Towards future at light speed – with data science and AI

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OmegaLambdaTec pioneering with prototype.club

Since it was founded, the start-up from Garching (Munich) has been taking on new challenges with smart data solutions. With their data science team of research-experienced astrophysicists and physicists, they have already created over 3,000 of their own algorithms and ready-made solution modules using state-of-the-art artificial intelligence methods. 

With their innovative approaches, they have already been represented several times at prototype.club challenges – and with success! For GEA’s challenge at Anuga FoodTec as part of the DLG.prototype.club, they took the customer a big step further towards ecological sustainability.

CEO Dr. Rene Fassbender and Data Scientist Dr. Thomas Jackson (responsible for OmegaLambdaTec at the GEA challenge) answered a few questions for us.

With two consecutive wins at the DLG.prototype.club, you have achieved a remarkable performance. What motivated you to take part a second time?

Dr. Thomas Jackson:

A key driver for our renewed participation in the DLG.prototype.club lies in my personal history and roots. As a child, I grew up on a farm with its own dairy, run by my parents, and therefore developed a deep familiarity with this world. 

For me, taking part in the GEA Challenge, with its goal of paving the way to Zero Freshwater in the Dairy Industry, is a return to my origins. From this personal background, I have led the Challenge from start to finish and am now looking forward to the upcoming MVP phase with GEA. It has been a fascinating challenge for our team as we are immersed in a new industry. Nevertheless, we have already been able to successfully transfer numerous solution components and our expertise from existing applications to the GEA Challenge.

However, not only GEA, but also AGCO with its brand Fendt, who submitted a challenge on multi-path optimization for autonomous collaboration of field machines, are enthusiastic about our Challenge winners, OmegaLambdaTec. 

Dr. Thomas Jackson:

We have already made significant progress with AGCO/Fendt. Our Smart Farming MVP for multi-route optimization has been fully developed and is currently being integrated into AGCO’s IT systems and tested intensively. In a few weeks, the final presentation to AGCO/Fendt management will take place, where we can be proud to show how quickly we can bring new AI solutions and digital innovations to market together. 

This successful development also shows once again that bringing together the right skills and sponsors is crucial to creating an innovative future. How will the collaboration between OmegaLambdaTec and GEA continue?

Dr. Thomas Jackson:

The final of the GEA Challenge was only a few weeks ago. In a short workshop, we worked with the GEA project team to define the goals for the upcoming 100-day phase towards a minimum viable product (MVP) and translated them into a concrete offer. The implementation phase is imminent and will already include numerous data science innovations for the dairy industry.

Data science and AI in agricultural and food technology was hardly a topic until a few years ago. How do you see future developments here?

Dr. Thomas Jackson:

Climate change and the resulting urgency for sustainable, climate-neutral production open up enormous potential for advanced data science and AI solutions. Both agriculture and the dairy industry play a crucial role in our daily lives, but are also significant producers of greenhouse gas emissions. New DeepTech technologies, especially AI, offer promising opportunities to significantly reduce these emissions. The new joint solutions with AGCO and GEA serve as important practical examples to make this potential tangible and demonstrate how innovations can make an effective contribution to climate protection.

We are always happy to be able to get such great collaborations off the ground. But what makes the innovation competitions at prototype.club special for you compared to other platforms?

Dr. Rene Fassbender:

The prototype.club innovation competitions are characterized by their efficient format, which quickly separates those with real substance from the competition. In the field of artificial intelligence, in particular, big promises are often made and impressions are made with appealing PowerPoint presentations.

„With prototype.club it is essential to put your cards on the table (…) and show what the company and the team can really achieve.“

With prototype.club, however, it is essential to put your cards on the table after 10 days at the latest and show what the company and the team can really achieve. Our team particularly enjoys these high-speed development phases for innovative challenge solutions.

Taking part in prototype.club has undoubtedly paid off for your company. Why would you recommend other start-ups to take part as well? And why should companies present their challenges at prototype.club?

Dr. Rene Fassbender:

The challenges at prototype.club are not only very exciting, but also extremely productive. Impressive results can be achieved in just two weeks, which are of great value to both us, OmegaLambdaTec and the participating companies. Our collaboration with the companies has always been positive and the interaction with the other contestants educational and friendly. 

„…challenges at prototype.club are the most efficient and exciting way for us to find the right partner companies“

Ultimately, it’s about finding the right partnerships between established companies and innovative start-ups to achieve long-term success together and make a positive impact. The challenges at prototype.club are the most efficient and exciting way for us to find the right partner companies in new application areas. We quickly show these partners the enormous synergies and potential that can arise from working together.