Technology

Construction Technology and Software Rundown: July 9, 2021

By Marla McIntyre
July 7, 2021
Topics
Technology

Products

DEWALT’s TOOL CONNECT™ Chip Bluetooth® beacon add-on connects wirelessly with the Tool Connect™ System to manage jobsite inventory. Integrating the chip adds tracking capabilities compatible with TOOL CONNECT™ Site Manager software. DEWALT’s TOOL CONNECT Tag integrates with 31 tag-ready tools and attaches to jobsite assets regardless of brand, make or model, using screws, zip-ties, industrial tape, glue and new corded tool tags held in place by security screws.

Kenzen’s smart PPE system now tracks the heat susceptibility and sweat rate of individuals, then classifies them into low, moderate or high heat-risk categories. The sweat rate monitoring feature uses a worker’s information and physiological data to calculate and predict their sweat rate in liters per hour, viewable on the Kenzen analytics dashboard, which also indicates how much water that person needs to drink each hour to stay hydrated.

Software & In the Cloud

Architects, engineers, contractors, owners and other project stakeholders can collaborate with Bulldozair’s web and mobile platform. Control the entire project via a dashboard to track worksite supervision, document collaboration, reporting and meeting minutes, digital forms, punchlists and controls, as well as task management.

Eyrus’ workforce visibility platform gathers and analyzes key data points for labor and manpower on construction sites. Subcontractors can submit task progress, attendance and safety status, adding notes and photos. Eyrus' SafeProx tool generates audible and visual alerts within close proximity of others to support social distancing protocols; determines contract-tracing interaction; creates density alerts; tracks evacuation efforts on a job site; and determines whether someone without clearance is in a zone they are not certified to be in.

Procore Preconstruction now features updates to estimating capabilities with a "benchmarks" tool so users can compare and analyze past performance of initial estimates to final budget at project delivery. Users can also perform collaborative design reviews on drawings, as well as track and manage 2D and 3D design issues in one location. Procore customers can access Lowe’s products at 5-20% tiered discount, track purchases, set spending limits, develop requisition lists, access purchase history reports and create custom catalogs for future orders.

PlanHub cloud-based, preconstruction bidding software company helps general contractors, subcontractors and suppliers find, bid and secure projects. General contractors can invite preferred subcontractors to bid projects, track bid activity and progress, organize and search bids, and view a subcontractor database by locale and expertise.

Partnerships, Acquisitions & Integrations

STACK Construction Technologies has acquired SmartUse Solutions construction software for document viewing, markup and collaboration in the field. With the acquisition, STACK extends the reach of its platform to include additional critical phases of the construction process such as field operations for general contractors and subcontractors.

InEight’s integration with Microsoft on the Construction 365 enterprise platform gives teams a complete view of capital construction projects. With the partnership, users can customize the platform for connected data across systems. The enterprise platform includes more than 30 different integrations across accounting, BIM, risk management, estimating, CRM, procurement, CRM, project controls and document management.

Video & Cool Stuff

Synaptiq’s 2021 Artificial Intelligence in Construction Industry Report outlines how AI is helping construction companies come back from the pandemic by helping streamline operations and prevent health and safety issues on-site. The report provides an overview of a computer vision solution for construction. Other takeaways: many companies don’t know how to use data from on-site cameras and documents to solve problems; contractors can use intelligent document processing to automatically characterize data and documents to see details missed on a change order; AI isn’t going to replace people but rather alleviate menial, repetitive tasks; and the pandemic enabled companies already focused on technology innovation to pivot faster and respond to new health and safety and remote-work requirements as well as win new, larger contracts.

The Coalition for Smarter Infrastructure Investments, formed in June 2021, focuses on ensuring any forthcoming American infrastructure package includes the widespread adoption of advanced infrastructure technologies that include systems that automate workflows, produce 5D modeling and ensure that resources are transported quickly and efficiently. Founding partners include Bentley Systems, HaulHub Technologies, Headlight, Mott Macdonald and Greenroads International.

With the Bluetooth mesh network, large numbers of Bluetooth devices can communicate with each other beyond direct radio range. Messages transmitted by device, or node, move quickly from device to device, across the network until it reaches the destination. In a construction setting, Bluetooth mesh builds an ecosystem for the jobsite by connecting devices such as lighting, tools and machinery, increasing speed, efficiency and safety.

Varjo’s Reality Cloud platform enables virtual teleportation by 3D scanning surroundings with a Varjo XR-3 headset, which then transports another person to that same physical reality, bridging the real and the virtual in true-to-life visual fidelity. Using Varjo’s proprietary foveated transport algorithm, users can stream the real-time human-eye resolution, wide-field-of-view 3D video feed in single megabytes per second to any device.

by Marla McIntyre

Marla McIntyre is a digital editor of CE This Week and ConstructionExec.com. She edited Construction Executive’s Tech Trends and Risk Management eNewsletters and is the author of more than 200 articles and publications, including Construction Executive’s annual technology predictions, Technology & Software Rundown column and an award-winning series for the Risk Management Association. Her extensive construction and risk management background includes stints as executive director the Surety Information Office and American Subcontractors Association of Metro Washington.



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