California based R&D software developer Albert Invent has announced the completion of a $7.5 million seed funding round. The investment was led by Index Ventures, whilst Homebrew, F-Prime Capital, and prominent angel investors also participated.
Albert Invent’s key offering, called Albert, is a secure and collaborative end-to-end digital R&D platform. Albert is designed to remove innovation barriers caused by disconnected and siloed R&D processes, such as Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) and Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELNs).
The digital platform incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology for experiment simulations, and a growing database of industry standards and over 50,000 commercially available materials.
According to Albert Invent, this funding will be used to further grow their digital offering, and onboard more chemistry and materials science companies. These additions will help to expand the company’s influence within the $4.7 trillion chemicals and materials science industry.
“Albert exemplifies the type of software company we seek to back,” commented Paris Heymann, a Partner at Index Ventures. “The platform was developed by a team with deep industry expertise, built specifically for customers who are digitally transforming their R&D efforts and developing the lab of the future.”
“We are thrilled to partner on this journey to fundamentally change how physical products are created,” added Heymann.
Albert – an AI and ML driven R&D platform
Albert has reportedly been designed by and for scientists, connecting processes, data, and insights into a singular data source. This allows for faster and more secure workflows, according to Albert Invent.
Powered by AI and ML technology, Albert offers predictive material simulations and experimentation capabilities. Albert also tracks all current and past experiments into a standardized data framework, for easier collaboration and improved productivity.
Albert’s inventory module incorporates a pre-loaded library of over 50,000 commercially available raw materials, and is billed as one of the largest material inventories on the market. Material tracking is also automated, providing real-time information on stock levels, hazardous materials, and regulatory compliance.
Albert also includes a Worksheet feature, an integrated alternative to Microsoft Excel. This feature reportedly makes it easier for teams to design new formulations that result in fewer iterations. Additionally, Albert can automatically generate Safety Data sheets (SDS) and labels, allowing organizations to ship products faster and easier.
Albert already boasts a global customer network, with customers in over 30 countries reportedly experiencing substantial return on investment (ROI). According to Albert Invent, scientists are now able to work on 2-3x the number of projects, while increasing the value of their products.
Henkel, a leading producer of adhesives, sealants and functional coating, and 3D Systems, one of the largest 3D printing technology companies, both employ the Albert platform. Applied Molecules, a formulated coatings and adhesives manufacturer, is also highlighted as a key customer.
AI and 3D printing software
Artificial intelligence is currently one of the biggest buzzwords within the 3D printing industry. AI was highlighted as playing a key role in the future of 3D printing in this year’s 3D Printing Industry Executive Survey.
Earlier this year, Materialise launched its new Process Control software for metal 3D printing. This digital tool uses AI to automate the quality control process, analyzing and correlating layer data from the 3D printing process. This can drastically speed up the layer analysis process, allowing users to quickly locate problematic parts before post-processing and quality inspection.
Elsewhere, Authentise recently released a free feature that brings ChatGPT capabilities to 3D printing. This new AI offering, called 3DGPT, allows users to ask a range of questions related to additive manufacturing. The AI tool draws on general knowledge from OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and more specialist information found in the standard and academic journals, to provide relevant and informative responses.
“There are many ways we think that this tool might be useful inside our product portfolio – whether it’s to help create reliable and efficient workflows or make RFQ’s with many standards references more penetrable,” commented Authentise CEO Andre Wegner.
Finally, Nvidia has conducted research into a new AI model capable of converting 2D video clips into detailed 3D models. This new AI technology, called Neuralangelo, is said to surpass the challenges faced by alternative generative AI models, and can accurately reproduce repetitive texture patterns, homogenous colors, and strong color variations. Whilst Neuralangelo models cannot currently be 3D printed, an Nvidia spokesperson told 3D Printing Industry that this could be a future application of the tool.
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Featured image shows the Albert Invent Logo. Image via Albert Invent.
