Construction firms are slowly moving away from a wait-and-see approach and expanding the use of digital technologies across the entire project life cycle, from conceptual design to construction.
With these developments, alternative reality technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are increasingly being used to benefit construction projects in terms of accuracy, efficiency, and safety.
There are a variety of industries that can take advantage of AR, showing that it can be used beyond gaming and entertainment. Construction is another industry that can use AR. The use of augmented reality can increase your chances of winning more projects, improve team communication, and even increase your safety.
Construction and the built environment have faced two constant problems for decades. A lack of innovation causes companies to lose dollars every year, not just due to inefficiencies but due to communication, productivity, and operational inefficiencies. Secondly, in spite of safety being and always being the most important aspect of the industry, accidents do happen.
The AR technology will be able to eliminate both of these issues simultaneously and enable massive efficiencies, savings, and, most importantly, worker safety.
AR is a technological advancement wherein real-world elements are integrated with virtual elements. Architects, designers, engineers, construction managers, and service providers can all benefit from this technology.
Using augmented reality, you can combine virtual architectural renderings with the physical reality of the job site. The use of this incredible technology improves accuracy and efficiency while reducing errors on time, money, and resource allocation. AR smart glasses will simplify construction worker and contractor access to location data and identify it with greater accuracy, eliminating the need for extra materials.
Smart glasses can provide "heads-up" displays to surveyors and engineers on the job site, so they do not have to peer down at a tablet or leaf through a manual.
What is augmented reality (AR) glasses?
The most important characteristic of AR smart glasses is that they enhance reality with overlays. There are several different designs and sizes of AR smart glasses available on the market.
Smart glasses are transparent wearable devices that generate augmented reality content within the user's field of view as he or she looks at them.
In the same way that traditional glasses allow users to see their surroundings, user-friendly glasses enable them to see their surroundings. As for augmented reality smart glasses, they superimpose additional content over the content you see.
How is augmented reality used in construction?
Everything from planning projects to communicating can be done using augmented reality. Are you unclear about what this technology will do for architects, engineers, and even clients? With this comprehensive guide, you'll never be left in the dark again.
Let's get started right away.
Project Accuracy & Measuring Is Improved
The first advantage of augmented reality in this industry is its ability to increase team members' ability to accurately map out how an assignment will take place. Augmented reality effectively reduces errors. With this technology, the team can walk through the project step-by-step, taking measurements and providing details along the way.
In addition, those involved in this project develop so much expertise that they are able to improve their accuracy, precision, and speed. The team can also identify potential errors sooner than they occur when projects can be broken down into smaller phases.
Through the use of BIM and augmented reality, companies can determine dimensions accurately and visualize the project's appearance. Due to the ability of augmented reality to provide more accurate measurements, labour hours and materials will be more easily determined.
Presentation of the project
AR can add details and elements to a building plan, helping stakeholders better understand the project. With AR, 3D models can also be displayed as well as tours, providing clients with a clear picture of what construction will look like before it is built. Can you present a client with a new installation on-site? Using augmented reality, you can.
Project Planning
A more in-depth understanding of a project can be obtained through the use of augmented reality. Augmented reality can show how a project impacts the environment and society. As soon as you start planning and obtaining permits, augmented reality can be beneficial for your project. It enables businesses to showcase the end-product (e.g., completed building, reservoir, power plant etc.,) in great detail, as well as how the structure will benefit or impact its surroundings.
It is critical to ensure that your project plan aligns with the client's requirements during the construction planning phase. Architects and construction firms can truly showcase functional models to their clients by combining augmented reality and BIM.
Clients can make decisions based on the current plan and make changes prior to the start of construction.
Revisions on the Job Site
Augmented reality's greatest advantage is the ability to see how features fit on the site. Immediately before ordering any materials or estimating the amount of labour needed to install it, project managers can see how everything fits on-site to scale.
Wearables will allow workers on-site to tap and automatically measure completed pieces, comparing them with the specs from the model. On-site revisions allow for the discovery of architectural inconsistencies and the reduction of costs and delays by adjusting quickly to changes.
Modelling and visualizing projects
A key limitation of CAD models was that they could only be viewed via 2D screens, so for many years, they were the gold standard for making blueprints. The advancements in
AR can provide users with three and four-dimensional experiences that are based on these flat, 2D interpretations. It allows construction clients to walk through and interact with the model in order to grasp all of the construction elements, layouts, and stages.
