Monumental Labs Turns to Automation and Robots to Revive Stone Carving

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Monumental Labs, a New York-based startup founded in 2022, is leveraging advances in automation and machine learning to revive the art of stone carving. The company's founder, Micah Springut, is overseeing the transformation of a 37,000-square-foot industrial warehouse in Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood into the future home of Monumental Labs. The new space will house seven robotic arms, cutting tools, and infrastructure for moving heavy stone blocks, as well as an on-site team of human carvers who will contribute the finishing touches. Springut argues that mechanization is a means to make the centuries-old craft more affordable and appealing to clients, architects, and builders.

Why it matters

Stone carving has long been considered a highly skilled and labor-intensive craft, making it challenging for architects and builders to incorporate into their projects. Monumental Labs' approach of leveraging automation and robotics aims to make the art form more accessible and cost-effective, potentially leading to a resurgence in the use of carved stone elements in contemporary architecture and design.

The details

Monumental Labs is currently renting a small portion of a stone fabricator's workshop, but the company is expanding into a much larger space in Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood. The new 37,000-square-foot facility will house seven robotic arms, cutting tools, and infrastructure for moving heavy stone blocks weighing up to 20 tons. The company will also have a woodshop for crating objects and a gallery space. Springut, who learned stone carving at the Art Students League of New York, argues that mechanization is a means to make the craft more affordable and appealing to clients, architects, and builders, with robots handling the heavy lifting and human carvers contributing the finishing touches.

• Monumental Labs was founded in 2022.
• The company is currently renting a small portion of a stone fabricator's workshop.
• Monumental Labs is in the process of transforming a 37,000-square-foot industrial warehouse in Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood into its new home.

What they’re saying

What’s next

Monumental Labs is planning to move into its new 37,000-square-foot facility in Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood, which will allow the company to expand its operations and take on more ambitious projects, including work involving reinforced structural stone.