An Amsterdam-based startup has received $25 million in funding to revolutionize the construction industry by employing robots for bricklaying!
Monumental aims to combine human expertise with artificial intelligence to offer solutions for constructing walls in housing and other building projects.
While the concept is not entirely new, the idea of using robot teams on construction sites presents both challenges and opportunities.
Various industries, such as data entry, factory work, cashier positions, and even taxis, are already seeing the impact of automation, and now construction is joining the list of sectors being exposed to AI and innovative solutions. A company called Hadrian X in the US is one of the pioneers in using masonry blocks to create structures.
According to a Tech Crunch report, the construction industry in the United States alone is worth approximately $2 trillion.
Construction has been described as a prime candidate for disruption through automation due to the physically demanding, labor-intensive, and sometimes hazardous nature of the work. Industrial robots are designed to overcome these challenges, but can they truly succeed?
Strong Backing and Prospects
Monumental was established in 2021 by Salar al Khafaji (CEO) and Sebastiaan Visser (CTO). Their compact, electric, autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs) roam freely on construction sites’ rough terrain to help contractors address labor shortages and escalating costs, focusing primarily on bricklaying.
“At Monumental, we’re dedicated to helping the industry tackle these challenges,” said al Khafaji.
“Our agile, intelligent, and adaptable robots and software merge human knowledge with robotic efficiency in an unprecedented way.”
The funding has been made possible through the primary support of Plural and Hummingbird, along with additional investments from Northzone, Foundamental, and NP-Hard Ventures.
This financial boost will facilitate additional hires, expand manufacturing capabilities, and enhance the robots’ AI capabilities to handle different types of bricks more effectively.
Image: Rodolfo Quiros/Pexels.
