AI robots can carve stone statues. buildings are next
fastcompany.com
fastcompany.com
We had a CNC machine that was able to cut out the broad strokes. We didn't use it much, however because it didn't really save time. 90% of the work went into the fine details and polish. I have no experience with stone, but I imagine the breakdown to be similar.
Seeing as how they're doing all the finishing work by hand I'm wondering how much labour they can really save with their robots. For a trained sculptor the broad strokes are the easy part, and the fun part. Then it's a bunch of tedium getting everything clean and smooth.
Like with other forms of bespoke automation, such as vibe coding, I'm afraid that once you factor in everything that goes into a project from concept to deliverables, you're not actually saving yourself much trouble.
“We’ll be using reinforcement learning to effectively come up with the optimal toolpaths to see a 3D model, and based on the curvature and the geometric forms, to choose what are the right tools, or what are the right angles of attack,” Springut says. “And when we do that, that’s what’s going to bring the cost of fabricating stone down by 80% to 90%.”