Starting Off:
Last Friday, the ConTechTrio aired episode 54 of the podcast in which Josh Bone (@BIM2theBone), Rob McKinney (@conappguru) and special guest host, Kris Lengieza (@Gieza0527) discussed the latest construction tech news. Headliners last week included Dewalt heated hoodie, Oculus VR gloves, Paracosm’s PX-80 handheld 3D scanner, Procore and Dexter + Chaney’s full integration and much more! Special guest Sarah Hodges, Director of the Construction Business Line at Autodesk, also joined to discuss Digitizing the Construction Job Site.
Tech You Should Try:
Dewalt Heated Hoodie – The cold can’t bother you anymore! This Dewalt black hoodie provides hours of core body warmth and continuous heat. This heated hoodie is available in sizes ranging from small to triple extra large, has a range of high, medium and low temperatures available and 12 and 20 volt battery options. With the battery attached in the hoodie there are also USB ports for your devices to be charging throughout a long day out on the job site.
Weekly ConTechTrio Twitter Poll:
Last Week’s Poll: Has Your Company Developed Custom Software to Better Meet Your Needs? It resulted in 52% Yes and 47% No.
This Week’s Poll: Are you familiar with Common Data Environments (CDE) to collect, manage and share project information online? Visit the ConTechTrio Twitter page and answer “Yes We Manage Info Online” “We Use Something Like CDE” or “What is CDE?”
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.
Construction Dive Newsletter – Get the Top Construction News
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
AEC Magazine interviews, Chief Software Architect from Autodesk, Jim Awe, on the company’s vision of the next generation of BIM tools. They discuss the preview of Autodesk’s project quantum and the implications that this common data environment platform will have on Revit. Project quantum has huge potential to help model more efficiently. If you are a BIM/VDC geek you need to read this article!
Cisco Gains Ground in Push for Smart Building Technology
This article from Construction Dive explains how Cisco is gaining ground with Internet of Things (IoT.) Cisco has started to produce dedicated hardware to provide more security and speed that’s dedicated to supporting building of IoT. This hardware will produce faster response times, more secure environments and an easier set up. Even though this dedicated hardware is still in it’s beginning stages it signifies IoT’s growth within building automation.
Construction Must Unite to Secure Support for Innovation
At the 2017 COINS Global Conference a concept was discussed about companies coming together and sharing their cost and research that is used for shared innovations between construction companies and infrastructure clients. The industry as a whole can grow and benefit tremendously from new ideas due to this shared pot of funding.
Excavator Operator Survives After Being Trapped for 2 Hours
Excavator Operator, Daniel Miller spent two hours trapped by his excavator with his nose only two inches above the water. Thankfully, after workers moved equipment around him, Daniel was rescued and brought to safe grounds. Watch the video here to see how Daniel Miller was rescued!
Five Ways Technology Will Modernize Construction in 2017
What will move the industry forward in 2017? Check out this article to find out. This article touches on the five key areas of change the construction industry should keep a watch of this year. It discusses big data, connectivity, site wide wi-fi, real time positioning and much more! Another aspect this article touches on is the importance of using technology to improve communication skills because BIM can only function properly if the right people are communicating around it.
Partnerships & Acquisitions
Procore’s Full Release of Dexter + Chaney Integration
Last June, Procore announced their limited integration release with Dexter + Chaney. Today, Procore and Dexter + Chaney are fully integrated. This brings Procore users a 100% cloud-based project management and accounting integration that allows data to be pushed back and forth between each other. Rob McKinney is ready to learn more about this integration, and talk about JBKnowledge’s integration of their SmartBid construction bid software with Procore, in full detail at Groundbreak 2017!
3D Printing
Paracosm PX-80 Handheld 3D Scanner
Paracosm has put up their PX-80 for pre-order for $25,000 dollars until March 3rd 2017. The PX-80 is the worlds first mobile SLAM plus Lidar 3D scanner with color point cloud data. By simply walking around with a backpack and a handheld device anyone can be a scanner. With the PX-80 you can implement a scan of an entire environment in just five minutes. “We have tested it on our jobs and it is really impressive.”- Kris Lengieza
Augmented & Virtual Reality
Zuckerberg Shows Off Oculus Gloves for Typing in VR
Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, reveals Oculus VR gloves that allow users to draw, type on a virtual keyboard, and even shoot webs out of your fingers like Spider-Man. Click here to watch the video. These gloves allows professionals to look at training and projects in a more in-depth way. “This is a huge opportunity for safety training and design!”- Josh Bone
Prefabrication & Modularization
Students Create a Robot-Built Pavilion
A group of students and professors from Gramazio Kohler Research lab at Swiss University developed robotic fabrication techniques to enhance the use of robots on timber construction. The pavilion is a complex wood frame structure made out of skins of wooden shingles. In the future, projects likes this can minimize the waste and time involved in construction. Click here to view the five week building process of this two story intricate structure.
Emerging Technology
BIMtrace is a new tool that was created by Pericept, that has the ability to democratize BIM. BIMtrace overlays iPhone or iPad images taken in the field into existing Naviworks models for immediate comparison rather than having to generate a new model. If you are looking to access models better in the field you need to check out this easy to use tool.
Lecia DS2000 Utility Detection Radar
Finding utilities underground just got a whole lot easier! Lecia Geosystems released their new utility detection radar called DS2000. This device is able to find potential threats including non conductive pipes and fibre optics. There is a lot going on underground that workers need to know about before they start digging and this tool can help prevent utility strikes in the future. The DS2000 looks like a fold up lawn mower and is cost effective and safe.
[INTERVIEW] Sarah Hodges, Director of the Construction Business Line at Autodesk, Discusses Digitizing the Construction Job Site
In the second half of the podcast, Sarah Hodges, Director of the Construction Business Line at Autodesk joined the ConTechTrio to discuss digitizing the construction job site. Sarah actually became passionate about software due to her dad’s work inspiring her throughout her childhood. During Sarah’s childhood she learned all about CAD and the role it had on the manufacturing side. (Fun Fact: Sarah’s Dad worked for many years at a company that is a competitor to Autodesk.)
After working at small film and video start-ups, Sarah started working for Autodesk and has been with them for over ten years. In her first years at Autodesk, Sarah worked in the educational department teaching architects, engineers, and students how to replace traditional processes with technology. Now Sarah has shifted from learning about the application of software on the design side to learning about construction. She is applying her passion of software into the construction industry and exposing people to the role of technology.
At a company like Autodesk, there is technology at every corner and with Sarah’s help they are solving the challenges that exist on construction sites dealing with paper-based workflows. In the podcast, Sarah discusses the vision and direction that Autodesk is taking after Carl Bass, CEO at Autodesk, announced he is stepping down after being at the controls for over a decade. Sarah and the ConTechTrio wrapped up the interview by talking about the BIM 360 platform, the value of information in BIM, the adoption of VR and AR environments on construction sites, common data environments and much more!
Tune into the ConTechTrio podcast next week for Episode 55, featuring Darren Roos from Bernards, discussing technology advances in VDC in 2017! 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
Josh Bone: @BIM2theBone
Rob McKinney: @conappguru
Kris Lengieza: @gieza0527
