The environment is dynamic continuously, and different sectors have to adapt to these new trends. Change is inevitable every time, and it impacts the way we look at things sand; thus, it is an inevitable product of change that cannot be stopped. In both efficiency and cost reduction, adopting it now can make a huge difference. Contractors need to review their long-standing methods and recognize that more digitized solutions will soon replace the development of such old measures. It’s not a situation now-or-never but the better-sooner-the-better. Digital technology is the answer to worldwide trends, and the construction industry is the biggest industry that must adapt to such changes quickly for the benefit of competition and speed.
Contractors reported that building technology and productivity have been flat for ages. Surprisingly, only 8 percent of them said ‘yes’ when asked if contractors see their businesses as ‘cutting-edge.’ The majority believe that they are ‘followers.’ As ways to overcome new challenges are being discovered, this is slowly changing. There are various other reasons why building firms need to become more digitized. To reduce many fatalities on the site, safety in the workplace is a priority. Another factor in the change, not to mention efficiency, is cost reduction. The shift is already taking place from physical to digital, and here’s how (1).
Project managers know that implementing the right software can help facilitate a more efficient workplace when it comes to productivity. However, productivity can only be raised if the website team uses the software. That’s why it’s important for the software to be simple and for your team to be trained to make the most of it. The outcomes are a more effective and productive project or job site while introducing new technology can have its challenges. To ensure that the team successfully uses the software, the key to introducing this new technology is to provide ample support and guidance. At present, construction sees some of the lowest profit margins of any industry.
It is a shocker that the Construction Industry still uses Excel and WhatsApp to cover its Construction woes and dealings (2). Currently running with a standalone GDP of 6 billion dollars, the industry still uses simple methods to follw up. No trail of audit, no history of past events. Vitally important information can be lost if the project managers cannot know the true needs of the project and who is responsible for what by clicking on a button. A simple inefficiency of the management to adapt to automated services shows the need for automation and technology. The future of the Construction industry shows the need for such technologies, and that is what we will discuss:
Automation and Growth of Technology
A growing trend is the use of computerized expert systems for construction applications. Current examples include systems in rotating machinery to diagnose vibration issues and systems to verify weld performance qualifications. Extensive research is underway in the U.S. to develop construction-based systems. The Standards National Bureau and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (3) in concrete durability evaluation and building air infiltration dynamics. The most important technological use of artificial intelligence techniques for construction will be expert systems over the next decade. There is a very good chance for the increased use of automated robots controlled by expert systems by the end of the years ahead. Such advanced-application robots would finish buildings with concrete and spray paint (already made in Japan), apply spray insulation to structural steel members, and even install structural steel (4).
Artificial intelligence has applications around the world for construction, operations, and maintenance or design engineering activities. A Japanese company, for example, has used an articulated robot for welding small-diameter pipes. The finishing process became unnecessary due to the high quality of the weld, and plans are being made to automate all processes by combining the robotized system with computer-aided design and computer-aided production. A Finnish company is developing a welding robot type gantry capable of automatically joining ship sections up to fifteen meters in length (5). The robot can learn and make the necessary adjustments from its mistakes. Other companies have developed an approach to painting and blasting robotization and developing wall-walking robots utilizing vacuum pads or magnets.
Impact of Technology on Construction
The industry is advancing the nature and structure of the construction industry’s markets, just as the construction process changes specific activities. The addition of new markets due to technological progress, in general, is one of the most evident of these changes. The so-called clean rooms needed for the assembly of complex electronic components and the gradual expansion of construction work related to toxic waste containment and disposal are two examples. Technology also continues to alter the way we create and modify construction codes (6). Code-setting required attention to many safety factors in the era before robotics and automation, based on the uncertainties allowed in many design calculations. Despite the traditional constraints that delay codes’ change, different automated construction technologies are likely to reduce physical quantity requirements and costs significantly.
In the next ten years, improved management methods and automation are expected to have the greatest technical impact on the construction sector (7). Automation and expert systems will be used to a great extent in advances in management methods to improve productivity and schedule performance. In the conceptual and real-time database communications networks, construction design will see increased sophistication to support estimating, scheduling, and project management. By using CAD (8) systems to directly interface with major vendors and suppliers, procurement activities will improve. Key roles will also be played by automated warehouses, staging areas, and related support facilities. Expanded use of computerized scheduling, tracking, and control using real-time networks and robotics-assisted operations will increase roles in the construction process where practical, to meet quality, safety, and cost goals.
