# One brick at a time: How Monumental uses robotics to build walls

- Show: [The Robot Report Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast)
- Published: 2026-09-11
- Length: 1h 18m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2026-09-11-one-brick-at-a-time-how-monumental-uses-robotics-to-build-walls
- Listen: https://soundcloud.com/robot-report-podcast/one-brick-at-a-time

## Summary

Salar al Khafaji, CEO and founder of Monumental, explains how his company automates on-site bricklaying by selling 'walls as a service' rather than robots. He details the fleet of custom mobile robots—Pizza, Petra, and Pantheon—that work together to extrude mortar and place bricks, guided by their software platform Atrium. Al Khafaji discusses the engineering challenges of using computer vision in harsh construction environments, the decision to build custom hardware because off-the-shelf AGVs didn't meet their needs, and the company's expansion into the UK and Netherlands.

## Chapters

- [27:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2026-09-11-one-brick-at-a-time-how-monumental-uses-robotics-to-build-walls#t=1629) Introduction: Salar al Khafaji and Monumental's Bricklaying Robots
- [1:03:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2026-09-11-one-brick-at-a-time-how-monumental-uses-robotics-to-build-walls#t=3780) Business Model: Selling Walls as a Service
- [56:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2026-09-11-one-brick-at-a-time-how-monumental-uses-robotics-to-build-walls#t=3372) Robot Fleet: Pizza, Petra, and Pantheon
- [48:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2026-09-11-one-brick-at-a-time-how-monumental-uses-robotics-to-build-walls#t=2926) Software and AI: Atrium and Computer Vision
- [1:00:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2026-09-11-one-brick-at-a-time-how-monumental-uses-robotics-to-build-walls#t=3631) Engineering Challenges: Mortar, Bricks, and Vision
- [1:10:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2026-09-11-one-brick-at-a-time-how-monumental-uses-robotics-to-build-walls#t=4207) Scaling and International Expansion

## Topics

- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Monumental (company)
- Pizza (product)
- Petra (product)
- Pantheon (product)
- Atrium (tool)
- Starlink (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Episode 150: House building robots - Vikas Enti](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-03-27-episode-150-house-building-robots-vikas-enti) (Robot Talk)
- [The Robotics Rundown: AI Agents, Secondary Markets & the Future of Construction](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/built-2-scale/2025-04-11-the-robotics-rundown-ai-agents-secondary-markets-the-future-of-construction) (Built 2 Scale)
- [Modularity in Robotics: A Vision for the Future](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2021-08-03-modularity-in-robotics-a-vision-for-the-future) (Over the Air)
- [Episode 72: Smart mobile robots for industry - Rafael Lopez](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2024-02-09-episode-72-smart-mobile-robots-for-industry-rafael-lopez) (Robot Talk)
- [Why Solar Deployment Speed Is the Real Climate Bottleneck with Deise Yumi Asami](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2026-04-02-why-solar-deployment-speed-is-the-real-climate-bottleneck-with-deise-yumi-asami) (Hardware to Save a Planet)

## Citing this page

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