Starting Off:
Last Friday LIVE from the 2017 DeWALT Experience in Nashville, the ConTechTrio aired episode 81 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 Ricoh Theta S, PlanGrid’s updates and software integrations, Tesla’s autopilot hardware updates, the world’s first multi-user hologram table and much more! Special guest, Tony Nicolaidis, Vice President of Marketing at DeWALT, also joined to discuss the need for job site Wi-Fi in 2017.
Shameless Plug:
On Wednesday September 13th at 1:30pm CST, PlanGrid is hosting a webinar called “How Technology Increases Construction Productivity in the Era of Labor Shortages” in partnership with leading construction technology companies including, SmartBid, eSUB, DeWALT, EarthCam, Rhumbix, and Skycatch. Sign up for this webinar today to learn the latest industry statistics on labor shortage, productivity trends, how to implement technology effectively, lean construction principles, and much more!
Tech You Should Try:
By capturing 360° photos, the Ricoh Theta allows users to reduce the quantity of photos taken on the job site and increase the quality of photos captured. To learn more about the Ricoh Theta, watch last week’s Tech Tuesday video with Rob McKinney discussing 360° photos in construction.
Weekly ConTechTrio Twitter Poll:
Last Week’s Poll: In your opinion what is the most important aspect to photo/video management in construction? The poll resulted in 40% “Reduce Project Risk,” 36% “Remotely View/Manage Sites in Real Time,“ 16% “Save Time & Money“ and 8% “I Don’t Know.“
This Week’s Poll: “Can your company connect 2D plans and 3D models?“ Visit the ConTechTrio Twitter page and choose from the following options: “Yes,” “No,” or “Why Should I?”
Construction Tech News:
Industry Education, Insights & Trends
[Video] Horizontal Directional Drilling Goes Off Course and Into Innocent SUV
In this article, Construction Junkie explains the benefits and purpose of horizontal directional drilling, as well as, provides video footage of what happens when directional drilling goes wrong due to no one spotting the drill.
PlanGrid Announces Several Upgrades and Software Integrations
Construction Junkie discusses in this article the announcement of PlanGrid’s new upgrades and software integrations. Updates include, one-tap navigation, faster sheet publishing, push notifications, and mobile 360° degree photos.
WeatherBuild Named to “20 Most Promising Construction Technology Solution Providers 2017”
According to CIOReview magazine, WeatherBuild, a solution platform for the construction industry, was named one of the top promising technology solution providers for 2017. Read this press release to learn more about WeatherBuild and how this recognition will help them in the future.
2017 Bluebeam Extreme Conference – Overview
Watch the video below to catch a glimpse of what the 2017 Bluebeam Extreme Conference will have in store this year on August 14th-16th in Los Angeles. If you are interested in joining this 3-day event, register here!
Emerging Technology
Tesla Confirms an Autopilot Hardware Update for All New Vehicles
Watch the video below to learn how Tesla’s self-driving autopilot operates and read this article to learn more about the road ahead for Tesla and their updates.
The World’s First Multi-User Hologram Table is Here
Euclideon, an Australian company, built a working prototype of the world’s first true multi-user hologram table. This table allows up to four people to walk around a holographic image as well as interact with each other by simply wearing small glasses.
E-ZPass Could Kickstart Smart Cities
This article explains how researchers from MIT have developed a solar-powered unit called Caroake that is capable of measuring positions and speeds of around 20 nearby vehicles that have EZPass transponders. Read this article to learn more about the Caroake unit and its capabilities.
During a recent podcast, AEC Business interviews Pouria Kay, CEO and Co-founder at Grib, and discusses Grib’s new intuitive 3D design tool. You can access the podcast of this interview here to learn more about Grib as a company and the tools they are creating for the future.
Software Assistant Optimizes Construction Scheduling Options
Engineering News Record explains in this article a software called ALICE which is short for artificial intelligence construction engineering. This software comes from ALICE Technologies and uses artificial intelligence to optimize construction planning and scheduling. To learn more about ALICE, read this article.
[INTERVIEW] Tony Nicolaidis, Vice President of Marketing at DeWALT, Discusses the Need for Job Site Wi-Fi in 2017
In the second half of the podcast, Tony Nicolaidis, Vice President of Marketing at DeWALT, joined the ConTechTrio to discuss the need for job site Wi-Fi. Tony was born and raised in Baltimore. Tony graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Electrical Engineering. After graduating college, Tony started working for DeWALT and has worked there ever since. [Fun Fact: Tony has 51 first cousins.]
Chris Keffer, Vice President of Marketing for customer and professional power tools at DeWALT joined Tony and the ConTechTrio for the interview portion of this podcast. In the interview, Tony and Chris discussed DeWALT’s vision for construction technology and how the fundamental problem of connectivity led to DeWALT’s Jobsite Wi-Fi system. Tony, Chris and the ConTechTrio defined the construction internet of things, explained software and platforms customers are using on site to move and capture data, as well as, teased what is coming up next for DeWALT’s expansion of connectivity.
Tune into the ConTechTrio podcast this Friday for Episode 83, featuring Todd Wynn, from Project Atlas discussing the future of mapping projects.
Listen to the Podcast: Spreaker, SoundCloud , YouTube, iTunes
Follow On Twitter: @JBKnowledge, @ConTechTrio
