Since the dawn of humankind, construction has been a vital part of society. The earliest recorded use of tools to aid forms of construction have been the Oldowan stone tools that were found by archaeologists in eastern Africa. These are believed to date back around 1.7 to 2.4 million years ago and will have allowed prehistoric humankind to shape other materials and make crude buildings. Today the technology used in construction is clearly infinitely more advanced but still serves the same basic purpose. Technology is used in construction to improve all stages of the building process from planning to execution. In this article, three different types of modern technology that are used within the construction industry will be described in detail.
Drones and robotics
The use of drone technology and robotics has become widespread in the modern construction industry. Drone technology offers several distinct benefits in construction. It is often used to assess structures and can play a valuable role in improving safety. By sending a drone to measure or assess parts of a building instead of a human, safety levels can be maximized as there is less need for humans to work from height to undertake this type of role. When you consider that falls represent the biggest risk of death to workers on construction sites, then the benefits and need for this remote technology become self-apparent. Today, robotics are increasingly being used in the construction industry for various building, packing and cutting applications. Some forms of welding are now done by robots as they allow perfect consistency from weld to weld, and robotic workers can achieve these tasks extremely quickly without needing to have breaks – again this is much safer than having a human work with such dangerous equipment.
3D printing
3D printing technology has only been present for a few years in its advanced forms, but many industries are starting to utilize the benefits that it can offer. 3D printers often use computer aided design (CAD) software to produce the designs for the finished product and as such can be created to an exacting standard. Today, some architects are using 3D printing techniques to produce highly accurate scale models of their buildings. In addition, this technology has allowed some construction forms to design and build full size homes instead of relying on traditional forms of labor and building work. Structures can be built quickly and easily and in turn this can help to significantly lower the cost of some construction projects.
Project management software
If you work for a top civil engineering company and are involved in the planning of projects, it is almost certain that you will use the latest project management software. The construction and civil engineering sectors have relied on high quality project management software for many years. This technology can help a company plan out all stages of a project, which is essential when the job is expected to last for months or even years and involves a wide range of separate tasks and stages of construction. Project management software can help a construction firm map out all its expected costs and timescales to a high degree of accuracy. This means that large projects can be completed to pre-determined timescales and stick within agreed budget limits.
