Construction has been relatively slow to adopt technology over the years. This is partly cultural since the individuals within the industry prefer solving problems using their skills.
Some companies are nevertheless family-owned, and that is still plenty of respect for tradition. Moreover, the industry has negligible margins where the initial financing priorities will be personnel and equipment.
However, the absence of a lot of technology for satisfying the industry’s requirements is also partly responsible for this. In the past, it wasn’t easy to take the help of technology before the invention of smartphones.
Despite that, it was imperative to have a proper Wi-Fi connection, which was not available consistently. A significant portion of the field capture technology previously depended on somebody who had to input information manually into a device.
However, this process of entering information manually did not deliver the goods in terms of productivity in the long run.
The good thing is that all these are changing right now. The founders have become quite outdated, thus making it possible for the younger generation to use technology without much resistance.
The project owners require the usage of different technologies as a condition of financing. Computer power and connectivity have increased significantly, making mobile applications much more reliable, user-friendly, and robust.
The implementation of drones, cameras, jersey barriers, and GPS technology helps make the construction and engineering industry extremely productive right now.
In the following paragraphs, we have mentioned the top 3 New Age engineering and construction technology.
1. The Internet of Things
There has been a constant increase in data-driven technology in the field of construction over the years. The embedded sensors create tremendous opportunities to gather and manage information on material performance, safety, and operational workflow.
Wearable construction technology and smart devices plus on-site cameras and sensors can be linked with the construction management application. This will provide a better picture of the advancement of the project in real-time.
Apart from affecting the flow of a particular project, this type of integration will likewise offer essential data that can be verified following handover to become a portion of the operational management. Sensors providing info on the structure performance and environmental conditions are of prime importance in this particular field.
2. Machine learning and AI
As an increasing amount of information is pulled by the Internet of Things, tools will be required by the construction companies for managing this information.
Machine learning will become increasingly essential in this particular case. Systems aggregating and organizing information from the linked worksite will become vital as the construction companies will become more dependent on real-time info for effective management of projects.
Machine learning and AI will turn out to be a cornerstone for analyzing and collating multiple streams of information from an included detailed workflow. AI, which has been properly trained, will be able to categorize information much faster than a human operator out there.
Already opportunities are created by machine learning for the new technology users on the market. This particular technology is only a small portion of the iceberg, and an increasing number of innovative applications of machine learning can be expected shortly.
3. Augmented reality / Virtual reality
Being one more technology that is becoming popular every day, virtual-reality is no longer used only for video games.
The tools responsible for bringing augmented reality and virtual reality to the worksite have become increasingly user-friendly, and there are unending possibilities open in front of them.
The application of virtual reality in the field of construction enables real-time comparison of three-dimensional models to physical areas; overlay of position and location information at the time of installation – these are only the beginning.
Augmented reality and virtual reality tools have been minimizing rework already while enhancing safety as well. For example, the Daqri helmet provides enhanced situational awareness to the users, such as unsafe conditions and temperature differentials.
It can likewise be employed for enhancing the accuracy of complicated installations out there.
Conclusion
All these technologies mentioned in the above paragraphs help to provide top-notch construction and engineering companies with a clear age in an extremely competitive industry at present.
