Monumental Labs is dragging the ancient craft of stonemasonry into the 21st century, one marble block at a time. The New York-based startup has kitted out 7-axis industrial robot arms with the finesse to mill massive stone slabs into intricate masterpieces with terrifying precision. By letting the robots handle the heavy lifting—a move they reckon could eventually slash fabrication costs by a staggering 90%—human artisans are freed up to focus on the delicate, irreplaceable finishing touches. It seems Michelangelo’s modern-day successor is less likely to carry a mallet and more likely to require a software update.
