Starting Off:
Last Friday, the ConTechTrio aired episode 32 of the podcast in which James Benham (@jamesmbenham), Rob McKinney (@conappguru) and Josh Bone (@bim2thebone) discussed the latest construction tech news. Headliners last week included the world’s largest timber tower, a 3D printed cabin, new bendable concrete, the ability to teach BIM using Minecraft and much more! Special guest Zach Scheel (@SeabeeCEO), CEO at Rhumbix (@Rhumbix) also joined to discuss employee telematics for construction.
Geek Out Product Of The Week:
DJI Phantom 4 Drone – The optimal drone to use in construction, with features such as obstacle avoidance, 28 minute flights and professional post production.
Weekly ConTechTrio Twitter Poll:
Last Week’s Poll: Does your company have a good system for tracking project changes on plan files?
Results: 53% Yes and 47% No
This Week’s Poll: Do you have a good system for monitoring your workers’ time & productivity on the jobsite? Visit the ConTechTrio Twitter page to answer “Yes” or “No.”
Construction Tech News:
Samsung’s Mobile Devices Go Down in Flames…Literally
Samsung recently suspended sales of its Galaxy Note 7, after 35 of devices began to explode while being charged!
World’s Tallest Timber Tower is Now Complete!
Acton Ostry’s wood tower for the University of British Columbia is now complete, incorporating eighteen floors of glue-laminated wood columns and cross-laminated timber floors.
New Drone Has Twice the Aerial Coverage
The new Kespry Drone 2.0 flies over 30 minutes per flight, covering up to 150 acres at a 400 foot altitude! (Ideal for construction site documentation.)
$3M House Runs on Smart Technology
The house uses Samsung SmartThings as well as an Alexa-run Amazon Echo Dot to activate many of its smart features, including, the ability to use a phone as a house key, music automatically playing when you walk through the door, and notifying the homeowner when someone has arrived.
Guide for Understanding the Levels of Self-Driving Cars
Self-driving cars are on the rise and many car manufacturers are entering the playing field with concepts of level 2, 3 & 4 autonomous vehicles. Find out what these levels mean and what’s left for you (the driver) to do.
Virtual Reality Nose Mask Emits Fart Smell (not a joke)
A Paris ad agency made a virtual-reality nose mask that emits a fart smell as a promotional tool for a new South Park video game.
Timelapse Video: A 2-Year Bridge Replacement Reduced to 28 Days
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CDOT) needed to overhaul its highly trafficked Route 8, which had reached the end of its useful life. They opted for a Design-Build concept that reduced the projected 2 year schedule to just 28 days!
Mahindra Launches DiGiSENS
DiGiSENSE which is digitally enabled sensing, connects Mahindra vehicles, tractors, trucks and construction equipment to the cloud.
Smartgeometry vs. Hackathons
This blog post distinguishes the features of a Smartgeometry workshop, how they differ from hackathons and suggestions for these events in the AEC industry.
Go Camping…In a 3D Printed Cabin!
DUS Architects have 3D printed an “Urban Cabin” in Amsterdam, complete with a 3D printed outdoor bathtub, that guests can now rent.
Tower Aims to Wrap Entire Building With Solar Panels
As planned, Australia’s Sol Invictus Tower will wrap its glass facade with photovoltaic panels, allowing the 520-unit structure to utilize some 3,000 sq m of solar panels.
Announcement: New FAA Commercial Drone Rules, Now in Effect
The new FAA rules clarify the ambiguous set of drone rules that were released back in June and eliminated the need for companies to file for operational exemptions or to hire a licensed pilot to fly the UAVs.
New Bendable Concrete Could Cure Concrete’s Cracking Problem
“ConFlexPave” not only bends under pressure, it’s also thinner and maybe even stronger than traditional concrete.
Want to Participate in Revu’s Beta Program?
Interested in participating in this year’s Revu beta program? Click the link above to view application requirements and potentially join the Bluebeam Beta Testing Community!
Asus Planning to Enter VR Headset Space
Watch out Microsoft Hololens, Asus plans to create a similar untethered VR headset that could bring new 3D PC experiences.
Leap Motion Builds “Interaction Engine” – A More Realistic VR Experience
Interaction Engine implements “an alternate set of physics rules” which trigger whenever your hands are say touching or “inside” a virtual object. This makes it possible to pick things up and hold them in a way that feels real (solid weight).
Now Possible to Teach BIM Using Minecraft
BeIMCraft uses Minecraft as a way to teach BIM practices and also for AEC education. Learn how to play the game with the link above!
Zach Scheel, CEO of Rhumbix Discusses Employee Telematics for Construction
In the second half of the podcast, Zach Scheel, CEO at Rhumbix, joined the ConTechTrio to discuss employee telematics for construction. Zach grew up in construction, consistently visiting project sites with his parents who were both in construction sales. While conducting labor productivity studies in a copper mine in northern Chile, Zach realized the significant inability to gather data in an efficient manner and draw actionable insights – which lead him to start Rhumbix. Rhumbix simplifies the construction data process, allowing foremen to do timekeeping in minutes and get back hours of time previously spent on paperwork. On the podcast, Zach discussed the technology used within the Rhumbix app, such as Redpoint and GPS tracking systems. The ConTechTrio and Zach wrapped up the interview with his thoughts on the future of Rhumbix and if the company would ever enter the project site layout and recommendation space.
Tune into the ConTechTrio podcast again this Friday for Episode 33, featuring Larry Sullivan from COINS! Until then, you can catch up on past episodes of our construction technology podcast and even check out some bonus episodes via the links below!
Listen: Spreaker, YouTube, iTunes, SoundCloud
Follow On Twitter:
JBKnowledge: @JBKnowledge
ConTechTrio: @ConTechTrio
James Benham: @jamesmbenham
Rob McKinney: @conappguru
Josh Bone: @bim2thebone
