Starting Off:
Last Thursday, the ConTechTrio aired episode 52 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 DDP yoga app, MCAA Safety Apps Report, the first 3D printed pedestrian bridge, SolarWindow’s new energy generating glass and much more! Special guest Brett Young (@youngbrettyyoung), CEO and Founder of Building System Planning also joined to discuss generative design in BIM for construction.
Listen to “ConTechTrio 52 @DDPYoga & Interview w/ @youngbrettyoung” on Spreaker.
Tech You Should Try:
DDP Yoga App – DDP Yoga isn’t your momma’s yoga! This interactive tool was created by professional wrestler Diamond Dallas Page and combines the very best of yoga, traditional fitness, sports therapy, and dynamic resistance. DDP Yoga is an online fitness application that is with you wherever you go, making working out on the road a thousand times easier. If you follow the ConTechTrio at all you know they love this app! DDP Yoga allows you to track your progress, monitor pain levels with visual injury tracking system, and provides helpful recipes for the next time you are in the kitchen. Download the app today in the iTunes Store for your next “Stretch and Flex” time on the worksite.
DJI Mavic Pro – With extendable arms, a flight time of 27 minutes, a price of $999.99, and collision avoidance, the DJI Mavic Pro is a drone you don’t want to miss out on! The Mavic Pro was created by DJI to provide users their own personal drone that is ready to travel wherever you go.
Weekly ConTechTrio Twitter Poll:
Last Week’s Poll: How Comfortable Are You With Adopting New Technology?
This Week’s Poll: “Does Your Company Use BIM for Clash Detection on Projects? Visit the ConTechTrio Twitter page and answer “Yes” or “No.”
ConTechTrio News:
Download the 5th Annual Construction Technology Report
Get your copy of the 2016 #ConTechReport and learn about the tech solutions and strategies over 2,000 builders are using and how your company compares! Download the Report.
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Looking for a new year’s resolution? What about committing to being as informed on construction tech news as possible? Let Construction Dive help with daily and weekly updates on everything you need to know about the industry. Sign up for the free email newsletters at constructiondive.com/trio
Construction Tech News:
Industry Education, Insights & Trends
$26 Million Secured in Funding for ES Track Platform
EquipmentShare secured $26 Million in funding lead by Insight Venture Partners and Romulus Growth. EquipmentShare helps contractors and original equipment manufactures better manage equipment and make wiser business decisions. This funding will fuel market place expansion, launch mixed-fleet telematics, and ES Track, a robust telematic solution that allows contractors to track locations, health, and the use of their fleet with real time data.
Why 2017 will be the Year of Office Construction
Office construction is booming across construction industry! With projects like the new Marriott Headquarters in Maryland, to the tallest office skyscraper since 1990 at 800 feet tall, it is obvious that office construction is on the rise. Experts explain that demographic preference and employment factors are playing a role in this rise. Today’s workers are demanding office space that has a collaborative, comfortable working environment.
Interested in Applying Technology to Your Safety Reporting?
MCAA has released its new technology survey on safety applications. The new study, produced independently by JBKLabs, focuses on apps that can be used by companies to document, report, and even predict future incidents. According to our very own Rob McKinney “predictive analytics in safety apps is a game changer for the entire construction industry.” Click here to download the MCAA Safety Apps Report Today! (Note: Must be a MCAA member to access.)
Demolition of 19 High Rise Buildings in China
Construction Junkie provides video footage of 19 buildings simultaneously imploded in China that each stood 7 to 12 stories tall. The 19 buildings covered a total of 37 acres and explosives placed at 120,000 different locations were used to bring down these structures. Best demolition in 2017? We think so!
The Changing Image of Construction – Technology’s Influence
Pepper Construction is keeping a close eye on emerging technology. Jake Pepper, Vice President of Pepper Construction explains how trends in the construction industry are changing due to technology. For example, BIM solutions are changing the way the industry views plans and AR/VR is changing the way the industry visualizes plans.
