Starting Off:
Last Friday, the ConTechTrio aired episode 72 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 COINS Global Chatbot, HoloLive3D AR app, IBM’s augmented reality system, IrisVR’s multi-user collaboration software and much more! Special guest, Brian Burke, Owner of Plans4Less, also joined to discuss advances in printing for construction projects.
Shameless Plug:
Join JBKnowledge on July 13th in Philadelphia for the first of four 2017 ConTech Roadshows. This one day event, featuring the ConTechTrio, is filled with interactive technology, educational sessions, and a chance to network with construction contractors from across the Northeast. Register and learn more!
Tech You Should Try:
The COINS Global Chatbot provides customers an opportunity to communicate live with their service ticket system and has started to be deployed to customers allowing them to communicate directly with their ERP company.
Weekly ConTechTrio Twitter Poll:
Last Week’s Poll: Does your company use a Business Intelligence tool to analyze data from projects? The poll resulted in 42% “Yes” and 58% “No.”
This Week’s Poll: “Is your company printing anything outside of paper plans for project sites?“ Visit the ConTechTrio Twitter page and simply answer “Yes” or “No.”
Construction Tech News:
Industry Education, Insights & Trends
Marla McIntyre, Editor at Construction Executive, provides a rundown of the latest construction technology and software. Topics include, Gorilla Safety’s fleet management mobile app, 3M Speedglas Welding Helmet 9002NC, CalAmp’s CrashBoxx vehicle risk management system, and much more!
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), last week was “Safe + Sound Week.” The idea of “Safe + Sound Week” is to show commitment to safety. To learn additional ways on how to get your company more involved with safety read this article!
Seattle Builder Makes Smart Homes Standard
Quadrant Homes announced that smart home features will now be a part of their standard offerings. The lineup includes a smart doorbell, garage door opener, front door lock, thermostat and a lighting controls system. Quadrant’s move adds them to a growing group of builders such as Tri Pointe Group, Brookfield Residential, Lennar, KB Home, R&F Properties, and Coldwell Banker who found adding installed home technology raised builder’s revenue.
Sprint to be Exclusive Carrier of ‘Essential’ Phone
Sprint, the nation’s No. 4 wireless carrier, has been chosen as the exclusive U.S. carrier of the Essential phone. Niccolo de Masi, President of Essential, believes that as a new brand and new consumer electronics company they are partnering with the network of the future. The phone will launch in the late summer and will be available unlocked online on Essential’s website or available for purchase at Sprint Outlets or Best Buy.
ConTechTrio Co-Host, Josh Bone, discusses new features that were announced last week at the Fuzor User Conference in California. Fuzor is a multi-faceted software that helps guide you through your process of design within a project. Fuzor’s unique features include Point Cloud Sharing, VR Collaboration, Patented Bidirectional Live Link Support, and Combined Matrix System.
Accelerate Live! Talk: Is the Road to the Future the Path of Least Resistance?
Bluebeam’s VP of Strategic Development, Sasha Reed, discusses the innovator’s dilemma of either evolving slowly or practicing responsible, disruptive innovation. Reed explains how construction will not change unless we start responsibly breaking things and create ecosystems of people, process, and technology to truly evolve our industry.
Augmented & Virtual Reality
HoloLive3D AR App Visualizes 3D BIM on the Job Site
Spar3D discusses in this article a plugin release from VisuaLive3D that pushes BIM models from Revit to HoloLens. In addition to this plugin, VisuaLive3D also released an augmented reality app called HoloLive3D. HoloLive3D allows users to perform BIM coordination, field validation, clash detection and much more. To learn more watch the live demo below!
IrisVR Introduces Multi-User Collaboration
IrisVR, a New York City-based startup announces a desktop software called Prospect that provides multi-user VR experiences. Prospect immerses multiple users to be inside of the same virtual environment with audio features allowing multi-user collaboration.
IBM Augmented Reality System Lets Engineers Look Through Walls
IBM’s augmented reality (AR) allows engineers the ability to access a construction site virtually. The platform is a part of a complex system involving IoT sensors, 3D modeling, and artificial intelligence (AI). AR has the capacity to save engineers time and money by being able to carry out preparatory work for an actual site visit.
Calculating the Real Value of Virtual Design and Construction Technologies
Danielle Dy Buncio, Founder & President of VIATechnik, discusses how ROI can hold the average company back from integrating new technology into its operations. Dy Buncio argues that members of the construction industry need to reframe the way they think about the benefits these technologies have to offer in order to understand the real value of digital construction technologies.
Emerging Technology
Bosch Creates Radar Road “Signature” Maps for High Accuracy Self-Driving
Bosch is teaming up with TomTom to create a high-resolution localized map that uses radar signals for automated driving. “Radar Road Signature” maps can help position cars in their surroundings within a few centimeters. Learn more about “Radar Road Signature” maps and its features.
New Program Helps Builders Add Wi-Fi to Homes
Construction Dive explains in this article how the Wi-Fi Alliance is announcing a new program that establishes wireless internet as an essential tool to the blueprints of a new home. This will help builders determine the best locations to offer coverage throughout the house and will no longer look at Wi-Fi as an afterthought.
[INTERVIEW] Brian Burke, Owner of Plans4Less, Discusses Advances in Printing for Construction Projects
In the second half of the podcast, Brian Burke, Owner of Plans4Less, joined the ConTechTrio to discuss advances in printing for construction projects. Brian was born and raised in Connecticut and currently works fifteen minutes from where he was born.
In the interview, Brian explains how Plans4Less differs from traditional reprographer companies. Brian and the ConTechTrio discuss how new technologies are changing the way the industry prints on job sites, they define one-to-one printing, and they dive into how Plans4Less is integrating with paperless systems like SmartBid.
Tune into the ConTechTrio podcast this Friday for Episode 73, featuring Buck Davis, from Balfour Beatty, discussing construction technology training and hardware innovation.
Listen to the Podcast: Spreaker, SoundCloud , YouTube, iTunes
Follow On Twitter: @JBKnowledge, @ConTechTrio
