Starting Off:
Last Friday, the ConTechTrio aired episode 64 of the podcast in which James Benham (@JamesmBenham), Rob McKinney (@Conappguru), Josh Bone (@BIM2theBone) and guest host Bob Snyder discussed the latest construction tech news. Headliners last week included Touchplan.io, Revit 2018 features, BIMBOX first mobile station, Facebook’s Camera Effects Platform and much more! Special guest, Ralph Gootee, CTO and Co-founder of PlanGrid, also joined to discuss creating software for construction.
Tech You Should Try:
Touchplan.io – Making collaboration easy! Touchplan.io is a cloud based platform that allows users to build a more efficient and reliable schedule. With Touchplan.io users can make, change and adjust plans in real time.
Weekly ConTechTrio Twitter Poll:
Last Week’s Poll: Does your company have a well-defined mission that is shared and understood by all employees? The poll resulted in 62% “Yes“ and 38% “No.”
This Week’s Poll: “How user-friendly are the construction apps your company currently uses?” Visit the ConTechTrio Twitter page and choose from the following options, “Very,” “Somewhat” or “Not at all.”
Construction Tech News:
Industry Education, Insights & Trends
Offsite Start Up, Katerra Raises $130 Million
In this article, Construction Dive reviews how Katerra, an offsite construction startup company, raised $130 million and is valued at $1 billion. This disruption shows the growing acceptance of prefab construction.
Bechtel Opens Welding Tech Innovation, Training Center
Bechtel, a global leader in engineering and construction has opened a welding and applied technology center (WATC) in the Houston Energy Corridor. WATC will provide virtual training and augmented reality simulations to professionals, providing them practical experience in controlled environments.
8 Skills of an Effective Construction General Manager
In this article, ForConstructionPros discusses the importance of general managers and the skills they should poses to be successful. The top four skills include: communication, team, system and public relation.
Autodesk Revit 2018 has launched! New and enhanced features in Revit 2018 include, the Dynamo Player, extension to the power of global parameters, new coordination model linking, mechanical design improvement and much more.
BIMBOXUSA Releases First Mobile Station
BIMBOX is a highly specialized computer hardware that is designed and built for AEC applications. The new STRIKER GT(M) Series is the fastest laptop platform in the world that is custom built and ideal for single-threaded applications.
GoPro’s Spherical Camera Will Put Viewers in Action
Last week, GoPro announced its upcoming Fusion spherical camera that shoots 360° panoramic footage at a resolution of 5.2K with 30 frames per second. Click-and-drag your way through the Fusion’s demo video below.
Drones
How Hansel Phelps Carefully Deployed Drones on its Construction Sites
In this article, Equipment World interviews Richard Lopez, the virtual design and construction operations Manager at Hensel Phelps, on early adoption in drone technology, drone services and lessons learned in adopting drones.
Augmented & Virtual Reality
Microsoft HoloLens Delivers First Ever Augmented Reality Easter Egg Hunt
Microsoft, and a team of AR developers, have unveiled the first ever augmented reality Easter egg hunt. With the HoloLens headset, the game makes users feel like they are entering a surrealist forest looking for hidden holographic eggs.
Emerging Technology
What Facebook’s Bet on Augmented Reality Means for Your Phone
At the Annual F8 Developer Conference, Facebook announced their camera feature as the first augmented reality platform. This Camera Effects Platform will allow users to add directions over the streets in front of them, post virtual notes on the fridge and enhance real objects with edits and filters.
Lightform: The Magical Little Device That Transforms Whole Rooms Into Screens
This Wired article discusses how a start-up company, called Lightform, is turning projected augmented reality into living room technology. With Lightform any surface is turned into a video screen. The company plans to begin taking pre-orders this Summer.
Gigantic “Vending Machine” Skyscraper Dispenses 3D-Printed Homes in Tokyo
Designed by Haseef Rafiei, the Pod Skyscraper is a skyscraper of the future. On the top floor of the Pod Skyscraper, residents can order ready-to-use 3D printed housing units and then have cranes lower the pods into place for residential or commercial use.
INTERVIEW] Ralph Gootee, CTO and Co-Founder of PlanGrid, Discusses Creating Software for Construction
In the second half of the podcast, Ralph Gootee, CTO and Co-founder of PlanGrid, joined the ConTechTrio to discuss creating software for construction. Ralph was born in Delaware and raised in a rural area in Southern Maryland. While working full time, Ralph earned a master’s degree in applied mathematics from Johns Hopkins University.
Ralph worked as a system software engineer for Pixar Animation before joining PlanGrid in 2011. He built a 90+ research and development team at PlanGrid, and now leads a team of engineers and researches focused on emerging markets and technology.
Ralph explains the top challenges that PlanGrid users are facing in 2017, as well as, popular feature requests PlanGrid is looking at. Ralph and the ConTechTrio wrapped up the interview by discussing PlanGrid’s philosophy for building software for the construction user, how to effectively scale the PlanGrid platform, as well as, the importance of integrating with other software providers.
Tune into the ConTechTrio podcast this Friday for Episode 65, featuring Damon Hernandez on hacking workflows with software in construction.
Listen to the Podcast: Spreaker, SoundCloud , YouTube, iTunes
Follow On Twitter: @JBKnowledge, @ConTechTrio
