Last Friday, the #ConTechTrio aired episode 1.17 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 EarthCam 4K, BIM news and much more! Special guest Tracy Young, CEO and Co-founder of @PlanGrid also joined to discuss construction plan platforms.
The show kicked off with monumental JBKnowledge news, James Benham announced that the #ConTechTrio Podcast hit 10,000 listens! In other podcast news, @Constrjunkie has opened the floor to nominee suggestions for its “Best Construction Podcast of 2016 Contest,” voting dates will be announced after the nomination period closes. James went on to highlight his encounter with the new Periscope DGI feature, which allows a user to switch between the drone’s camera and their iPhone camera. Graham Leslie, R&D Team Lead for JBKnowledge, also joined the podcast to discuss his drone experience with the new SkyCatch Commander App, which turns a DJI drone into a professional mapping tool.
Also in the news, @Hyundai released images of their new ‘Iron Man Suit,’ which gives you super-strength. In the world of wearables, @Waverlylabsinc announced they will soon release the Pilot, a pair of in-ear translators designed to let people who speak different languages understand each other in real-time – Sí por favor! Otto, a company focused on eliminating transportation futility, declared its objective to create a kit that could be retrofitted to existing Class 8 trucks to give them self-driving functionality.
The Trio also discussed YouTube’s 11.18 for iOS release, which adds support for Google Cardboard, allowing anything on YouTube to be viewed in VR mode. @EarthCam introduced its innovative 4k webcam solution to document and promote landmark architectural designs at this year’s AIA National Convention. A self charging battery was also highlighted on the podcast, that can stretch up to 30% over skin to power wearables! In environmental news, @FastCoDesign wrote an article on the hot industry topic of whether or not timber skyscrapers can really help save the planet. Click here to view the progress of a current construction site using this timber building technology.
@Google announced the launch of Daydream, a standard and brand, that will be incorporated within the next version of Android, allowing every smartphone running its operating system to access a VR headset right out of the box. Google was also in the news for its new VR painting tool, because painting on a canvas is SO 20th century – right? In other VR news, @Roto_VR created the world’s first virtual reality chair, which incorporates technology such as motorized turns, cable management and a double rumble effect. In regards to modularization, Oklahoma is getting its first offsite-built modular hotel – the 142 room @Marriott-Brand AC Hotel Brick will open up to the public in June 2016. Lastly, the @AIANational 2030 Challenge was discussed on the podcast, which requires the committed 350 firms to have completely carbon neutral buildings by 2030.
In the second half of the podcast, Tracy Young, CEO and Co-founder of PlanGrid, joined the #ConTechTrio to discuss construction plan management platforms. Tracy graduated from CalState University and immediately joined the construction industry, spending 4-5 years building hospitals for Rudolph and Sletton. While managing the construction and coordination of these projects, Tracy realized the enormous inefficiencies in field operations. She later came to find out there is $1.2-$7.2 billion spent on rework in the US every year because of raw paper cost, print and shipping plan files. Tracy decided to solve this costly problem with an intuitive, sheet-based mobile construction app that keeps everyone building from the current set – called PlanGrid. Since it’s launch in 2011, PlanGrid has grown to incorporate 42,000+ contractors, owners and architects. In the podcast, Tracy discusses the main capabilities of PlanGrid, her thoughts on women in construction, the recent release of PlanGrid’s issue dashboard and much more!
Tune into the #ConTechTrio podcast again this Friday for Episode 1.18 with special guest Arman Gukasyan from Revizto to discuss the Democratization of BIM. 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
Listen to the ConTechTrio Podcast on SoundCloud
Listen to the ConTechTrio Podcast on YouTube
