Starting Off:
Last Friday, the ConTechTrio aired episode 49 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 cross-laminated timber, the world’s first dimensioning instrument, Tesla’s supercharger, the top 10 AEC trends to watch in 2017 and more! Special guest Jennifer Lanzetti (@BIMGoddess), Principal at Cn3D Construction also joined to discuss how construction professionals can survive BIM in 2017.
Tech You Should Try:
RocketBook Wave Notebook -The way you take notes is about to change! The RocketBook Wave incorporates the freedom of a traditional pen and paper notebook, which instantly sends your notes into the cloud using your smartphone. Once you’ve run out of space in your Wave notebook, you can erase your notes using your microwave oven and reuse your notebook.
Weekly ConTechTrio Twitter Poll:
Last Week’s Poll: Which of the following do you plan on allocating more funds for in 2017?
This Week’s Poll: Are your BIM Coordinators adding value to your coordinating process? Visit the ConTechTrio Twitter page and answer “Yes” or “No.”
ConTechTrio News:
Download the 2016 Construction Technology Report
The 5th Annual Construction Technology Report, published by JBKnowledge, is now available for download. Get your copy of the 2016 #ConTechReport and learn about the tech solutions and strategies builders are using and how your company compares! Download the Report.
Construction Dive Newsletter – Get the Top Construction News
Looking for a new year’s resolution? What about committing to being as informed on construction tech news as possible? Let Construction Dive help with daily and weekly updates on everything you need to know about the industry. Sign up for the free newsletters at constructiondive.com/trio.
Construction Tech News:
Industry Education, Insights & Trends
10 Construction Industry Trends to Watch in 2017
Now that 2016 is in the past, construction professionals are turning their attention to the year ahead. Check out Construction Dive’s top 10 AEC trends to watch in 2017!
10 Rules for a Successful 2017
Brent Darnell breaks down the top 10 construction rules to abide by in 2017 to guarantee that this year will be even more successful than the last.
CES 2017: What to Expect at the Tech Show
CES 2017 kicks off in Last Vegas, and here’s what you should expect at the world’s largest consumer electronics trade show! JBKnowledge CEO, James Benham, attended the event and shared videos of his top tech experiences – check them all out on the ConTechTrio Persicope channel!
Partnerships & Acquisitions
Nemetschek Acquires dRofus
Nemetschek announced that it is acquiring dRofus AS, a Norwegian provider of BIM planning, data management and collaboration tools. dRofus is used to create project rooms where all data about a project is made visible to stakeholders. dRofus is focused on Europe, US and Australia, with a dominant position in the construction of healthcare facilities and airports, which Nemetschek is aiming to enter into.
Prefabrication & Modularization
Six Factories will Supply the UK with 25,000 Prefab Houses Per Year
Population growth and housing under-supply have created a major housing crisis in the UK. China National Building Material Company agreed to aid in this crisis by entering into a $3.36 billion joint venture deal with UK-based Your Housing Group to build six factories that will produce 25,000 prefabricated homes every single year!
Autonomous Vehicles
Tesla’s Supercharger Able to Charge Electric Cars in Seconds
Tesla’s next-gen supercharger, which is in the making, will be capable of recharging a Tesla vehicle battery in seconds! The Supercharger V3 will serve up at lease 350 kW, which is more than twice the output of current Superchargers.
Emerging Technology
New Smartphone Battery Allows for 32 Hours of Talk Time
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Gionee just released details on its latest luxury phone, M2017. The new smartphone includes an enormous 7,000mAh battery capacity, which more than doubles the industry smartphone standard of around 3,000mAh.
World’s First Dimensioning Instrument
Finding the dimensions of something just got a lot easier. The world’s first dimensioning instrument, which is also a pen, captures the dimensions and 3D curves of any object. The 01 logs, converts and shares its results through its smartphone app.
thyssenkrupp Set to Test World’s First Ropeless Elevator
The 246-meter-tall Rottwiel tower will begin testing on the world’s first ropeless elevator, developed by thyssenkrupp, by this spring or summer 2017. Instead of cables, the system uses magnetic levitation.
AI Monitors Vehicles For Signs of Trouble
Preventative or scheduled car maintenance checks often miss many problems that could arise. The service of 3DSignals relies on the artificial intelligence technique known as deep learning to understand noise patterns of distraught machines and predict problems in advance.
Climb a Jobsite Wall Spider-Man Style
The Z-Man grips prototype, developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), combines suction cup grips on the hands and foot stirrups that release the suction when lifted up. The bionic suit is aimed at construction workers and is estimated to cost somewhere between $3-$5,000.
New Cross-Laminated Timber Technology
This new cross-laminated timber, created by D.R. Johnson Lumber Co., are rafts of 2-by-4 beams aligned in perpendicular layers, which are then glued – or laminated – together like a sandwich. The panels are lighter and require less energy than concrete and steel, and are much faster to congregate on-site than normal timber.
Jennifer Lanzetti, Principal at Cn3D Construction, Discusses How to Survive BIM in 2017
In the second half of the podcast, Jennifer Lanzetti, Principal at Cn3D Construction joined the ConTechTrio to discuss how construction professionals can survive BIM in 2017. Jennifer’s father was in the US Air Force, so she was raised all over the world, eventually landing in Idaho and receiving her Undergraduate Degree in Construction Management from Boise State. (Fun fact, Jennifer appeared on the hit TV show, Survivor.) After graduating, she immediately began working for Jacobsen Construction as their BIM Director, and later came to the realization that there was a great need for advanced technology training within the AEC industry. Jennifer took a leap of faith and started her company Cn3D Construction. Cn3D Construction trains construction companies on the latest construction design technology and virtual communication tools, to help make their projects easier and less expensive to build. On the podcast Jennifer reviewed how her company engages more construction professionals to accept and implement BIM processes, as well as, how they handle the skeptics. Jennifer and the ConTechTrio wrapped up the interview by discussing the advantages of BIM and how companies can get started with implementing BIM workflows into their processes.
Tune into the ConTechTrio podcast again Friday, January 13, 2017 for Episode 50, featuring Milwaukee Tools! 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, SoundCloud , YouTube, iTunes
Follow On Twitter:
JBKnowledge: @JBKnowledge
ConTechTrio: @ConTechTrio
James Benham: @jamesmbenham
Rob McKinney: @conappguru
Josh Bone: @bim2thebone
