Last Friday, the #ConTechTrio aired episode 1.20 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 a 3D printed family home, Microsoft Planners Office 365 integration, advanced 4D BIM techniques, and much more! Special guest Bob Snyder, CEO of Binsky & Snyder Mechanical, also joined to discuss the changing role of technology in construction.
The show kicked off with ConTechTrio news. James Benham announced the ConTechTrio podcast now has its own app, which is available for download in the IOS store. Also in podcast news, @ConstrJunkie has opened up voting for its “Best Construction Podcast of 2016 Contest,” click here to vote for your favorite one (cough, ConTechTrio, cough). In regards to JBKnowledge, we are excited to announce the launch of our new website! Take a look around, subscribe to the blog to keep updates from the ConTechTrio right in your inbox and learn how your company can harness technology to simplify your business processes. JBKnowledge will also be launching the Annual Construction Tech Survey within the next two weeks, so be on the look-out for it!
The trio was happy to announce the Facebook poll winner of last week’s episode, Joe Morgan, Manager of Safety and Training at AGC Arkansas! A new poll was also highlighted on the show, that’s related to this week’s episode theme, “the changing role of tech within the construction industry.” The poll can be found on the JBK Twitter page and participants need only answer the single question with “Yes” or “No” to be eligible to win a Tile GPS Tracker!
Branching off into construction tech news, @BranchTechno will begin construction of the Freeform Home Design Challenge 3D printed single-family home winning design in 2017. Cornell University researchers recently created a 3D printer that builds as you work and aims for easy changes while prototyping. In the world of wearables, MIT Tangible Media Group has been working on a “membrane-backed rigid material,” called Exoskin, which can dynamically change its shape to react to your touch.
@Microsoft Planner, a task-centric work management solution, is now accessible to users in Office 365 and will appear as another tile in the tools section. In the world of 3D printing, a Research and Markets study found that the 3D printed concrete market has the potential to be worth $56.4 million by 2021! @Craftsman released an 18 ounce Flex Claw Hammer, which provides 4 different claw positions to give users greater leverage for prying at the selected angle. Believe it or not, Snapchat is now being used in the construction field for progress updates, logistic/material questions and general communication. Researchers at Canadian University have developed an advanced 4D technique to help projects finish on time and avoid any costly delays associated with massive public infrastructure projects.
Keeping on the track of BIM, a recent study found that the international BIM market will reach $11.7 billion by 2022. Singapore is moving forward with their aggressive project to create a 3D model of the entire city-state, which it will use to build a database with information on buildings, infrastructure and more. BAM has partnered with Universe Architecture to launch a “robo printer” that can create free-form buildings in concrete and stone. Another robot making headlines is the k5 robot security guard—a sensor-filled droid made by @iKnightscope that patrols areas and detects suspicious behavior. The trio finished out their weekly tech news updates with a video showcasing an augmented reality sandbox with real-time water flow simulation.
In the second half of the podcast, Bob Snyder, CEO of Binsky & Snyder Mechanical, joined the #ConTechTrio to discuss the changing role of technology in construction. Bob grew up around mechanical contracting and eventually took over his family business, Binsky & Snyder Mechanical, at a young age. Since taking over the firm, he has grown the size of the business significantly, achieving $100 million in revenue and expanding the overall breadth of services provided/volume of work. Bob went on to discuss the impact technology has had on his business throughout the years, best practices for motivating employee adoption of new tech and how BIM has improved his workflows.
Tune into the #ConTechTrio podcast again this Friday for Episode 1.21 with special guest Doug Chambers from FieldLens to discuss project documentation in 2016. 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
