Drones on the Job Site?
Drones on the Job Site?
The construction industry is changing quickly; we’re seeing more and more digital technology make its way out to the jobsite. Drones are the latest and greatest tech that is revolutionizing the way we work. Long before any construction professionals show up, drones can conduct site surveys with high-resolution aerial images, 2D/3D modeling, and detailed terrain mapping. These surveys provide trustworthy data for materials estimates, civil engineering designs, and cost predictions. Once the project begins, drones are extremely useful for tracking build progress and safety issues with a comprehensive 360-degree field of view, meaning your project stays on schedule and under budget while your employees are safe. Let’s take a look at how drones are flying their way onto job sites across the country…
Real-Time Data Collection
In the past, construction data collection from elevation planning to build progress was an extremely slow, analog process that took manpower and number crunching to complete. Different surveyors and inspectors had to be scheduled to appear on site, only to take time to deliver their reports days later. Suffice to say, speed and efficiency weren’t of the essence.
However with the advent of drones, this is rapidly changing. Commercial-level drones used on construction sites can remotely capture 2D and 3D imaging, collecting detailed measurement data on the fly. Need to assess the height, placement, or orientation of a structure? Just get the drone in the air with a fresh battery and you will have your data in minutes – no more waiting for extra personnel and their reporting.
Drones also can be equipped with sensors beyond your normal imaging arrays, giving them the ability to monitor seismic activity, weather conditions, and even on-site build errors. In the past, you wouldn’t know about a build error or poor-fitting element until it was too late. With a drone overseeing build progress and quality, you can scan for and catch these mistakes long before they have an impact on the project. Contractors that leverage the use of drones can cut costs, make ambitious bids, and finish their work faster with less error at the end of the day.
Job Site Security and Efficiency
Theft, vandalism and idle employees are latent issues that plague many different job sites in the construction world. High-resolution ground cameras have changed the security and surveillance landscape, but they are inherently limited by their design and mounting points. On-site manned security is a deterrent as well, but just like the cameras, if something occurs outside of their field of vision, they are essentially expensive ornamentation.
Drone patrols, although costly, are interesting alternatives to common security measures at high-risk or high-dollar job sites. Drones have the unique “eye-in-the-sky” advantage of recording thieves and vandals from an aerial perspective that isn’t limited by a field of view or the human eye. They can also keep tabs on idle employees and offline assets, meaning your foremen and superintendents have their finger on the pulse of the jobsite.
Advanced drone platforms with laser sensors can also detect movement in out-of-reach areas, as well as track subjects that have gained unauthorized access to the job site. Flight time and battery power are obviously the limiting factors in the drone security world, but if technology continues to improve, 24-hour surveillance drone patrols aren’t too far off into the future.
Empowering The Next Generation
As construction becomes a more digitally connected industry, we are witnessing a switch in the skills and abilities reflected in the construction talent pool. Drones represent just a small change in the way the next generation can find value and employment in the construction world. Instead of honing fine motor skills with tools or machinery, your child could be developing valuable drone-piloting skills with a video game controller in his hands.
Drones and related technologies are attracting a wider range of students and young adults to a relatively “old school” profession. The control interfaces directly mirror the inputs and outputs found in video games found in most homes across America. Real-time cameras and helmet VR interfaces are just an another extension of the 1st person video games that are commonplace now. As a whole, drones are an interesting opportunity to revitalize the construction workforce with new, fresh talent that has been subconsciously trained to see the world from new perspectives.
Efficiency is now the name of the game in the construction industry. With the changes in our world coming at such a rapid pace, you have to leverage a unique combination of the latest tech to stay relevant and current. Drones are just one way modern technology is revolutionizing the way we all work on the jobsite.
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