Lab

A Physical AI Platform for Breakthrough Materials

UL Research Institute's Materials Discovery lab is a fully digital, AI-native facility built to drastically accelerate materials discovery. With integrated data capture, automation, and robotics, it transforms traditional research into a rapid, real-time innovation engine. 

Play button.
A Physical AI Hybrid

A new model for materials discovery

ULRI's Materials Discovery lab is reshaping the way materials are discovered and developed. As the world’s first AI-native lab, it captures data across every stage of discovery, from molecular modeling to device fabrication, integrating automation, robotics, and computational chemistry into one unified system. This approach accelerates breakthroughs and delivers a faster, more scalable path from concept to real-world impact.

Lab Legend
Physical Structure
Data Infrastructure
Back to Map
Close.
Back to Map
Close.
Back to Map
Close.
Back to Map
Close.
Back to Map
Close.
Back to Map
Close.
3D model of the MDRI lab and the layout of lab rooms.
Speed is the innovation

Why accelerate discovery?

Given the magnitude and urgency of today’s safety challenges, we cannot afford to move slowly. Traditional trial-and-error research conducted in physical labs limits how quickly new discoveries can emerge. Bringing materials to market can take years, sometimes decades, when waiting for results from outdated methods. To meet the moment, we must accelerate the pace of discovery and dramatically shorten the time it takes to bring breakthrough materials to market.

Accelerated methods drive faster discoveries.

Faster discoveries lead to greater impact.

Greater impact increases our return
on investment. 

These gains are not just technical. They unlock entirely new possibilities for what materials science can achieve. With the Materials Discovery lab platform, our researchers are advancing breakthroughs in clean energy, long-duration storage, and environmental remediation at a pace to match the global urgency.

Up next:

Materials Discovery Research

Explore our research focus areas to see how we are turning speed and precision into real-world solutions that address some of the planet's most urgent challenges. From clean energy to environmental recovery, this is where materials science meets global impact.