Using this approach, we can move from a static to an interactive experience about the project. The majority of CAD software solutions are compatible with AR solutions, so data can be pulled from multiple sources and digital instructions can be translated to key stakeholders.
Workers Safety at Site and Inspection
With this technology, productivity and safety can be increased quickly. Safety is a major concern in the construction industry. For safety purposes, wearable smart glasses are used as safety equipment and for augmented reality inspections.
With smart glasses, also called heads-up displays (HUDs), contractors do not have to leave their usual viewpoints to view information projected through a transparent lens. In the construction industry, where every project manager, partner, and employee has a smartphone or tablet in their pocket or vest, this is even more important.
Employees can be provided with a solution by AR Smart Glasses that eliminates the need for them to look down as they walk through hazardous areas and try to gather information from their usual devices.
It also makes worksite operations safer, cuts costs, and provides time savings for construction inspectors. In most cases, inspections are performed manually, and they frequently require the participation of several people. Inspections can be performed by comparing the as-built structures with the BIM model. Inspectors can take photos on-site and retrieve notes from location sites on-demand. As a result, complex areas and serious issues are easier to identify, identify, and communicate in real-time.
In addition, this technology allows project managers to communicate with vendors and stakeholders through real-time progress reports. This can also help build better working environments for workers on sites through task-based elements.
Training in construction.
Trainers can use AR to help workers learn how to use complex equipment and heavy machinery by demonstrating it in a virtual reality environment before they arrive on the job site. The use of augmented reality can also be used to demonstrate hazardous materials or situations to team members without exposing them to the actual thing.
Subsurface Development
During the excavation process, it is always a possibility to hit a gas line or damage underground utilities. When the bucket of an excavator is knicked wrongly, catastrophic explosions can result. A variety of advanced applications can display objects buried underground, such as trenches and cables.
Cost Saving and enhanced collaboration
Through the implementation of AR throughout the project lifecycle, labour productivity can be increased, costs can be reduced, and safety can be improved. When workers use AR wearables to show them the tasks they need to complete and the time limits within which they need to complete them, they are more likely to meet deadlines.
The use of AR can improve remote collaboration by enabling teams to share 3D images and videos with teammates who aren't on the spot. Using augmented reality, stakeholders can watch or view images or videos in greater detail, giving them the ability to spot errors or problems without visiting the building in person.
Site survey using drones
Smart glasses enable drones to survey, monitor remote-jobs, provide updates to clients, conduct aerial inspections, and more with AR smart glasses. In order to view the drone camera feed, drone pilots must look down at a smartphone or a table. With smart glasses, you can view the drone camera feed on a transparent heads-up display while keeping a visual line of sight on the drone.
By doing so, workers will be able to comply with regulations while seeing hazards like trees, poles, and buildings more easily, as well as taking better pictures of the site.
The AR-enabled smart glasses also allow for hands-free remote support by viewing AR imagery, which eliminates the need to hold up a camera, smartphone, or tablet. Construction is a field where hands are constantly dirty from debris, either from working or inside gloves. The glasses provide unique training opportunities, as well as the ability to guide workers through issues without them having to physically visit the site.
Keeping track of progress
Project progress can be tracked and documented using augmented reality. A number of advanced solutions are available to track a project's progress. The apps use your device's augmented reality capabilities to sense where you are in the floorplan, and then automatically take pictures at each capture point. Team members can capture at the same location over time for efficient and accurate progress capture.
Construction has already entered the future of augmented reality in many ways. These use cases are already possible thanks to existing technologies, and a number of companies are testing and refining various augmented reality initiatives.
Mixing reality (MR) is pushing the envelope for forward-thinking organizations. The goal of MR is to combine augmented reality and virtual reality (VR) by allowing users to engage with virtual content while still being aware of their surroundings. We're still in the early stages of augmented reality in construction, but the future is promising.
Let’s Wrap up
The construction industry is embracing augmented reality with the advent of technology in our digital world. When planning construction, AR can show the client what the build will look like, ensuring their requirements are met. AR assures accurate measurements because it can measure the length, width, and depth of space.
Additionally, AR in construction allows for on-site revisions to assist in reducing rework by proactively detecting and fixing problems. The AR system also allows inspectors to retrieve notes, pull up checklists, and take photos on the fly.
6 Reasons to Adopt Augmented Reality Smart Glasses for EPC companies.
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