By Hossein Ataei, Ph.D., P.E., P.Eng., F.ASCE

As the construction industry continues to grow in size, number of projects and level of sophistication, it also remains one of the most dangerous businesses. Between these forces and the fast pace of technological advancement, the industry is increasingly able to achieve a high level of efficiency while also offsetting safety and bottom line risks.

Construction technology fall in a variety of categories. Here are some that are gaining the most traction with both contractors and owners:

Wearables help monitor and guard workers’ well-being

New technologies have enabled wearables, or “smart gear” and Wi-Fi-enabled PPE that can connect to the company’s network and transfer important and vital information – in the form of big-data – on the construction workers’ health and well-being to the company’s main database. Some of the applications include:

  • Wearables that constantly monitor workers’ vital signs, particularly in riskier environments, like higher elevations, can predict their productivity and fatigue, and can reinforce safe distancing to mitigate the slips and fall rates.
  • GPS-enabled wearables enable safety managers to monitor workers’ traveling and displacement on larger job sites (e.g. infrastructure projects) to prevent their access to high-voltage areas, tighter spaces, trenches, excavation areas, etc.
  • Alarm-enabled wearables communicate automatically with construction crew members (and/or the site safety manager), notifying them if a crew member’s safety, health or vital signs show immediate intervention and rescue is needed.

Drones show versatility beyond aerial imagery

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones have a variety of applications that create cost savings as well as mitigate risks for contractors.

  • They help track job progress and monitor the construction activities. Building Information Modeling (BIM) integrated drones communicate real-time and accurate data on material quantities, timeline and construction quality. Thus, the contractor and the A/E firm can verify against the baseline schedule and the estimate, calculate the percent completed and perform the Earned-Value Analyses.
  • Drones can generate the cut-and-fill maps in earthwork operations. They can measure distances, grades, and heights far faster and more conveniently than traditional surveying techniques.
  • Integrating the data using the drone and the project’s BIM models facilitates 4-D and 5-D BIM models of the construction project. It also eases and facilitates communications with project stakeholders – significantly helping claims avoidance and resolution.
  • Drones are also gaining traction for inspecting (and/or maintaining and repairing) the hard-to-reach parts of the infrastructure systems (e.g. bridges) as well as the buildings. This will not only reduce the cost (and risks) of employing the highly-trained crew to inspect and work in higher elevations or hard-to-reach areas, but also will provide a more accurate view and estimate of the damage that can be built into the project’s BIM models for future facility management purposes.

Autonomous equipment saves and is safer

There’s also a move toward smaller or larger construction machines and equipment being operated through centralized or de-centralized remote-control technologies:

  • These cost less to operate than conventional equipment, and significantly reduce the safety risks.
  • They may be programmed with automatic safety features, such as self-braking when detecting an obstacle, or the ability to autonomously operate (intelligent self-operating or remote-controlled) in unstable ground conditions or other high-risk areas on the construction job site.

When the simulated experience can pay off

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are increasingly gaining traction in construction as a way to build better projects and identify problems before the building begins.

  • Integrating VR and AR with BIM models enables a “virtual walkthrough,” previewing potential issues in terms of constructability, construction/design clashes, that might lead to expensive claims.
  • VR and AR provide a great platform for coordinating the construction activities between the A/E firm and the contractors.
  • They can also be used as a demo/training tool for the crew to eliminate many trial and error features, unnecessary re-work and/or avoid submitting change orders that might lead to expensive and lengthy claims.

Talk to HUB International today to learn more about these and other emerging trends in construction technology. HUB can help you leverage them to benefit your business as well as helping ensure you have the protection against the risks that come with these new technologies.

Guest Blogger

Dr. Hossein Ataei is a civil engineering faculty and the Director of Construction Engineering and Management Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).