Skanska UK is marching on with its commitment to new construction technology by trialling augmented reality hard hats.
The company has announced that it will be trialling the Daqri smart helmet on a number of its sites over the coming months. The helmet gives the wearer the benefits of a protective hard hat coupled with augmented reality Google Glass-style technology, providing intelligent information about the world around them.
The helmet provides data and information overlaid on the wearer’s line of sight, enhancing what they see and allowing them to share and view various building elements, data and plans in real-time, helping to make construction more efficient and cutting down on time and costs.
It is the latest move into wearable technology for Skanska. Speaking to CM in January, Sam Stacey, director of innovation and business improvement, revealed the company had already been trialling the Microsoft HoloLens.
He added that for 2017 they would also be investigating digital engineering, specifically geographic information systems, which involves collecting data about various projects and how to make logistics and various elements more cost efficient as well as saving time.
Speaking about the Daqri helmet, Thomas Faulkner, executive vice president, Skanska UK, said: “This trial demonstrates our commitment to exploring on site new digital technology, collaborating with technical partners to give us the potential to transform the way we work.
“If, as an industry, we are to deliver on the targets set in the Construction 2025 strategy, we need to be innovative in our thinking.
“It will help us to be more efficient, delivering projects more quickly while reducing costs and carbon.
“It’s very exciting to be working with Daqri during the course of this year to see how we can benefit from their diverse perspective, to challenge the industry’s traditional working practices.”
