# RoboClassical (DD-722) > In and around Carrara, Italy, studios such as Robotor use large multi-axis industrial robots to carve marble from 3D scans or digital models. Software turns the model into toolpaths and the robot removes stone. Bloomberg described a 4.5-ton robot working along nine axes. Robotor's co-founder Giacomo Massari told 60 Minutes the robots are about 10 times faster than hand carving, and says they do about 99% of the work. Skilled artisans still hand-finish the surfaces and details the machine can't reach, which can take months. Some Carrara sculptors object that robot-made work isn't true sculpture. - Department: Tech (also History) - First published: 2026-06-05 - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/roboclassical/ - Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department ## Quick facts - **DD-722-F01**: Robotor's co-founder says the robots carve about 10 times faster than hand tools. _(Write-up · Exhibit C (Speed))_ - **DD-722-F02**: Human artisans still hand-finish robot-carved statues. _(Write-up · Exhibit D (Humans still finish))_ ## Write-up Robot arms carving marble statues from 3D scans. In Carrara, robots now do most of the carving and humans do the finishing. 1. **From file to stone**: A scan or digital model is converted into a 3D file, and software generates the toolpaths the robot follows to carve the block. 2. **The machines**: Bloomberg described a 4.5-ton steel robot carving a statue while working along nine axes, able to twist, tilt and spin its tool. 3. **Speed**: Robotor co-founder Giacomo Massari told 60 Minutes the robot is about 10 times faster than working with hammer and chisel. 4. **Humans still finish**: The robot does most of the carving, but skilled workers refine the surfaces and details it can't reach. Massari has put it at about 99% machine and 1% human, though that last stage can take months. 5. **The debate**: Some Carrara craftsmen object. Diego Zampolini of the Cooperativa Scultori di Carrara has called a robot-finished sculpture 'a dead sculpture'. ## Related case files - [Self-Made Modular (DD-061)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/self-made-modular/): Another robot-built case - [Print Precision (DD-005)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/print-precision/): Another precision-fabrication case - [Aquatic Ambulances (DD-644)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/aquatic-ambulances/): Another case set in Italy - [BAPS NJ (DD-660)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/baps-nj/): Another case about marble carving at scale - [RoboWeaving (DD-716)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/roboweaving/): Another robotics case ## Reel vs. record - **Missing context**: robots rarely finish a statue alone. Skilled artisans hand-finish the details and surfaces, which can take months (60 Minutes; Euronews). - **Attribution**: the speed claims ('10 times faster', '99% machine') come from Robotor's co-founder, Giacomo Massari. - **Missing context**: robot carving is centered in Carrara, Italy, home of the famous marble, where studios like Robotor carve work for well-known artists. - **Missing context**: the practice is debated, and some Carrara sculptors say robot-made work isn't true sculpture. - **Precision**: the arms can be large, like the 4.5-ton, nine-axis robot Bloomberg described. The specific cutting tools vary by studio and weren't independently confirmed. ## Video: RoboClassical: Robot Arms Carving Marble Statues From 3D Scans - Duration: 29.2 s · Published: 2026-06-05 - File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DZOrIMNR3yo.mp4 ### Transcript DID YOU KNOW? Modern CNC robotic carving systems can recreate classical marble statues with astonishing accuracy by using digital 3D scans and computer-controlled cutting tools. The process begins with a high-resolution scan or digital model of a sculpture, which is converted into tool paths that guide a multi-axis robotic arm through thousands of precise movements. Using diamond-tipped cutters, the robot gradually removes material from a marble block, reproducing fine contours, drapery folds, and anatomical details that would take a human sculptor months or years to carve by hand. NOW YOU KNOW! ## Questions & answers **Q: Which Italian town is the center of robot marble carving?** A: Carrara, home of the famous marble. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (From file to stone) · Euronews: Carrara marble: Can a sculpture created by an AI robot be considered as art? (2026); Robotor (company site))_ **Q: How much faster than hand carving does Robotor say its robot is?** A: About 10 times faster, per Giacomo Massari. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (From file to stone) · Euronews: Carrara marble: Can a sculpture created by an AI robot be considered as art? (2026); Robotor (company site))_ **Q: Who finishes robot-carved statues?** A: Artisans hand-finish the surfaces and details. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (The machines) · Bloomberg Businessweek: The Robot Sculptors of Italy (2025))_ **Q: How many axes did Bloomberg's robot work along?** A: Nine axes. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Speed) · CBS News / 60 Minutes: Robots can sculpt marble, but some disagree if they're making art)_ **Q: What does the robot follow when carving?** A: Software turns the model into toolpaths. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (From file to stone) · Euronews: Carrara marble: Can a sculpture created by an AI robot be considered as art? (2026); Robotor (company site))_ ## Sources - [CBS News / 60 Minutes: Robots can sculpt marble, but some disagree if they're making art](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robot-role-marble-art-sculpting-60-minutes/) - [Bloomberg Businessweek: The Robot Sculptors of Italy (2025)](https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2025-robot-sculptors-marble/) - [Euronews: Carrara marble: Can a sculpture created by an AI robot be considered as art? (2026)](https://www.euronews.com/2026/09/24/carrara-marble-can-a-sculpture-created-by-an-ai-robot-be-considered-as-art) - [Robotor (company site)](https://www.robotor.com/) ## Cite this case file Easterling, Marcus. "RoboClassical." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-722, last updated Jun 5, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/roboclassical/