YZi Labs, formerly known as Binance Labs, has announced a significant investment in Funes, an innovative AI-powered digital heritage project. This initiative is dedicated to the permanent preservation of humanity's cultural and architectural legacy within the digital realm, with the ambitious goal of establishing the world's most extensive open 3D architectural model archive.
The investment aligns with YZi Labs' strategic focus on developing an "AI-culture-real-world data infrastructure." Funes employs cutting-edge photogrammetry and computer vision technologies, powered by community contributions, to meticulously record human-made structures. This process captures everything from ancient temples and historical castles to venerable monasteries and contemporary buildings with remarkable 3D accuracy.
Preserving Physical Structures in a Digital Age
In an era characterized by rapid digital transformation, the physical structures that have stood for centuries are increasingly vulnerable to loss and decay. Funes was established to counteract this trend, aiming to safeguard these invaluable spaces for future generations. The platform envisions itself as an "eternal museum" for all human artifacts, drawing a parallel to Wikipedia's compilation of human knowledge by seeking to compile the world's physical memory.
Funes: A Growing Database for Visualization and Application
Hanyang Wang, Co-Founder of Funes, expressed enthusiasm for the platform's rapid growth. He stated that Funes has already become the largest online repository of real-world 3D architectural models. Wang further elaborated on the project's trajectory:
Funes has become the largest online database of real-world 3D architectural models. The models we collect will continue to increase in accuracy, scale, and dimensional richness. This database will provide a solid foundation not only for visualization but also for future commercial applications compatible with next-generation LLMs and computer vision technologies.
This extensive database is poised to offer a robust foundation for a wide array of applications, extending beyond mere visualization to encompass future commercial ventures that leverage advanced AI and computer vision capabilities.