As the pandemic marches on, pressure is increasing to create ways for people to experience and understand spaces virtually in order to keep safe distances. Sharing data more intuitively and intimately also top the “want” list for innovation.

So for this list of five construction technology 2021 trends to watch, it is clear that builders are also looking for creative ways to keep people safe under current conditions, removing them from physical sites while accelerating their understanding of what goes on there.

Read the excerpt below:

1. Pocket LIDAR

LIDAR is the most precise, efficient way to verify that what has been built on a construction site matches the digital BIM (Building Information Modeling) model. Existing laser-scanning hardware is bulky and awkward, and most are uni-taskers. But that’s changing, led by two giants of consumer technology: Apple and Google.

2. Charging up the construction site

As batteries get bigger, going electric on construction sites means cleaner, more sustainable operation. Heavy construction equipment is following the rechargeable trend. Excavators, cranes, drilling rigs, and heavy trucks are becoming just as carbon-neutral and efficient as their power source—which could be solar, wind, or geothermal.

3. Eyes on (or in) the site from anywhere

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a crash course in remote collaboration for everyone. But even before the pandemic struck, some companies had been researching how construction software and hardware can better facilitate collaboration over distance.

4. Hardhat drones

The first generation of drones for construction sites were there to look, not to touch. Their photogrammetry applications saved time and money—and boosted jobsite efficiency and safety. The new generation of aerial drones are getting their landing struts dirty, programmed to take the most dangerous or difficult jobs out of human hands.

5. Contact tracing for safety and efficiency

The COVID-19 crisis has made it clear that contact tracing across a construction site is critical for workers’ health and safety. Construction sites are heavily trafficked, complex, and constantly changing—an ideal place for an airborne contagion to spread.

Novade is offering a Safe Site Management package that includes platforms for site health checks, contact tracing, and thermal scanners with facial recognition that work with both artificial-intelligence-enabled cameras and Bluetooth wearables.

Read the original article by Redshift by Autodesk here.

Download the full article here.

Read more about the launch of Novade Safe Site here.