WHERE WE RE HEADED: Construction Technology Trends for 2015

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1 WHERE WE RE HEADED: Construction Technology Trends for 2015

2 ABOUT THE AUTHOR LAUREN HASEGAWA Co-Founder, Bridgit Lauren is a Structural Engineering graduate with a background in concrete restoration and is the Co-Founder of Bridgit. As a young engineer, Lauren has always had an interest in how new technologies can improve efficiency and productivity on construction projects. With this passion, she founded Bridgit in Bridgit focuses on developing mobile-first solutions that can help relieve on-site pain points, such as punch list management. Lauren is an active mentor to young women in engineering and a frequent speaker at local and national industry events focused on construction innovation. 1

3 WHERE WE RE HEADED: Construction Technology Trends for 2015 Technology is evolving at an exponential rate. Each year we will see more impressive advancements than the last, and the time between a technology being born and its practical application will continue to become shorter and shorter. Today, we re seeing a lot of advancements that deal with the blending of the digital and physical worlds such as 3D printing and augmented reality. Making right now, a more important time than ever for construction professionals to pay attention to emerging trends in technology and ideate around how these trends can help in the industry. Here is a compilation of trends in construction technology that are going to be important to pay attention to in 2015 and beyond. 2

4 1. Device convergence: phablets to replace tablets on-site Phablet - another made up word that has now made its way into the Oxford Dictionary. A phablet is a smartphone with a screen that is intermediate in size between that of a typical smartphone and a tablet computer (phone + tablet = phablet). In 2013, phablet sales accounted for ¼ of all smartphone sales 1 and with Apple s recent launch of the large iphone 6 Plus, this number is expected to keep growing. Apple s Phil Schiller announces the new iphone 6. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images 1 Deloitte TMT Predictions 2014: Phablets are not a Phad 3

5 Construction professionals have been struggling for the past few years over whether they should deploy tablets such as the ipad on-site because of the large screen size, or invest in company smartphones which allow for better collaboration. The struggle is possibly coming to an end with the introduction of phablet devices that provide the best of both worlds: a screen size large enough to view drawings and other detailed reports on plus all the features of a smartphone. This device convergence will help make the choice easier for decision makers designing mobile policies and on-site teams will no longer need to struggle between multiple devices. This trend, however, means that some software vendors need to adapt. Cloud based software that is only available on tablet devices could be threatened by the move towards larger smartphones. As you evaluate software vendors ensure that you ask: Is your solution a smartphone app, a tablet app or a web based app? Sometimes the solution will be a combination of a few delivery methods - which is good. 4

6 2. Augmented reality and wearables to make BIM and VDC more accessible Augmented reality (AR) is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data2. Today, the most common form of AR is delivered via wearable smartglass, such as Google Glass, where the user sees a digital image beside or on top of their view of the world. DAQRI smart helmet launched September Augmented Reality on Freebase, licensed under CC-BY 5

7 For decades, two-dimensional communication (via drawings and spreadsheets) has been the norm in construction. This communication method forces the reader to reach into their imagination and translate the 2D information, with standard markups, into actionable information for building in the real (3D) world. Building information modeling (BIM) brought the promise that this translation of sorts would no longer be necessary. However the complex learning curve, amongst other barriers, for BIM software makes the software hard to integrate past BIM consultants and experts - creating a further disconnect. The ability to integrate BIM and AR technologies for use onsite could prove to be an excellent way of releasing BIM from the experts clutches and out to the rest of the jobsite - decreasing the need to communicate 3D intentions with 2D tools. The concept is to use the GPS already in a device to sync location data to a BIM model. In doing so, the user would have the ability to see the 3D virtual view of the construction overlaid on the real-world view of the jobsite with the click of a button. While the GPS mapping capabilities in AR aren t currently sophisticated enough to do this well on a detailed level (within walls, etc.), the technology is advancing rapidly and we predict that this will be a reality in the near future. A good area to keep an eye on is technologies that make BIM data easier to manipulate for non-bim experts via one-click options and user-friendly design. 6

8 3. Near-field communications (NFC) to gain popularity on-site NFC, or near-field communications is a secure form of data exchange that allows data to be transferred from physical tags to NFC enabled devices. The technology is frequently discussed in relation to mobile payments (tap to pay and pay from your phone). NFC is a specialized subset within the family of RFID (radiofrequency identification) technology. RFID technologies have seen some interesting applications in the construction industry, but as NFC begins to emerge as the more ubiquitous form of data exchange we can expect to see a lot from the technology in the future. The real push for NFC comes from the fact that in September 2014, Apple released the technology as a part of all new iphones - now making it available across iphone, Android and Windows devices. In terms of applications on-site, here are some ideas of where we can expect to see growth for NFC in construction. Prefabrication and materials: NFC can be used to track prefabricated sections of large structures as they arrive onsite. Tracking these prefabricated materials can help quickly identify if an incorrect section has been delivered, or if parts are missing prior to installation - saving time and labour costs. The same can be done for other materials deliveries. 7

