From the financial industry to the construction industry, technology is everywhere. In the present day, technology can create and manage things that we would never have deemed possible a decade ago, and it’s plain to see how technology is transforming workplaces. We now live in a world where humans don’t even need to take on manual labor, as the construction industry is beginning to use AI and heavy machinery, like a rock crusher, to do the work for us. There’s no end to the ways that technology is changing the construction industry, so let’s have a look in more depth, shall we?
Autonomous Trucks
Gone are the days of needing construction workers to sit behind the wheel of a bulldozer for hours on end. Thanks to technology, we now how driverless solutions! Within Australia’s mining industry, you can find several autonomous dump trucks with GPS, allowing workers to transport ore much easier. These trucks are controlled by a single driver, which not only makes work more efficient but also creates a safer work environment for everyone involved. Autonomous trucks have made their debut in several more places though, including highway construction zones in Florida. Crash attenuator trucks save lives within these construction zones but put the driver’s lives at risk, which is why the autonomous truck has been used here.
Drones
Especially when working on an exceedingly large construction site, it can be difficult to fully gauge the size of the environment and the terrain that you’re working with. But, with drones (also known as unmanned aerial vehicles), you can collect information about inaccessible areas using the cameras they are equipped with. When assessing and inspecting a site, a drone can really help to gather details about those areas that are difficult to reach during a manual inspection. They are used across the entire construction industry though, from monitoring logistics to deliveries and to workforces as well. In fact, some companies have come up with the innovative idea to convert drone footage into 3D pictures, assisting them with their architectural plans.
Building Information Modelling (BIM)
Traditionally, blueprints in project management for construction were very helpful for construction workers several years ago. However, we now have an even more in-depth and detailed method of submitting building information. By using BIM, we can create detailed, intelligent and interactive 3D models, helping construction workers to properly understand the construction work that needs to be done. Managing each task can be done much more efficiently using BIM, as it pulls together all necessary information into one collaborative place, also allowing all constructors to work together effectively. BIM doesn’t stop there, though, as we can expect to see 5D modeling in the future, incorporating time management, estimating, costing, rate and quantities into the mix. Time management among them has become focus of all construction companies, as they’ve long realized it’s where the money lies. This why all of them are focusing on utilizing the best construction scheduling software.
Laser Scanning
Before the introduction of this clever technology, all methods of gathering geometric information were lengthy and time-consuming. Those in the construction industry no longer have to worry though, as laser scanning offers huge amounts of efficiency when it comes to field measurements. All system information is stored as ‘point cloud’ data, which is a large set of points on a coordinate. Sometimes, people can be skeptical about the actual accuracy of technological devices, but laser scanners have proved to be very accurate when collecting measurements, showing the true conditions of a construction site.
Whilst construction workers still have a fair amount of laborious tasks to complete on site, technology has allowed the strain to be lifted and makes several jobs a lot easier to handle. Check out the projects which Newtecnic have worked on to see the latest changes in the world of building and engineering.
