Starting Off:
Last Friday, the ConTechTrio aired episode 78 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 FotoIN mobile app, Amazon’s new delivery feature, Autodesk’s ReCap Pro mobile, HoloLens 2.0 and much more! Special guest, Gari Nickson, Co-Founder and CMO of GenieBelt, also joined to discuss the state of construction technology in Europe.
Shameless Plug:
Join the ConTechTrio LIVE in person for the second stop of the 2017 JBKnowledge ConTech Roadshow series in Chicago, August 22nd. This one day event will be filled with interactive technology demos, educational sessions, and networking opportunities for regional construction professionals to learn about the latest technology solutions and strategies. Sign up for the Chicago Roadshow today, or learn more about the other ones coming to a city near you!
Tech You Should Try:
FotoIN is a mobile based app that allows users to snap, tag and annotate photos straight from the job site. The FotoIN Mobile App is easy to use, provides a flexible system to manage projects, and can automatically transfer, file and organize photos and reports. To learn more about the FotoIN mobile app or request a demo, visit here!
Weekly ConTechTrio Twitter Poll:
Last Week’s Poll: Do you think that IoT will make an impact on the Construction Industry? The poll resulted in 87% “Yes – I Think So,” 7% “No – Not Very Likely ” and 6% “What’s IoT?“
This Week’s Poll: “What is the most important quality in a project management software that your company could benefit most from?“ Visit the ConTechTrio Twitter page and choose from the following options: “Live Schedule Management,” “Live Project Overviews,” “Fast and Effective Collaboration“ or “Ability to Access Anywhere.”
Construction Tech News:
Industry Education, Insights & Trends
The $4.5 Billion Dollar Company That Has Never Released a Product
Magic Leap, a US start-up tech company founded in 2010, is supposedly worth $4.5 billion dollars. This tech company is almost eight years old and has yet to produce a product of any kind. Read this article to further understand when Magic Leap is expected to release their first product.
Amazon has released a new delivery service called The Hub, a 24/7 locker service designed for apartment buildings and multi-tenant dwellings. The Hub serves as a set of lockers to receive and store all types of packages, not just from Amazon.
Innovation is as Much About Funding Partners as Building Products
Harvard Business Review discusses in this thought provoking article the relationship between products verses partnerships within a company. Read this article to learn why having partners and collaborating with other companies is a crucial aspect to innovation.
[Video] Watch a Beautifully Executed Demolition of Century Old Asbestos – Filled Smoke Stack
The video below captures a successful demolition of a smoke stack in Michigan that is filled with asbestos. Start the video below at 1:30 minute to watch the implosion and collapse!
Retractable Roof at The New Mercedes-Benz Stadium Won’t Make Kickoff
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home to the Atlanta Falcons, will not have a fully functioning retractable roof for the Falcons first home game next month. The ongoing construction on the $1.5 billion-dollar stadium consists of moving several 500-ton pieces. To learn more about the Mercedes-Benz Stadium construction delay, read this article.
New Platform Launches for Freelance Engineers and Architects
Handiss, a tech startup, has gained support from the UK government and Lebanon’s central bank to implement a new hire platform for engineers and architects. This platform will connect future employees to a project or task rather than a full-time job.
Komatsu and Trimble Partner for 3D Construction Data Sharing
Construction Dive explains the partnership between Komatsu, a heavy equipment manufacturing company, and Trimble, makers of positioning software. This integration will enable the sharing of 3D construction job site data. Read this article to learn more Komatsu’s KomConnect and Trimble’s Connect software.
Brilliant Augmented Reality App Lets You Star in Your Own ’80s Music Video
Trixi Studios has developed an augmented reality app that has the ability to transform an environment in real-time to look like the crude pencil sketched world, similar to the 1980s “Take on Me” music video.
Emerging Technology
Microsoft: Productivity Future Vision
Microsoft released their Productivity Future Vision showing new collaboration services, how data analytics will empower people, and the possibilities with holographic interfaces.
Katerra Combined Technology and Modular Construction to Create Large-Scale Prefab Buildings
Katerra, a startup design-build firm, is creating large scale prefabricated buildings by using a technology-driven and full services approach. Read this article to learn how Katerra is streamlining the design and construction process.
Reality Capture Goes Mobile: Autodesk ReCap Pro for Mobile App is Here
Watch the video below to see how Autodesk is extending Reality Capture capabilities to the field with their ReCap Pro mobile.
HoloLens 2.0 Gets an AI Injection
Mashable discusses in this article the Microsoft Hololens 2.0 and its updated artificial intelligence capabilities. Watch the video below to learn more about the possibility of an AI-mixed reality headset.
[INTERVIEW] Gari Nickson, Co-Founder and CMO of GenieBelt, Discusses the State of Construction Technology in Europe
In the second half of the podcast, Gari Nickson, Co-founder and CMO of GenieBelt, joined the ConTechTrio to discuss the state of construction technology in Europe. Gari grew up in Wales and went to school in the UK at Liverpool Johns Moore University.
In the interview, Gari explains technology trends that are popular on projects in Europe and compared the construction industry in Europe to the US. Gari and the ConTechTrio discussed the UK BIM mandates, reviewed the potential artificial intelligence has in construction, as well as talked about how GenieBelt has evolved over the past years.
Tune into the ConTechTrio podcast this Friday for Episode 79, featuring Joe Lemay, CEO and Founder of Rocketbook, discussing the evolution of the notebook.
Listen to the Podcast: Spreaker, SoundCloud , YouTube, iTunes
Follow On Twitter: @JBKnowledge, @ConTechTrio
