But construction did not come out of the pandemic unscathed, it saw an overall output decline of over 35 percent y-o-y in April 2020. Being an unprecedented disruption, construction output in the United Kingdom in 2021 has still been lower than it was before the pandemic but it’s expected that the sector will come out swinging and output will to reach more normal figures over the course of 2021.
At the heart of any thriving industry you’ll always see tech and innovation. At TAAP we’re working closely with clients in the construction sector to build out innovation-driven solutions, an example of which is our Visitor Book app which makes signing in on site a contactless, hygienic and stress-free process!
Another solution which is really taking off as a result of travel bans, is our unique in-app video technology for remote video inspection which has allowed for critical infrastructure projects to continue. These remote technologies deliver live feeds from site via smartphones, tablets and digital cameras.
We recently spoke with construction site connectivity experts, Tardis 4G to get their low down on the future of the industry and how tech will drive efficiencies and new thinking in the world of construction.
Here’s what co-founder Matt Sutton had to say on the construction site of the future:
6G
The next ten years will be a really exciting time for the construction industry but the biggest changes, I think, will actually appear in the next five years, with huge developments in tech being formed between now and 2025. Once the trailblazers have tried and tested new tech, you’ll see the early to late adopters and then mass adoption by 2030 and at the driver of this evolution will be the move to 6G.
Big Data & IoT
Data is the lifeblood of innovation and the monitoring of environmental factors throughout the entire construction site ecosystem is what’s driving the shift in terms of the level of insight that can be gained and then utilised by a firm.
Right now, firms are looking to monitor people onsite, but at a granular level, there’s no tech out there at the moment that can help them do that efficiently or cost effectively. In the next few years, we’ll see a leap to cost effective solutions that will service a growing number of data points, from smart cameras to human data and plant sensors, this is what will bring about the shift into the era of truly smart environments.
Biometrics and Wearables
There’s going to be unprecedented growth in the wearables sector, it’s one of the main data points that’s driving the IoT revolution within the construction sector. As an employer, you’re going to be able to tell if a member of staff has high blood pressure, or someone’s been affected by dust too much on site. You can even tell if someone’s had too much exposure to the vibrations of a pneumatic drill! Real-time health related data is hugely important in ensuring health and safety onsite and you’re even able to create data modelling around health factors that could be developed into predictive healthcare for staff.
Voice Recognition
We’re already working on some voice recognition tech and seeing the potential that it has within the industry. We’re working collaboratively in this space to develop solutions where hardware that’s integrated into the workpeople’s hard hats. A team could be working on site in Dubai and work-related conversations and plans can then be sent in real-time to the company’s headquarters in the UK through voice related tech. This can ensure for a more agile comms process and, with an extra layer of machine learning if implemented into a platform for analysis, could even start to flag potential non-compliance or health and safety issues.
Smart Cameras and Machine Vision
Smart camera technology is being implemented in a lot of industries right now, you’ve seen some of the Amazon smart supermarkets that work with machine vision tech to allow for a seamless retail experience. The same can be applied on construction sites. We can use smart cameras and machine vision tech for anything from real-time health and safety issues, like ensuring staff are wearing the correct PPE, to heightened awareness of site security and even the tracking of assets such as plant machinery.
Holograms
Some might think of holograms as the stuff of sci-fi dreams but when it comes to something as intricate as a brand-new skyscraper, holograms are going to become a valuable reality in construction in the not-too-distant future.
If you’re not able to describe a problem, situation or idea effectively on a call or video, hologram technology could be the key to effective ideation and idea sharing, but again, we’ll see this level of innovation really come into its own once we’re able to implement 6G connectivity.
TAAP are working hard within the construction industry to make some of the above predictions a reality for firms across the world! Our product pushing for hygienic, smart, efficient and scalable logins onsite is the TAAP Visitor Book. And with our no code/low code approach, you can see any site set up in minutes!
Partner up with a forward-thinking digitalisation firm that is always looking to innovate, get in touch with our team here.