Starting Off
Last Friday, the #ConTechTrio aired episode 27 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 an anti-drone rifle, a robo-builder that can build a house in 2 days, SkySite’s new ProjectLink App, the top 5 worst construction site tech practices, Autodesk’s live service and much more! Special guests Dennis Stejskal (@stejskald) and Walter Davis (@WaltDavisCO), from SAGE (@SageNAmerica), also joined to discuss software interoperability in construction.
Have a question for the ConTechTrio? Submit one and have it answered live at the AGC IT Forum on August 5th! Use the hashtag #ConTechTrio or send us an email at contechtrio@jbknowledge.com!
Weekly Poll
The JBKnowledge Twitter poll question from last week’s episode, “Does your company employ drones to capture job site data?” – resulted in 43% Yes and 57% No. A new poll question was also highlighted on the show, that’s related to this week’s episode – “Do any of your day-to-day online tools or applications integrate with each other?” The poll can be found on the JBK Twitter page and participants need only answer the single question with “Yes” or “No.”
Construction Tech News
Not a fan of drones? You might want to invest in the Battelle DroneDefender, which can shoot down any drone with its GPS disrupting waves. Bad news for Bob the Builder, there is a new robo-builder on the market that can create an entire house in 2 days! SkySite released new features for its ProjectLink app, which includes functionalities like a time-saving approach, auto-hyperlinking, improved document search and more.
ConstructionDive highlighted the top four construction technology innovations that enhance productivity in the field for tradesmen, foremen and other site workers. In the world of automobiles, some stunt drivers and the former VP of Creative at Mattel‘s Wheels Division have teamed up to produce the world’s first car designed in a virtual environment and engineered with artificial intelligence – basically a self-driving car.
Intel is developing a pair of augmented reality smart glasses, called Intel Remote Eyesight, built around the idea of remote collaboration. ZBRELLA Tech released the top 5 worst construction project worksite tech practices, find out which ones made the top of the list. Autodesk rolled out its new Autodesk Live Service, which transforms Revit models into interactive visualizations that you can share with others. In regards to demolition, Detroit, Michigan has successfully demolished 10,171 buildings (as of July 24th) to fight blight within the city.
PlanGrid announced its new API, which allows users to sync information from PlanGrid with their other software systems. Tesla opened up its Gigafactory last week, only 14% is complete, but when finished, the factory will be about 10 million square feet, or about the size of 262 NFL football fields! The trio finished out their construction tech news with HoloVit, a transparent screen that displays free floating holograms right in your home!
Interview
In the second half of the podcast, Dennis Stejskal and Walter Davis, from SAGE, joined to discuss software interoperability in construction. Both Dennis and Walter have been with SAGE for an extended period of time, dating back to when the company was called Timberline in the 80’s. During the interview, they discussed their recent experience and biggest takeaways from the SAGE Summit, a learning, training and networking event for their customers. Dennis and Walter went on to discuss their thoughts on BIM integration, SAGE Estimating and the obstacles estimators face with BIM. The ConTechTrio, Dennis and Walter wrapped up the interview with their future forecast on the construction technology industry – where they see the industry going within the next 5-10 years.
Tune into the #ConTechTrio podcast again this Friday for Episode 28, featuring the ConTechTrio live at the AGC IT Forum! 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 to the ConTechTrio Podcast on iTunes
Listen to the ConTechTrio Podcast on Spreaker
Download the NEW ConTechTrio Podcast App
Listen to the ConTechTrio Podcast on SoundCloud
Listen to the ConTechTrio Podcast on YouTube
