Site Surveillance – Roofing Technology Think Tank

By Cotney Construction Law.

There are many benefits to self-navigating rovers and drones that provide workplace surveillance. In this second part of our two-part series, we will outline some of the main reasons why, if functional, this technology should be embraced by the construction industry.

The Problem with Construction Interiors

When drone technology became highly sophisticated, the devices were seamlessly integrated into the construction industry process capturing data for exteriors. Of course, drones were enhanced with new advancements over the years. With that being said, the interiors of construction sites were never as easy to navigate for autonomous devices until this recent technology circumvented many of these problems. In the near future, rovers could be implemented much to the same effect as drones.

Conquering This Problem

Inspecting construction work that is in progress and in an interior can be very difficult for the inspector. Inspectors can make misjudgments or overlook a problem. These mistakes or oversights can lead to both small and catastrophic accidents.

The precision of a Doxel rover allows construction professionals to confirm that the building process is being performed precisely with all of the components aligned correctly. If the metric data analyzed by the “deep learning” process shows that the progress is off kilter, the contractor can be notified via smartphone of the necessary steps to alleviate this issue. This technology at the contractor’s fingertips is invaluable.

Productive Technology

The deep learning process of this technology doesn’t just stop with the inspection process. An up-to-the-minute metrical analysis allows construction projects to save time instead of going back weeks to fix an unexpected issue. This, of course, results in significant reductions to the budget when certain issues are corrected in a timely fashion. Having an inspection process in real time that evaluates a project, highlights areas that need correction, and keeps an entire scale of a project recorded in measurable data is vital to construction project management. From budgeting to schedule coordination to keeping records on the quality of the project, this technology can find problems before they escalate and keep everybody on the project “in the know” on all of the important data.

Technology That Streamlines the Building Process

As we discussed in the first part of this two-part series, Doxel has created autonomous devices called rovers that can self-navigate around the entire perimeter of the workplace scanning for important measurable data that relates to a construction project. As we discussed in the second section, this intel is then uploaded to a cloud-based system that allows it to be algorithmically measured and processed. In the third section, we educated you on how this “deep learning” data can be sent to a construction manager’s smartphone, so they can review it and be aware of any areas of the work that need to be addressed.

Case Study of LiDAR Technology

Although this rover scanning technology is only in the embryo stage, it has shown promising signs of improving the construction process. In San Diego, CA, Doxel implemented its rover technology into a project where a multistory medical building was being erected. The rover was able to scan the infrastructure in approximately four to five hours each day and productivity reportedly improved nearly 40 percent on the project and the work was completed well under the estimated budget.

Monthly Subscription Fee

Although Doxel’s advanced technology has just been unveiled, the plan is to implement the services via a monthly subscription fee like most cloud-based services. One day in the near future, this technology may be implemented into all large-scale projects. Being able to digitally transfer all the measurable data of a project is an indispensable resource in itself. Any innovation that promotes the production of quality work in a timely fashion should be embraced by the construction industry.

Note: This article first published on Cotney Construction Law’s website and can be viewed here.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.

The Penalties That Stem from a Delay

When deadlines are missed, this can result in financial penalties for contractors. Delays can also compromise a contract, affect the bidding process on other jobs, and, in extreme cases, ruin a professional’s reputation.

This two-part article discusses the future of construction site surveillance and how technology may speed up and finely tune the building process. If new processes can lessen delays by closely monitoring the work being performed at construction sites, everyone in the construction industry will prosper.

Groundbreaking Invention

Future projects within the construction sector may be supervised by robotic devices like drones and rovers. As you probably already know, most construction sites already use various types of drones for aerial shots. This footage can provide valuable intel for the exterior of construction projects; however, the interior area of construction sites have lacked advanced autonomous technology that can record, analyze, or inspect the building process of a site. That is until emerging tech company Doxel unveiled its newest, groundbreaking invention.

LiDAR-Equipped Technology

After recently receiving $4.5 million in funding, Doxel’s artificial intelligent rovers can provide construction sites with measured data that is much more precise than your standard inspector with a tape measure. Although the rover looks like an adorable and more sophisticated version of the robotic vacuums homeowners invest in to aimlessly move around their living space, these Doxel rovers are capable of a much more advanced level of technology and can roam pre-coordinated paths that encompass an entire construction site.

These LiDAR-equipped robots can be let loose at the end of a workday and scan entire sites and determine the progress of the whole project.

Digitizing the Industry

The term LiDAR may not be a household name yet, but it will be in the next decade. LiDAR technology is the integral force behind autonomous vehicles’ vision. As digitaltrends.com explains it, LiDAR technology is a “laser-based surveying method” that creates a “depth-based image of the world by shining out laser lights and then measuring how long it takes for the reflected pulse to be bounced back to the sensor.” In non-techy talk, this means that the Doxel rovers possess a LiDAR scanner that allows them to digitize all of a construction site by scanning it. This initiates the process of sending this data to cloud technology and allows the information to be immediately analyzed.

The Deep-Learning Process

The surveying rover is the medium used on the construction site to collect the data via the high-tech laser scanning process known as LiDAR technology. However, once this information is collected it’s immediately uploaded to a deep-learning process that analyzes the measurable results that the surveying rover collected. Utilizing advanced 3D technology, the cloud system algorithmically analyzes the data and determines the overall quality and progress of the work being performed on location. This highly accurate information verifies that the construction work was completed correctly and remained on schedule.