Related Links: Bitdefender Box Keeping a network secure on a large corporate scale is a full-time job for a team of IT security professionals. But when running a busy network for a small business or offsite office, there often isn't the space or money for that level of security management.Bitdefender, a firm best known for its antivirus software, is getting into the hardware game with Box, a stand-alone network gateway that scans all incoming and outgoing internet traffic for suspicious activity. Unlike a firewall, the Box does more than allow or deny internet activity; it actively scans network traffic for
Photo cCourtesy of Zachary Podkaminer SAM the Semi-Automated Masonry machine uses a map of the wall it's building along with a laser to build alongside workers. Related Links: Robots on the Jobsite Advancing in Construction VIDEO: Watch SAM Work A robot that lays bricks is now out of beta testing and at work alongside masons and laborers at a school-building jobsite in Ft. Collins, Colo. The Semi-Autonomous Mason, more commonly known as SAM, is already booked for two additional jobs. Masons working with SAM say the robot may help alleviate workforce shortages foreseen in future generations in masonry trades."He does
Photos Courtesy Atheer A worker wearing Atheer AiR Smart Glasses can interact with and manipulate floating images of virtual 3D designs and environments by using a depth camera and gesture technology, built into the headset and tethered to a processing pack. Related Links: Air DK2 Devkit Collaboration Technology for Construction Sees Rapid Improvements Augmented interactive reality glasses controlled by head and hand gestures now are available as a developer kit. The technology has the potential to help workers interact with 3D drawings and live-stream video.CTO Atheer Labs' AiR DK2 glasses and operating system are "closer to a mobile version of
Photo by David J. Odeh Odeh engineers work in early June with project collaborators from TRC Cos. to coordinate the design for an electrical substation. Related Links: Odeh Engineers Scalable Display Technologies Fully appreciating the implications of design alternatives for a major structure can take a great deal of analysis and an even greater ability to visualize changes. One Rhode Island structural engineering firm finds the stakes high enough that it has developed its conference space into a 10-projector BIM immersion room for collaboration with as many as 40 people."We realized BIM could be supercharged by creating a room where
Photo Courtesy DroneBase Drone surveying can be used to double-check grading, as is being done in this photo. Related Links: DroneBase As U.S. Drone Approvals Grow, So Does Need for Expertise FAA's Summary of Major Provisions of Proposed Part 107 A web service called DroneBase connects drone operators with construction owners nationwide and offers visual and surveying packages."It's hard for clients to know what to pay," says Dan Burton, CEO of DroneBase, Santa Monica, Calif. Compared to helicopter or airplane surveying, drones can deliver better output and fly more often for a cheaper price, he says, adding, "It's thousands [of
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) were developed in the 70’s for military. Commercial application lagged behind because of the specialized skills required, the cost and regulations required to operate drones for private business. A reduction in cost and size of component parts, advances in battery technology and software development over the past several years has opened up the drone industry to business to leverage automation like never before with drones. Today there are many commercial and construction applications for drones, all of which await government regulation to catch up. Drones on today’s construction sites are used to capture information about ongoing work
Related Links: Parsing Distributed Energy Resources NREL Report: Impact of High Solar Penetration in the Western Interconnection A growing challenge from the evolution of energy resources—especially from solar arrays that now are starting to be enhanced by backup battery storage—is causing electric utilities to rethink the projects they build and the technologies they use to design, construct and operate them.The incremental installations of distributed generation are starting to add up. Solar power, while still a small fraction of the nation's installed base, is the fastest-growing form of new power generation, and that's a trend with implications for the power industry.DODSON"The
Courtesy ASCE App sends ASCE infrastructure grades to elected officials. Related Links: Data Updates to U.S. Infrastructure Report-Card App ASCE Report Card Shows Slight Improvement in Nation's Infrastructure Health A new app allows users to see what letter grades infrastructure in their state received in the American Society of Civil Engineers' report card. Users can send the grade, along with photos and statistics, to local and federal representatives."Elected officials say their phones are not ringing with people talking about the failing infrastructure," says Emily Feenstra , ASCE's director of infrastructure initiatives, in Washington, D.C. "We need to elevate this message."The
Photo Courtesy Luke Yoder This aerial robot builds a 3D model of its surroundings, while flying autonomously within a predetermined bounding box. Related Links: The ARIA Project Researchers have developed an unmanned aerial vehicle that can fly itself. Taking 3D scans of its surroundings, the drone can process that data fast enough to navigate in real time, without hitting objects. The scans are accurate enough to use for other purposes, too, such as infrastructure inspection.Typically, inspectors visit a site every 12 to 18 months and generate handwritten notes that vary in detail and accuracy according to the inspector, says Daniel
Courtesy NASA NASA puts up $2.25 million in prizes for tinkerers who develop solutions to three challenges to building on Mars with on-site material. Related Links: Air Force Research Lab Invests in 3D Printing Technology Development Advancing 3D Printing Capabilities Excite Construction Leader The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is offering $2.25 million in prize money for three competitions, all aimed at dramatically advancing 3D printing in three areas: dwelling design, printing aggregate and printing mechanism.NASA's Centennial Challenges Program, in partnership with America Makes, allots $50,000 of the prize money for the design of a habitat for astronauts on Mars.
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