Two areas where virtual reality could have a strong impact on the construction industry are safety training and equipment operator training. With VR, employees could be exposed to confined spaces or work in a safe, controlled environment at high altitudes. For years, VR simulators have been used to train soldiers, pilots, and surgeons and could be used to train employees on everything from cranes and excavators to welding and masonry work in the same way. Another technology that can greatly improve construction site safety is Augmented Reality. There are several ways in which AR can be deployed on the job site, whether it enables a more detailed safety plan to be developed or provides training on heavy equipment using actual equipment on real sites with increased hazards (9).
Trends and Tech Support
The wearables are designed to monitor workers’ movement, repetitive motions, posture, slippers, biometrics, environmental sensors, GPS and trackers, Wi-Fi, voltage sensors, and other sensors (10). Geofencing permits site or safety supervisors to set up restricted or dangerous areas to alert the workforce to a combination of alarms and lights entering an off-bound area. Intelligent clothing or electronic textiles to monitor vital signs, such as breathing rate, skin temperature, and cardiac rates, can also occur on the building site. These wearables can monitor a workman’s posture, track a worker’s movements, determine whether they are tired and whether or not narcotics intoxicates them. Watching workers can help to predict an accident before it happens.
The distributors of construction materials use IoT to control quality, delivery, and prediction. But Big Data will be a fabric that unites and transforms other technologies shortly. The fact is that cloud-based software as a service produces data patterns as a by-product of its core tasks. The by-products are called data depletion — but not just pollution. For instance, most advanced applications display real-time traffic conditions through crowd-sourcing (11) data on cars and roadways from cell phone signals and sensors. The site will be used for the real-time assessment of a similar type of analytical data. Data exhaust can be applied to improve building work from supply chains to safety. To support this connection, experts anticipate moving away from proprietary products and to open-source software.
Drones are among a construction company’s most useful devices. They can meet several requirements and modernize the traditional way a large part of the industry operates. One of its most popular applications is producing accurate site surveys and land surveys, replacing earlier methods that have taken a long time. In less time than the traditional process, drones can capture and remove the possibility of human error. Drones can also improve an evaluation’s accuracy as they can gather information from places where human access is difficult. Other construction uses of drones include taking and converting drone footage to 3D images, which can be compared with architectural plans or volumes, distances, and grades. Some drones were also designed specifically for industrial applications, but basic high-quality drones are used.
In recent years autonomous or self-driving cars have received much attention from almost every carmaker and business like Google and Uber, who are working towards bringing driverless cars to the market by 2020 (12). We have self-conducted or controlled building equipment with the same technology for self-driving cars. Use the laser scanner, total stations, mobile mapping, and aerial imagery using UAVs or drones to create a 3D map of the existing website. Civil engineers then develop site design schemes and then transform them into 3D models. Autonomous machines will then be deployed on-site. The equipment will be located on the site, with cameras and a Global Navigation Satellite System (13) like the GPS. This real-time surveillance enables a technician to ensure that the job is completed accurately, and the hardware operates as effectively as possible (14).
The Future of Tech in Construction
For the survey, data analysis, display progress, and job site surveillance, 38 percent of companies use drones. The time invested in each of these tasks can be significantly reduced while the project overall is safer. The number of prefabrications/modularisation has increased in recent years and has been incorporated into their strategy by 20 percent of companies. The financial savings, flexibility, and consistent quality derived from modular construction can be attributed to such growth. To improve documentation and collaboration, 15 percent of companies use the 3D scan. Companies can create, annotate, and edit a 3D model before anything is built. To improve documentation and collaboration, 15 percent of companies use the 3D scan. Companies can create, annotate, and edit a 3D model before anything is built (15).
As domestic 3D printing applications have expanded, as have architectural applications. In-wall construction and even full buildings, 10 percent of companies use 3D printing, which speeds up the construction, reduces accidents, expenses, and waste, and tends to make more complex designs feasible. For an industry wherein people die in projects that used to be the norm, security is a great concern. Nine percent of firms use wearable devices to fight this. Devices like smart boots allow employees to be tracked and can even feel tired or injured. Clever jackets, intelligent helmets, and smart glasses are all other wearables that boost customer safety at workplaces. Seven percent of companies use smart ecosystems with job site sensors because they can use almost anything in their workplaces. These can be used for workers’ protection, damage prevention, and asset optimization. In any industry, technology is frightening.
