The Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry has often been considered a laggard when it comes to adopting technology. But COVID-19 significantly accelerated digital transformation in the sector. With the industry forced to shift to remote work suddenly, contractors quickly adopted visualization and automation innovations to improve productivity, quality, and transparency.
The digital transformation that is under way will drive the way infrastructure is built in the future. The ability to immerse ourselves in our project plans and designs in the pre-construction phase will enable us to work far more effectively, safely and efficiently, right from the beginning. At present, the industry is already in phase one of this transformation, with Artificial Intelligence (AI), Mixed Reality (MR) and Automation at work on construction job sites globally. In the next decade, we will further experience construction sites in ways we had only imagined. Advancements in this area will continue to happen as connected job sites become more sophisticated.
Collaboration and visualization
Without question, rework has a substantial impact on project quality, cost, and scheduling. Rework is often a result of mistakes or poor construction, but it can also be caused by factors entirely out of a contractor’s control, such as clients just changing their mind about what they want. Two vital technological improvements that have shown remarkable results in reducing rework are visualization and collaboration tools.
Collaboration and visualization tools also enable the seamless movement of data and information. This is one of the most important aspects of collaboration because the hand-off is a crucial phase of the construction process. Because collaboration and visualization go hand-in-hand, these tools have improved productivity and reduced rework throughout the industry, both vertical and horizontal. The Trimble XR10 for HoloLens 2 and Trimble SiteVision are interesting Augmented and Mixed Reality visualization and collaboration technology applications. Such collaboration tools will help save time, money and resources on future construction projects.
Automation and autonomy
As in manufacturing, the ability to automate repeatable tasks is also driving the adoption of technology in construction. In the past, people talked about automation as a lofty, distant goal, but today we see it in action. Automation, remote operation and autonomous technology on construction job sites is something that industry vendors have been touting for years. However, over the past twelve months, we have started to see real market engagement as the need to work remotely has increased. Further, design engineering will be wholly automated for 80% of the construction process in the future. Real-time design and implementation will become the rule rather than the exception. However, there will always be 20% of construction that will require unique designs versus a structural geometry approach.
Thus, autonomy in construction is just one element of the broader shift towards automation — applied where it makes sense. However, the real paradigm shift for a construction environment will be automation and autonomy in processes. Today, certain processes are repeatable and are not as easy to automate because of dependencies on other functions. In the future, we will see these dependencies become better understood, and the inter-relationships mapped with decision points that can be plugged into automated workflows. Based on feedback from sensor-rich environments, these decision points can then be evaluated for possible autonomous actions. The best examples of autonomous equipment today are the robots, cobots, and autonomous machine control systems (graders, dozers and earthworks).
“Real-time design and implementation will become the rule rather than the exception.”
Robots, cobots and multipurpose autonomous machines
Currently, some profound advancements are happening in autonomous heavy equipment — robots and cobots. At Trimble, we have a portfolio of essential innovations that remind us how quickly this change is happening. For instance, the collaboration between Trimble and Dynapac demonstrates a reliable, fully autonomous roller solution.
Another advancement I’m incredibly excited about is Spot, the famous ‘robot dog’ platform. In projects like the Denver International Airport and a solar farm in Texas, the Trimble-Boston Dynamics solution is employed for both assisted and remote data collection. The next steps will include vast improvements in workflows to enable autonomous collection and integrated backend automation of modeling, design and field execution. Cobots, referring to collaborative robots, will support the work of human counterparts.
Likewise, earthmoving machines will look very different in 20 years. We are going to see machines becoming more versatile through the use of multiple implements. They will be multi-purpose and include a wide variety of integrated sensors to better understand and react to the environments in which they operate and conduct their assigned tasks.
Thus, using technology that is available today, it’s easy to utilize a set of inputs and software from companies like Trimble to create a project design and send it directly to the machines, where updates can be made and easily shared with all stakeholders — improving efficiency and safety across the construction lifecycle.
Surveyors will thrive in an autonomous environment
It’s noteworthy that as our industry moves toward more autonomy, that is, automated workflows and tasks, it does not necessarily reduce jobs for people. While the jobs of surveyors are going to change, they will still be there. There will always be a need for surveying skills and knowledge, even if it includes managing the robots.
Thus, automation is not going to overtake the surveyors. There will always be a need for surveyors, civil engineers, and construction managers to understand the fundamentals; otherwise, you might automate a process or machine that complicates matters on a job site. And that would not be progress at all.
