm
Emission range 410 – 750 nm