Second Life, a Chinese startup specializing in AI-powered digitization and personalized 3D printed figurines, has raised US$10 million in a Series A funding round.
The Hangzhou-based company, not to be confused with Linden Lab’s virtual world of the same name, aims to bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds so that “everything can be printed.” Using multi-color 3D printing, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital twin technology, the company is working to ensure “everyone has 3D digital twin assets,” according to investment support platform Shizune.
Reports from 36Kr and Tech in Asia indicate that this early-stage investment was led by Shenzhen tech firm Nano Labs, with co-investment from Chinese venture capital firm Daocin Capital. The new cash will reportedly be used to upgrade 3D printing technologies, enhance AI algorithms, and expand Second Life’s global store reach.
Second Life closes Series A funding round
Second Life uses 3D scanning and generative AI technology to create digital twins of people and pets. According to Panda3DP.com, the Chinese firm operates a 3D photography cabin capable of capturing 196 images and reconstructing digital models with 95% likeness in just 10 minutes. These models can be 3D printed into full-color figurines or used as virtual avatars.
The company reportedly has multiple stores across China, particularly in high-footfall locations like malls. It has also marketed its technology in Japan, Singapore, and Africa. Second Life’s team is said to include Professor Lu Bingheng from the Chinese Academy of Engineering as chief technical expert and Dr. Nan Zheng as the company’s chief AI algorithm engineer.
With its recent US$10 million investment, the Chinese startup aims to advance its three core strategies. According to 36Kr, this includes refining its “Everything Can Be Printed” and “3D Data Portal” systems, expanding its global store network, and developing a proprietary “Metaverse Cloud Platform. ”
Second Life claims to be the first Chinese technology company to achieve a fully integrated, closed-loop process encompassing “AI Generation – 3D Printing – Everything 3D Cloud Data.” Given that 3D scanning booths have been available for over a decade, it may be assumed that investors see potential in the AI dimension of the business plan.
AI-powered digital twins
Digital recreations of physical objects are a growing field, bolstered by the impressive pace of AI development. Last year, Facebook’s parent firm Meta launched a new Digital Twin Catalog (DTC), advertised as the world’s “largest and highest-quality 3D object model dataset.” Developed by Reality Labs Research, Meta’s virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) research unit, the catalog features over 2,400 digital twins of real-life objects.
Meta designed this repository to help advance 3D reconstruction research for e-commerce and immersive reality applications. The digital models reportedly offer millimeter-level accuracy and span a variety of day-to-day objects ranging from toys to kitchen utensils. Researchers can access the DTC to train, evaluate, and fine-tune AI and machine learning-based digital reconstruction techniques.
Facebook’s parent company also announced a partnership with e-commerce platform Shopify to advance research into the creation of digital twins. The partners aim to bridge the gap between the complexities and costs associated with digital recreation. They hope to make 7,000 additional digital twins available through a new academic competition that seeks to improve AI algorithms for creating digital twins.
Before this, Google Arts & Culture partnered with Scan the World, a London-based cultural heritage project. The collaboration works to make open-source, 3D printable art more accessible. Founded by Jonathan Beck in 2014, Ccan the World uses 3D scanning technology to digitize sculptures and art pieces from around the world. The digital twins are made freely available to educators, artists, and makers online.
The partnership with Google sought to grow this collection by making museum objects on its Arts & Culture platform viewable in 3D. Scan the World STLs are also available to download and 3D print from MyMiniFactory’s website.
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Featured image shows Second Life 3D printed figurines. Photo via Second Life.
