CC3001

INDUSTRYfocus
A new remotely-operated bridge building
machine in China, the SLJ900/32, operates
without conventional crane technology. It
travels across the bridge constructing a
temporary track as it goes, and tows each
new segment with it - extending between
the bridge's columns and dropping the
segment into place. Bridge building is
dangerous, time consuming work with high
insurance premiums. An automated
solution may already be with us.
Engineers are now exploring solutions for
high-skilled, precision crafts in construction
too. US firm Construction Robotics'
SAM100 bricklaying robot is currently being
marketed as "Assisting the mason with the
repetitive and strenuous task of lifting and
placing each brick," but as the system gets
more sophisticated, how long will it be
before the mason disappears and the
robot remains?
Similarly, construction professionals are
recognising the benefits that drones can
bring to the sector, including improved site
survey efficiency using real-time imagery,
and rapid data collection using GPS
recording and aerial imagery. Again, how
long will it be until drones surpass mere
surveillance duties and begin construction
and repair works?
The University of Leeds is already
pioneering a £4.2m national infrastructure
research project into creating miniature
drones that perform complex tasks, in
essence helping cities to 'self-repair.'
How can companies leverage this?
Perhaps the most urgent action is to
recognise the change and start
establishing a strategy for digital
transformation. Again, reskilling recruitment
of tech-savvy younger professionals will
pay dividends. Graphic design,
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality
(VR) will be hugely important in keeping
companies competitive as clients become
more immersed in the digital world. The
ability to construct buildings in digital form,
and explore them using VR, will become
especially key for architects. BIM is of
course the first step along that journey, but
company requirements will quickly evolve.
As VR continues to immerse itself in the
construction space companies will also be
able to take trainees outside of a
pressurised working environment and
visually walk them through the correct
training processes. Companies can invest
in AR technologies to better improve health
and safety practices and training. For
example, computer-generated images,
information and visual data can be
superimposed over an employee's
physical surroundings to help guide them
with technical tasks - helping to safely and
visually teach them on the ground.
Opportunity #3: Smart building market to
be worth $36bn by 2020 - IoT security to
be heavily scrutinised and debated in 2017
There is no doubt that the Industrial
Internet of Things (IIoT) market is evolving
rapidly. In the report 'Digital Transformation
- an Internet of Things perspective', IDC
predicts that the installed base of IoT
endpoints will grow to 30 billion by 2020.
For industries wishing to pursue IIoT it is
key to accept that for the foreseeable
future there will probably not be any
underlying standard on how to connect up
devices safely and securely. Instead,
industries should expect and plan for doing
bespoke integration development, or even
retrofitting of other sensors and
communications capabilities to equipment
and assets in order to get them connected.
We are at the very beginning of
understanding what the IoT is capable of in
terms of connecting building solutions.
Whether it is environmental controls,
communications interfaces, video
surveillance or energy conservation, the
potential to benefit from significant cost,
time and energy savings - as well as
optimal space allocation and improved
occupant comfort when building
automation and smart sensors are in place
- is clear. However, all buildings are
different, and it's not a simple solution by
any stretch.
How can companies leverage this?
Perhaps the biggest opportunity, and one
that is often overlooked when we talk about
Smart Buildings, is with existing structures.
How do we make sure these structures
don't fall behind the curve; how do we
make them more efficient and compatible
with IoT? The answer begins with having
an automated system that manages all of
the sensors, data and assets in a simple,
effective and holistic manner. Company IT
systems should include functionality for
contract and project management, risk
management, project budget and cost
control, forecasting and accounting,
mobile solutions for site work, and call and
case management.
Asset management software can also
help organisations transition from
calendar-based maintenance to ongoing,
automated predictive maintenance, so that
any piece of underperforming or damaged
kit connected to the database - whether it
be the boiler, A/C system, pipework or
lighting - is flagged for immediate
inspection before it has ever caused a
problem, saving valuable time, money and
resources.
There are, of course, serious concerns
with new and existing structures
incorporating IoT technology - and the
concerns are justified. If people with the
wrong motives access design information
in BIM models, they can infiltrate a
building's system and control assets such
as ducts and air flow - cutting off air supply
- or set off a fire alarm or sprinkler system.
The more we automate, the bigger the
risk. So how do we police every single
person who has access to this
information? There is plenty of debate
happening on this topic, and it is
fantastically exciting, but clear work needs
to be done by manufacturers on designing
each of their IoT devices to be optimally
secure, as well as building managers to
ensure they are prioritising infrastructure
and cyber security.
For construction companies, daring to
experiment is vital. Prototyping and trying
out solutions on a small scale will enable
companies to be ready to seize the
opportunity. Digital transformation is going
to be an enormous game changer. Its
effects will be as powerful and epochdefining
as the invention of mass
production at the beginning of the
twentieth century. Since time immemorial
construction has always been about men
and machines. With cybernetics, IoT, Smart
Buildings and speed of construction to the
fore that is soon set to change - so start
preparing now.
www.ifsworld.com
10
January/February 2017