Related Links: FAA summary of proposed drone rule Commercial Drone Flight Condoned, For Some (enr.com 12/15/2014) Survey Technology Firms Deploy Their Own Drones (ENR 9/8/2014 issue) [subscription] Some Firms Are Not Waiting For Regulations On Commercial Drone Operations (ENR 9/8/2014 issue) [subscription] The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a regulation that would place limits on commercial use of airborne drones, a technology that has sparked interest from surveying firms and construction contractors.FAA last December had granted a handful of firms exemptions to use drones for aerial surveying and monitoring construction sites.But FAA's eagerly awaited proposal, announced on Feb. 15, would
Many construction companies are looking to improve their operations by taking advantage of mobile technologies. Some of the industry’s biggest productivity gains are coming from mobile innovations, but there are a lot of options to pick through.First, what does "Mobile" really mean? "Mobile" comes in two forms, web based or app based (Android or iOS). Web-based systems need an Internet connection and rely on external software. App-based tools work with locally installed software, and some only work on specific devices. Also, most mobile systems are designed to work one way on your desktop and another, more specific—and sometimes more limited
New U.S. Air Force Research Lab contracts aim to advance metallic-powder 3D printing for aerospace manufacturers. Related Links: An Enabler For Inspired Thinking: 3D Printing Metallic Printing Tested To Fabricate Structural Nodes The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory is awarding contracts to a partnership of aerospace and defense contractors and a 3D printing company to refine innovative 3D printing methods for use in manufacturing aerospace parts.The lab on Feb. 3 awarded $1 million in contracts to underwrite two projects aimed at enhancing intricate control during 3D printing. The awards were made through America Makes, an additive manufacturing innovation institute in
Related Links: Rob McKinney -- Construction App Guru blog on SkySite Rob McKinney -- Construction App Guru blog on SkySite Rob McKinney -- Construction App Guru blog on SkySite An old ship in the reprographics business is taking a new tack. The drive to create a construction-document management system to give every participant accessible, up-to-date versions of every required document, with revisions pushed instantly, audit trails and superseded versions archived for review, is moving to the cloud.ARC Document Solutions, launched in 1989 as American Reprographics Co., introduced SkySite, a cloud-based "enterprise-level" construction-document management system, on Jan. 29. The firm went
By introducing geometric linear perspective to painting and architecture, Renaissance artist and engineer Filippo Brunelleschi not only revolutionized technical procedures, but also fundamentally altered our ways of visual perception and spatial understanding.
Courtesy Carnegie Mellon University A person's gait, weight and health are contributors to the specific vibration pattern they make as they walk. Related Links: Hae Young Noh assistant professor, Carnegie Mellon University explains her building sensor technology. A new structural-vibration sensor system inspired by scorpions’ predatory habits detects building occupants by their walking patterns. Walking vibrations produce a unique signature pinned to individual occupants.“It helps with building-energy management and to control the HVAC systems, based on occupancy,” says Hae Young Noh, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. The practical application of Noh and her team’s
Related Links: 2014 Construction Technology Report Texas A & M Dept of Construction Science Construction Financial Management Association The construction industry's embrace of technology and data security is, at best, casual, suggests the results of a technology-practices survey with more than 1,000 responses released in January.Technology consultant JBKnowledge Inc.'s third annual "Construction Technology" survey had 300 more participants than the year before and was up from about 450 the first time out. This year's survey was also a cooperative project, with the Construction Financial Management Association and Texas A&M University's Dept. of Construction Science. The report can be downloaded at
Image Courtesy of Sefaira Systems Light Load Sefaira Systems compares peak loads and mechanical system size between several building models or iterations to find the best fit. Image Courtesy of Sefaira Systems Related Links: Sefaira Systems Sefaira Releases Energy Analysis Plug-in for Revit A new web-based tool, Sefaira Systems, combines the U.S. Dept. of Energy's building-energy- modeling simulation program, EnergyPlus, with 3D models to quickly analyze mechanical systems and building-envelope options during a project's early stages."Our chief engineers used to calculate all these loads and would crunch through processes and make their best assumptions," says Brian McGuire, director of building-information-modeling
Image-making technology improves every year and ENR's annual The Year in Construction photo contest is one way to track how that improvement is contributing to improving the construction process, itself.Less than a decade ago our judges started seeing images shot by the then-new GoPro camera. GoPro cameras are now becoming commonplace tools on jobsites and have made it possible not only to capture photo documentation easily, but even to capture inspection photos in difficult-to-reach areas with relative ease. Such photos can reduce risk and improve performance.When the contest began in 2002, film and digital photos sent in by mail on
By AutoCASE A new web-based evaluation tool works via a plug-in available to Autodesks infrastructure design tools. It automates calculation of a proposed projects net present value based on its likely social, environmental and financial impacts. Related Links: Free Preview of AutoCASE AutoCAD Civil 3D A cancer diagnosis changes your life, says John Williams, chairman and CEO, Impact Infrastructure. When Williams learned he had the disease, he retired from his role as principal owner of an architecture and engineering firm on his 25th anniversary with the company.He then chose a new quest: Supporting the industry's growing commitment to the creation
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