9 Equipment management: NFC can be used to track inventory and equipment on-site. With a quick scan, employees will know when the equipment was last inspected or certified, and more. Workforce management and safety: NFC tags placed on hardhats make it simple for project manager and supervisors to track each worker entering and leaving a site. In terms of safety, these NFC tags would allow quick access to information about workers safety accreditations and can be used in the instance of tracking people during site evacuations. Deficiency management: Currently, tags are often placed around a site to indicate deficiencies. If these tags used NFC technology then a simple scan could pull up more information about what needs to be corrected in the identified location. The beauty of NFC is that the reader is already incorporated into most smartphones so no additional scanning devices are required. 8

10 4. Truly paperless jobsites We are moving towards truly paperless jobsites where drawings, punch lists and change orders are shared from the jobsite to the office using a suite of integrated cloud-based applications. While paperless is not synonymous with the cloud, the two must work hand in hand in order to achieve a working system. Simply deploying one or multiple cloud solutions does not equal going paperless. The key to a truly paperless jobsite, or even just a paperless process, is complete adoption of the software. When software lacks adoption then the process generally becomes fragmented with portions being completed within the software and portions being left untracked and managed via scattered paperwork and unrecorded notes - defeating the purpose of cloud-based paperless solutions. Here is a list of things to consider when thinking about going paperless: Wi-Fi strength: The Wi-Fi strength required to download and manipulate large.pdf files is a lot more than that required to simply send and receive s. If this process isn t fast, then people will resort back to paper-based habits like large-format plans. Devices: Certain devices may limit accessibility to some cloudbased applications. Before purchasing a cloud-based solution, 9

11 ensure that it will either be compatible with everyone s devices (if using a bring-your-own-device policy) or that your team is equipped with the proper devices. Time management: Often times, there is a misconception that paperless solutions don t need organization. It is important to still train teams to take time to label, organize and save files properly to the cloud. A little bit of time goes a long way. 10

12 IT S WHERE WE RE HEADED Each time a new technology is introduced to the world, it may have relevant applications in the construction industry. It is by examining emerging technologies and assessing their merit within the industry that we are able to continue the process of innovation. What seems like a stretch of the imagination today, may well be the reality of tomorrow. For updates on emerging technologies and how they relate to construction sign up for the Bridgit e-newsletter here. Have a question? We re always happy to chat construction innovation. Get in touch at info@gobridgit.com 11

13 GLOSSARY 3 Augmented reality: Augmented reality is a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computergenerated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. Google Glass: Google Glass is a type of wearable technology with an optical head-mounted display. Google developed it with the mission of producing a mass-market ubiquitous computer. Google Glass displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format. Wearers communicate with the Internet via natural language voice commands. Google started selling Google Glass to qualified "Glass Explorers" in the US on April 15, 2013 for a limited period for $1,500, before it became available to the public on May 15, 2014 for the same price. Near-field Communication: Near-field communication is a set of standards for smartphones and other mobile devices to establish radio communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them into close proximity, usually no more than a few centimeters. Current NFC systems use a radio frequency of MHz, corresponding to a wavelength of m. Phablet: A phablet is a class of mobile device designed to combine or straddle the functions of a smartphone and tablet. The word Phablet is a portmanteau of the words phone and tablet. Phablets typically have screens that measure between 5.3 to 6.9 inches, which complement screen-intensive activity such as mobile web browsing and multimedia viewing. Phablets may also include software optimized for an integral self-storing stylus to facilitate sketching, note taking and annotation. Radio-frequency identification: Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is a technology that uses communication via electromagnetic waves to exchange data between a terminal and an electronic tag attached to an object, for the purpose of identification and tracking. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. Smartglasses: Smartglasses or smart glasses or Digital Eye Glass or Personal Imaging System is a wearable computer that adds information onto reality or actually helps people see better. Typically this is achieved through an optical head-mounted display or computerized internet-connected glasses with transparent heads-up display or augmented reality overlay that has the capability of reflecting projected digital images as well as allowing the user to see through it, or see better with it. 3 All definitions from Freebase.com 12

14 ABOUT BRIDGIT We started building Bridgit in December 2012 with one question: How can we help improve efficiency on-site? Since then, hours of qualitative research on construction sites across North America has led to the development of Closeoutthe industry s first cloud-based punch list management tool of its kind. A strict focus on simplicity and usability has allowed our company to stay focused on remedying one construction industry pain point at a time, without the clutter of a catchall software solution. We know your teams will love using Closeout and you will love the improved efficiency, cost savings and quality control that Or visit to learn more 13