Nodexus: NX One
The NX One by Nodexus is a compact, benchtop system designed to make single-cell sorting and dispensing accessible and affordable for a wide range of laboratories. Utilizing proprietary microfluidic technology, it operates at pressures over 20 times lower than traditional fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) systems, ensuring gentle handling and high viability of cells. The system's plug-and-play design, user-friendly wireless interface, and contamination-free disposable cartridges allow even untrained users to perform cell sorting.
Capabilites
Mechanical engineering
Electrical engineering
Industrial Design
User Experience Design
User Interface Design
Manufacturing optimization
Program Management
Acorn Product Development partnered with Nodexus to bring the NX One to market by seamlessly integrating industrial design and engineering to create a compact, user-friendly, and highly functional benchtop cell-sorting device. Acorn’s engineering team overcame the technical challenges of integrating complex microfluidic systems and electronics into a streamlined, manufacturable enclosure. Simultaneously, Acorn’s industrial design team focused on crafting an approachable form factor and intuitive user interface that aligned with Nodexus’s vision of democratizing advanced cell sorting. The result was a polished, production-focused product that balanced form, function, and cost—accelerating Nodexus’s path from prototype to market launch.
Industrial Design: Modern Sophistication
Acorn’s team used its industrial and interface design capabilities to create a modern, approachable aesthetic for the NX One that reflects the sophistication of its internal technology while ensuring an intuitive user experience. The exterior design emphasizes simplicity and cleanliness, using soft contours, subtle detailing, and a compact footprint to make the device feel at home in a wide range of lab environments. To support Nodexus’s vision of making cell sorting accessible, the interface was designed to be highly intuitive—even for first-time users—featuring minimal controls, visual cues, and seamless integration with a wireless tablet-based UI. The result is a product that visually communicates ease-of-use and technical reliability, helping reduce the intimidation factor often associated with lab automation and empowering users to operate the system confidently and efficiently.
Engineering: From Concept to Consumable-Centric Design
Acorn’s engineering team delivered a comprehensive suite of services to bring the NX One to life, tackling complex challenges across multiple disciplines. Key engineering activities included:
Custom fluidics design for low-pressure microfluidic flow control
Optics packaging for precise cell detection
Motion control system design for cartridge and sample handling
Prototype builds and iterative testing for validation
Electrical engineering including PCB layout and embedded firmware development
A key focus throughout was designing around Nodexus’s proprietary consumable cartridge, the core of the cell-sorting process. Acorn carefully engineered the enclosure and internal systems to enable intuitive, contamination-free loading and secure engagement, ensuring seamless operation. This user-centered integration was essential to delivering the NX One’s plug-and-play experience and fulfilling Nodexus’s goal of making advanced cell analysis accessible to all labs.
Conclusion
Through close collaboration with Nodexus, Acorn Product Development helped transform the NX One from a promising concept into a market-ready product. By combining advanced engineering with thoughtful industrial and interface design, Acorn ensured the device was not only functional and manufacturable but also approachable and intuitive.
