Technology

Innovation in a Time of Crisis

At the start of 2020, the tech sector already had a lot to offer. Once it was clear COVID-19 was here to stay, the tech sector did not stall—like usual, it innovated.
By Rachel E. Pelovitz
September 8, 2020
Topics
Technology

When the novel coronavirus loudly disrupted the scene in early 2020, construction technology already had a lot to offer. It was at a jumping-off point to address the impending pandemic. Once it was clear COVID-19 was here to stay, the tech sector did not stall—like usual, it innovated.

The construction industry faced a dramatic landscape:

  • various state closures and fragmented local restrictions;
  • supply chain disruptions and manufacturing at a standstill;
  • lower consumer confidence;
  • 975,000 net lost jobs in April; and
  • sudden new safety protocols required for essential workers.

Now, as the modern workforce is past the point of shock, incorporating COVID-19 into daily life (think mask mavens on Etsy, stickers every six feet in the grocery store and businesses from Wall Street to Main Street on mandated shift work to maintain proper distancing), adaptation must include permanent resolutions for the world to come—and the answer is, of course, technology.

ABC’s Vice President of Construction Technology and Innovation, Matt Abeles, has termed these “deployable solutions.”

“I think technology has always been the solution,” Abeles says of the current focus on the sector. “The aftereffect of COVID-19 has been that people must embrace technology not just as they want, but out of necessity.”

SAFETY TECHNOLOGY

Of primary need are technologies that document instances of COVID-19 on the jobsite, integrate the “Internet of Things” and use artificial intelligence to track social distancing protocols. Some apps even ensure that handwashing stations are being properly utilized throughout the day.

“If someone, unfortunately, does contract COVID-19 in the workplace and you have to backtrack who that individual had contact with, then technology now can assist you with making informed decisions and decisive actions,” Abeles says. He references just a few of the safety-enhancing options contractors can deploy quickly on the jobsite.

SOBEREYE is a subscription-based service providing testing devices, cloud-based enterprise software, training and support in order to detect impairment in workers. Impairment may include alcohol, sickness or even just fatigue, but it ensures that all employees are fit to work onsite.

Reactec, a United Kingdom-based company, combined the age-old wristwatch with hand-arm vibration and smartwatch technology, ensuring that workers receive a vibration if they come within six feet of one another. In addition, the watches track that distancing data, submitting proximity reports to management and enabling companies to track potential exposure in the event an employee is diagnosed.

A similar solution, Guardhat, offers wearable safety monitors in a tag, hardhat or mobile app.

Virtual Badge. “Turn ID Cards Into Swiss Army Knives for Your Organization,” reads the advertisement for Virtual Badge. While this mobile-based solution can be utilized for onboarding and other site security measures, user check-ins and check-outs have optimized this platform for identification of essential workers, capping worker limits at jobsites and contact tracing. These measures may seem extra or extreme, but the visual timeline is critical because if someone falls ill, people can be notified immediately, and the alarm can be sounded.

Safesite. This safety management system provides inspections, an app for paperless incident reports, audits, checklists, templates and other site health features.

“I don’t think you can control what people do off the jobsite,” Abeles says. “That’s where the different health assessments are proactive.” And while these measures are necessary, each approach, per company, may be different, and may involve a combination of approaches in order to meet or exceed a contractor’s safety needs. Contractors have their pick of the litter and tech companies are rising to the occasion.

SITE MONITORING AND COLLABORATION

With several options, including photos, 360° cameras and the establishment of a “visual command center” for contractors, site monitoring innovations allow contractors unprecedented control and progress monitoring.

HoloBuilder’s SpotWalk. A crowd favorite, the Spot robot—developed by Boston Dynamics with integration by HoloBuilder—arrived just in time. Capable of walking an entire trained path and providing 360° photos, the robot removes the need for daily security checks or site progress photos by team members, and it does not require virtual reality to view the complete site. Photos can be uploaded directly to the cloud.

Zoom is an intuitive technology that is going to last far past any post-pandemic cleanup—so it might be best for the construction industry to adapt to it now. With internal solutions, like video and chat, as well as external ability for webinars, working from home becomes accessible to the industry in a way it was not before.

WeatherBuild monitors the jobsite from the atmosphere, providing a suite of decision support solutions on weather conditions so that contractors don’t waste resources. The data can be available via mobile, email and web notification, and it can be integrated with numerous formats and systems.

Smartvid.io, seeing a need in the industry for both site monitoring and safety, has stepped in to provide an answer. Cameras are installed on jobsites integrate with pre-existing platforms—Autodesk, Egnyte, Procore, etc. Then, its platform monitors the site all day and provides reports to ensure that anyone onsite is observing social distancing measures.

VIRTUAL REALITY

It is entirely possible that COVID-19 has inspired a technological revolution. It is important to appreciate, however, that construction was kept afloat at the beginning of the pandemic by those companies already ahead of the curve. If contractors want to access jobsites from home, arrange a virtual walkthrough with stakeholders in scattered locations or apply a new vision to the existing space, alternative reality and virtual reality are on their way to consuming the construction space.

In a way, Abeles says, the advances over the last months have just been “wishlist” solutions that construction companies, in the thick of a crisis, have now embraced. “That’s really what’s changed,” he says. “But the tech has always been there.”

Some of those include:

  • Iris VR provides immersive walkthroughs and integrates with Revit.
  • Several contractors are also embracing Lenovo and Varjo, among other tech solutions.
  • AutoCAD recently launched a universal, backend design that functions across web, mobile, browser and app platforms that was critical for construction users going into the pandemic. Instead of working from home and fighting with a software that worked differently on mobile versus desktop components, AutoCAD maneuvers seamlessly to each, and has revitalized each of its original components.
  • AMD’s new line of graphics cards was very timely considering the massive shift to work from home and an immediate need for fast graphics processors. Their products are, quite literally, tested to last and ensure that renderings are completed in a high-quality environment, whether at home or in the office.

OPENING DOORS

It may be strange to think that any kind of positivity may be gained through closed doors, projects in limbo or a worldwide pandemic but, for many, technology is the way out of the mire.

“From a simple standpoint, I think you’re seeing a pivot to a lot of the big project management tools,” Abeles says. Due to companies initially using technology out of necessity, the continuance of the pandemic and the changed requirements have “boiled into something much more exciting,” he says.

For example, Field Control Analytics, a company that specializes in labor and analytics for jobsites, developed a new technology that not only tracks different health factors, but also provides a required time limit for an employee to be on- and offsite, providing a timestamp as proof of exit from the site. The app itself verifies employee status, health guidelines and security parameters, rather than relying on human error or subjective determination.

“I think many technologies have adapted to the new security parameters, to abide by those new rules and expectations,” Abeles says—but he also thinks this is just the beginning. Experts, such as Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, project that a second wave of COVID-19 may be imminent, and the economy will see another ebb. In that case, proactive leadership will be more critical than ever.

Although at first it seemed like what was needed were Band-Aid fixes, it has become increasingly apparent that the future is here to stay. Contractors are seeking short-term solutions to address uncertainty while rethinking how tech tools will position them for success in the long term. “I think adoption is increasing,” Abeles says, “but it has a lot of room for growth.”

Editor’s Note: ABC and CE are not endorsing any of the products listed, and anyone considering using them should consult with legal counsel regarding any applicable laws.

by Rachel E. Pelovitz

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