Augmented Reality Glasses For Construction
Construction requires the collaboration of many teams: carpenters, electricians, plumbers, welders, designers and managers. One miscommunication or design issue can cause delays in the process and a project to go over budget.
AR allows onsite workers to consult offsite experts in real time, eliminating delays and misunderstandings. For example, a solution like Vuzix safety-rated smart glasses streamline surveying and provides hands-free access to positioning data.
1. Pre-Construction
During the planning phase of a construction project, augmented reality equipment can help ensure that the design matches up to what will be built. This can prevent schedule delays, cost overruns and other mishaps that could occur later in the process.
By overlaying CAD drawings, AR glasses allow architects to demonstrate the results of their designs and make changes before work begins. Using this technology, they can show clients the final product in 3D and even create a walk-through of the site to make sure that it will meet their requirements.
In addition to helping with the planning process, AR can also improve safety at the jobsite. Often, a construction project is a kinetic environment with multiple hazards that can be dangerous for workers. For example, a worker could lose concentration while holding a power tool and accidentally touch live wires. AR can be used to flash warnings and other critical information in front of workers’ eyes.
Lastly, AR can also enhance and accelerate training for new workers at the jobsite. For example, a construction manager can use the AR platform to provide clear instructions and demos that are instantly accessible to any employee. This helps to cut down on errors and speed up the training process.
2. During Construction
During construction, architects, engineers, welders, electricians and other workers need to coordinate closely. This is especially true if the work is complicated or if there are any design errors. With AR, all of the workers can have access to a detailed rendering of the entire project, making communication easier and more efficient. It also allows workers to see any changes that have been made in real time, eliminating the need for everyone to assemble at the site.
AR can also be used for inspection purposes. It can help inspectors find any inconsistencies between the as-built structure and the original model. This helps prevent expensive alterations later on and saves a lot of time.
Augmented reality can also help reduce safety hazards on the job site. For example, if an employee accidentally digs into a gas line or hits an underground cable, it can lead to a major disaster. With augmented reality, augmented reality glasses for construction workers can get a live view of the location of pipes and other utilities before digging to prevent costly mistakes.
AR can also improve training on the job by overlaying instructions and demos onto a person’s view of the work area. This makes it easier and faster to train new workers without having to send them offsite for classroom courses. It can even be used to help with safety planning, highlighting areas where there are potential dangers such as electrical cabling exposed on the ground or missing flooring.
3. Post-Construction
Augmented reality can accompany construction projects throughout their lifecycle. This can increase efficiency and accuracy, and ultimately reduce costs. augmented reality glasses for construction The technology can also help with training, as well as minimizing the gap between engineering and field work.
AR can make it easier to communicate with remote experts. For example, the glasses can be programmed to overlay instructions and demonstrations on equipment like cranes or boom lifts. This can accelerate the learning process for new workers and also improve safety by reducing downtime for training.
Another way that augmented reality can be used in construction is by making it easier to view and mark up designs and plans. This can be done by using a tablet or smartphone that connects to the glasses. It can also be useful for collaborating on design decisions with team members or clients. Balfour Beatty, for example, uses a pair of Vuzix Blade smart AR glasses to allow workers on jobsites to conduct walkthroughs or inspections remotely.
It can also be used to perform field measurements and generate instant CAD drawings. For example, the X2 Glasses can superimpose AutoCAD and MicroStation drawing images onto an existing site, and allows users to easily make changes to a virtual model. This can prevent the need to redo a structure and ensure that client requirements are met before construction begins.
4. Training
When workers don’t know how to operate equipment like cranes and boom lifts, augmented reality can help. AR headsets can be paired with virtual drills and instruction to allow workers to learn on the job without costly mistakes. Enhanced training can save time and money and boost worker productivity.
Smart glasses can also be used on jobsites to make inspections easier and faster. For example, a construction company employee can wear a pair of AR glasses to take a picture of an unsafe site or location and send the information to a central expert for review. This eliminates the need for the center expert to travel to the site, saving time and money.
Additionally, smart glasses can be used to flesh out Building Information Modeling (BIM) models into life-size images. This allows builders to see how their work will look onsite, and avoid any discrepancies.
Another use case is to quickly select components onsite and track their installation. For Hensel Phelps, this eliminated a lot of rework that would normally occur. For example, if the wrong prefabricated part arrived onsite, the team would have to ship it back and wait one to three business days for a replacement. Nguyen says that Hensel Phelps has 57 pairs of HoloLens in daily use.