Ways to Increase Equipment Rentals

Google Glass, the future of construction?

As a bit of a tech geek, I was pretty excited to get my hands on Google Glass for the first time. As probably the most well-known of wearable technology that hasn't even been put on general sale (properly) yet we like new toys, Google Glass is essentially a voice and touchpad controlled computer in front of your eye with internet connectivity, cameras, accelerometers, gyroscopes, sensors and a teleporter (that last one may be a lie!). Chatting to a company called 3Squared who do software consultancy for construction firms amongst others, based just a few hundred meters from Autodesk's Sheffield office in the UK, a plan came together to try and link this very portable technology with BIM 360 Field, our construction management application to get information out to, and back from workers on site, whether that be issues, tasks, drawings, models or commissioning data. So could Google Glass be utilized to increase equipment rentals?

Now we are aware that Google Glass isn't in its current state the perfect device for the construction site, there are obvious health and safety and connectivity issues to think about but it is indicative of the sort of technology that many people including me think will be common place in the next 5/10 years. Whether this is through safety protected glasses, watches, or gloves, information on site to workers who want to work hands free is surely only a matter of time.

Currently Google Glass is looking through existing issues, creating new issues and updating others as shown by the web interface to Field. There's plenty of places we could take it next, but really this is just the start to show that the API can be used to connect into the BIM 360 platform backend to produce new ways at looking at, creating and harnessing this project information. We know we've only just scratched the surface and know some of you out there can take it even further!

source: beyonddesign.typepad.com