A device for the precise localization (better than 0.5 micron) of an object on a grid has been developed and connected to the translation system of an electron microscope. Applied to biological thin sections, this device enables to easily find and to observe a selected microcrystal projection obtained by the grid sectioning technique. Moreover, low dose observations on ribbons of ultrathin sections can be made because the information is repeated in the successive sections of the ribbon: With the device the position of the selected object is determined at high dose in one section and low dose measurement is made on the following section.