b'enhancement of VR with data or models from computerin the near future, others face obstacles that will prevent sensory input. The technology is compatible with eithernear-term adoption, Leslie maintains. The biggest challenge mobile or wearable devices and uses visual targets and data,to reality will be the lack of research and development such as project blueprints or jobsite billboards, to overlaybudgets among contractors, he says. He adds contractors project data like BIM (building information modeling)can prepare for AR by addressing their budgets to better models. incorporate IT and R&D. Companies with these resources Graham Leslie, research and development team leadwill be able to stay on top of the rapidly advancing field of JBKnowledge Inc., developer of web, mobile, and wearableconstruction technology and be prepared to stay competitive technology solutions for the industry, believes AR has awith augmented reality, Leslie says.strong future in the construction industry. AugmentedThe main obstacles to widespread availability of reality is a technology that will considerably impact theaugmented reality apps for construction are related to the field of construction in the next several years, Leslie says.technology, Cotes agrees. The technology is not quite up to Right now, contractors using our augmented reality app,the task yet. A construction site is a complex place, and using SmartReality+,Augmented reality is a technology that will can point their smartphones andconsiderably impact the field of construction in the tablets at theirnext several yearsprinted plans and see their BIM models above the plans in realtime 3D. SmartReality+ lets our more than 4,000 users see their BIM models in line with their plans in the field or office without expensive BIM workstations or headsets in angles and scales that are impossible in plainPhoto: McCarthy Building COSreality.Leslie adds AR eventually will offer even greater value to contractors asaugmented reality technology in such a place can be difficult. the technology matures. In the near future, augmentedIn fact, sometimes the efforts required to do augmented reality will be able to accomplish other tasks to improvereality on construction sites outweigh the benefits.worker efficiency, Leslie says. Workers will be able to wear augmented reality hard hats like DAQRIs SMARTResearch conducted in 2015 by Deutsche Bank maintains HELMET to see step-by-step installation instructions appearAR offers numerous benefits to construction including the over components in the field. A worker onsite wearing avisualization of major projects as a result of the 3D depiction Microsoft HoloLens could be virtually joined by an architectof blueprints. The technology is also valuable during in the office also wearing HoloLens to collaborate on a BIMrebuilding or restoration projects, as it enables contractors model to fix a clash together in realtime. to see buildings and other structures that no longer exist. Stphane Ct, research director, Bentley Systems, agreesFor example, during the planning stage of a reconstruction the construction market will garner more benefits fromproject, it is possible to visualize exactly how the space will the technology in the near future.The increased use oflook, how the shadows will fall, and how the construction augmented reality on construction sites is inevitable. It willwill affect local wind conditions, according to the research.remove a lot of the guesswork, facilitate the understandingAR offers other benefits as well, including cost and time of the work to be done, accelerate the identification ofsavings. For example, the ability to visualize a 3D model of mistakes, ease scheduling and planning, and will thereforea project reduces the need for travel and enables project save time and lower costs, Ct maintains. stakeholders to refer to the model when discussing the next So far, he says, AR is used primarily for monitoring thesteps with the construction manager and his team.state of projects and facilitating the work of verifyingTheres little question AR will play a significant role in whether the equipment has been installed or not. It isthe future of construction. Widespread adoption has not yet also used for visualizing buildings in real context, beforeoccurred, but as obstacles to implementation dissolve, it is a construction. However, those are simple uses for thetool likely to play a beneficial role in far more construction technology compared to what could be done, Cote says. projects, as it enhances communications and collaboration, Obstacles Remain and improves safety. Project participants can use the While some contractors have adopted AR or will do sotechnology to develop detailed safety plans.www.mrca.orgMidwest Roofer 21'