Prefabrication & Design
Energy Efficient Design
MIT researchers are helping architects with optimizing design and energy efficiency on structural materials with a computer simulation. This energy efficient design method is teaching professionals to make more informed decisions during the early stages of the design process to limit the amount of energy that buildings require.
Drones & UAV’s
100-Drone Swarm, Dropped from Jets, Plans Its Own Moves
The US Military released over 100 Perdix Drones from fighter jets in flight. Once the drones were released they communicated with each other and mimicked a surveillance mission by performing formation flying exercises. Technologies like 3D scanning, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are all coming together in this drone swarm. This could be used on job sites in the future to provide continuous live video and photo coverage as well as 3D scanning.
Construction Vehicle becomes Rescue Robot
A prototype construction robot has been created by a group of Japanese researchers that is equipped to provide infrared cameras and has ability to deploy a drone in disaster relief situations. This rescue robot can control heavy machines by achieving target values in regard to location and speed, as well as the ability to measure high frequency vibration through a force sensor. Construction professionals now have the ability to get eyes on any situation in times of need.
3D Printing
World’s First 3D-Printed Pedestrian Bridge
Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia produced the first 3D printed pedestrian bridge in South Madrid. This bridge has eight parts, is 40 feet long, and is made out of layers of concrete powder reinforced with thermoplastic polypropylene.
FARO Announces Under $25k Scanner
FARO has released their focus M70 3D printing scanner. As technologies, are getting more affordable, this FARO scanner is set to cost less than $25,000 dollars. The Focus M70 weighs 4.2 kilograms and captures 500,00 points per second with an accuracy plus or minus 3 millimeters.
Emerging Technology
Microsoft Trials New HoloLens Technology for Construction
Microsoft, alongside The University of Cambridge and Trimble, trial HoloLens technologies for construction work. These new technologies include: automated progress monitoring and automated bridge damage detection. Automated progress monitoring allows inspectors to check, cross-reference and report inspections in a timely manner, and collaborate with professionals by presenting physical and visual information through HoloLens. Automated bridge damage detection automatically maps bridges into 3D models and is sent to structural engineers to review while using HoloLens to make recommendations and repairs. This mixed reality of infrastructure is explained more in detail on Youtube.
SolarWindow Unveils New Energy-Generating Glass
SolarWindow creates a step further with their revolutionary flexible glass that has the ability of generating clean energy. This thin bendable glass allows buildings to generate energy by simply standing in the sun. SolarWindow is transforming the way we produce and obtain solar power on skyscrapers, cars and even planes.
[INTERVIEW] Brett Young, CEO and Founder of Building Systems Planning (BuildingSP), Discusses Generative Design in BIM for Construction
In the second half of the podcast, Brett Young, CEO and Founder of BuildingSP joined the ConTechTrio to discuss generative design in BIM for Construction. Brett was born and raised in Garden Grove, California, however moved all around the world due to his father being in the Air Force. Brett graduated with a degree from University of California, Berkeley. (Fun Fact: If you didn’t already know, Brett is an excellent writer.) Shortly after graduating, Brett worked in internet consulting, and fell into the construction industry due to one of his clients being in the industry. After years of being a project manager, Brett started a BIM consulting company before becoming the CEO and founder of BuildingSP.
BuildingSP is a software development company focused on bringing intelligence to system coordination within the field of BIM. In the podcast, Brett gives a three part definition of generative design, as well as explaining the features of BuildingSP products GenMEP and ClashMEP. Brett and the ConTechTrio wrapped up the interview by discussing the future of BIM, the advantages of ClashMEP, and the lessons Brett has learned throughout his career.
Tune into the ConTechTrio podcast next week for Episode 53, featuring Jake Macholtz from InEight, discussing developing software for construction. 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: Spreaker, SoundCloud , YouTube, iTunes
Follow On Twitter:
JBKnowledge: @JBKnowledge
ConTechTrio: @ConTechTrio
James Benham: @jamesmbenham
Rob McKinney: @conappguru
Josh Bone: @bim2thebone
