While crane operators, riggers and signalers work to improve jobsite communication, some of the electronic safety devices inside cranes are getting connected in new ways as well.
Load indicators, which compute an overload situation, alert operators to danger and, in some cases, restrict movement. They typically use long strands of cable strung up and down the crane's boom to keep several sensors talking to each other. Troubleshooting and replacing these cables can be very difficult and time consuming, but new wireless technology, coupled with long-life batteries, is starting to make crane work much safer and easier.