Technology is being inserted in every industry to help employees gain time and work more safely. It is also true that management benefits from it as well, as it brings more efficiency and helps save money. Therefore, it is to be predicted that it will continue to insert itself in various ways, in the field of construction. Here are the technologies we can expect to find, in a not too distant future.
Technologies that have already been introduced to the Field
Some of the technology being used today, on construction sites, are relatively new, but they have already been particularly helpful. Here are a few of them.
TIME LAPSE CAMERAS
There is no better way for a manager to keep up with what is going on, then to follow their construction project with camera timelapse. Since they are connected to it through software, they can view what is going on in real time, or they can rewind the feed to see what has happened at any point, during the construction period. It enables managers to be extremely reactive when a problem shows up, as they can identify it quickly and give the appropriate orders to the personnel on the field, in order to remediate to the situation. In the end, it also provides the company with a complete vision of the project, from the first shovel to the last detail on the building, in rapid view.
CONNECTED COMMUNICATION ON CONSTRUCTION SITE
The use of the time lapse camera, mentioned in the previous paragraph, is also part of this new connected universe for construction sites. Managers don’t have to be standing in the field, in order to see where the work is at and what is going on. It is the same for communication. Now, most of it is being done through digital channels. It helps everyone involved, as managers receive the information quicker without leaving their offices, while employees are being told right away if any changes need to be applied, by their head of departments, after observation of the data they provided. Therefore, they won’t have to go back to the work they have already accomplished, like it sometimes happened before.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)
If you don’t know what AI is yet, let us explain how it can be used in the construction sector. Artificial Intelligence utilizes data that it is being fed to create a world of possibility, after analyzing them. For example, if you insert all the data of previous construction sites, for a similar type of building that you want to erect, the computer will go through all the data and come up with the best scenarios possible. It can calculate more than a million possibilities, mix and match them, to provide managers with the best solutions in terms of materials and personnel. That is something that could not be done manually, by humans, before.
Technologies coming up
AUGMENTED REALITY (AR)
Now that we have looked into AI, which is already partly in place in the construction field, let’s look at another computer related tool that will really help works on site: Augmented Reality. Through the use of AR glasses, a construction worker will be able to see the work he has to do, right in front of him, as if it already existed. He will also have access to important information, such as the temperature and pressure around him, to avoid potential problems that can be related. AR will also be able to tell if the worker is too tired. That way, it will inform him that he needs to rest, thus preventing accidents on construction sites.
CONSTRUCTION THROUGH 3D PRINTING
It is probable that you have already seen a video online of a house being built through the use of 3D printing. Most of these videos are meant to shock the viewer, by showing the exceptional technique being used, on site. However, most of the important work of 3D printing in construction will be done in-house, to be brought on the site later on as modular construction. It is easy to predict that this building technique will gain a lot of shares of the market, simply because it will take a loss less time to build a house that way.
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES ON CONSTRUCTION SITES
It has been years now that we keep hearing about cars that will drive themselves on the road. And indeed, some cars have that capacity, such as Tesla showed us before. But the technology is yet quite imperfect and we are not going to see all vehicles going around the roads by themselves, any time soon. However, since construction sites are much less traveled, it is predicted that most motorized vehicles inside them will be autonomous in a matter of years.
EXOSKELETONS TO STRENGTHEN CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
You have probably seen an exoskeleton before, in a science-fiction movie. They are, indeed, quite common in the genre, throughout the last decade. It is only a matter of time before they become common on construction ground. That is, without a doubt, the greatest safety measure that will be available to make sure that workers don’t hurt themselves. The exoskeletons will be the one picking up the material and moving it around. This will amplify greatly the weight that an employee can carry. If anything goes wrong with the exoskeletons, that weight will never be placed on the human body. It is the best tool anyone on a construction site could have hoped for.
ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIALS: ANOTHER ASPECT OF THE FUTURE IN CONSTRUCTION
Being environmentally friendly is not just a “plus” anymore; it is asked, by citizens of the world, to all companies. That includes those that work in construction, which is why you can expect eco-friendly materials, to grow exponentially. Today, there is a mix that is quite confusing on the market. Although some products are considered “green,” that doesn’t mean they are actually eco-friendly. These won’t pass the tests anymore, in a very short time span. Therefore, builders and constructors will have to make sure that the material they choose is definitely not just green, but also eco-friendly.
