WiFi for Construction Sites During COVID: How Has Technology Evolved During this Period?
Like other industries, COVID impacted the construction industry significantly. Nonetheless, the construction industry is fast adapting to the demands of the new normal using technology to simplify building projects.
A typical building site is one such that exposes workers to each other, and they are feeling the impact. Meanwhile, 27% of construction sites have either laid off or furloughed their employees following COVID, with reasons including PPE shortages, potential infected workers, shortage of construction materials and lack of government action.
But the defect is not entirely horrendous considering technological advancement in the availability of WiFi for construction sites that sustain construction businesses amidst the challenges.
How Technology Has Affected Construction Sites During COVID
WiFi has been massively animating building projects and keeping many companies in the business. Below are the ways WiFi technology has evolved during COVID:
Working Efficiently with IoT
IoT (Internet of Things) is already a core aspect of construction technology. Building companies are experiencing significant shifts and transformations in how they manage projects amidst COVID-19. IoT brings about data sharing sensors, smart devices, and many more innovations that combine to improve the job. These elements can also be controlled through a central platform for convenience.
- Performing repetitive tasks. Tech innovations like smart machinery allow your company to run repetitive tasks and automate maintenance. For instance, a cement mixer running low on cement can engage a refill using the sensor to keep production active. This means a lowered number of employees contact when refilling the machine.
- Timesaving. Employees can be tracked by smart machines, which reduces the burden of manually addressing footfalls and saves time. It surprisingly hastens the project amidst COVID.
- Safety. IoT brings geolocation, which allows project supervisors to detect hazardous areas in a building site and notify workers immediately using smart mobile technology. Employees avoid the area until it is safe.
- These offers mean employees, supervisors, and contractors operate efficiently relying on machine intelligence to complete projects faster during COVID.
Automating Systems
Robots can take up some demanding tasks while employees tackle tasks with less contact exposure. What’s more? These robots can function efficiently as they have been thoughtfully designed and fitted with the appropriate technology.
- Project management. The project manager enjoys simplified and mobile management. The AI tech can predict costs, meaning managers do not have to visit several locations to gather information. AI also estimates project timeline, makes staff information easily accessible such that employers do not have to gather at the headquarter to learn about their profile updates.
- Employee Safety. AI aids in monitoring the construction site safety to keep workers from being exposed to injury and perhaps virus infection. For instance, medical recognition technology can tell and notify whether an employee is wearing the right PPE. It can use geo-location to detect high-risk areas and sheet alert workers to keep off.
- Productivity. Some repetitive tasks can be handled by machines while workers take up other tasks to hasten the project and, perhaps, secure more projects.
VR and AR Technology
VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality) are yet other evolutionary elements put in place by technology amidst COVID to manage construction projects in many ways.
VR brings the physical world to any location, while you can get digital elements brought to live view by AR. In this regard, operations can proceed partially or fully even with coronavirus restrictions in specific areas that may include the site of construction.
- Enhanced collaboration. It is no news that the post-pandemic new normal does not encourage travelling across multiple locations. Thanks to AR and VR, teams, clients and an organization can manage a project virtually.
- Experiencing building models virtually. Technology brings virtual tours and walkthrough building models similar to the finished physical construction project. You would see the actual design flow from anywhere.
In essence, VR and AR technologies can combine with BIM (Building Information Modelling) to create a virtual sight that brings you a live construction site virtually. Even a client does not have to visit the construction site to know the status of the project.
Construction in Cloud
Cloud technology allows relentless possibilities, including the ability to access, use, exchange, modify, manage and administer data on remote servers. All you need is the right software and reliable onsite WiFi connectivity. You can manage the resources remotely without moving from the headquarters to the project site and back.
- Mobile data sharing. WiFi allows faster data sharing within the construction site to every participating entity in the project, including workers, managers, contractors and stakeholders.
- Evolving your building experience. With construction technology, you enjoy that electrifying experience that promotes digital experience and efficient business operation. It also activates real-time data, offers Integrated Labor Delivery [ES], and improves the overall performance of the company.
Reduced Manual Labor
A typical building company is known to be one of the industries with the most intensive manual labour. Automation was not rampant in the building industry, but technology is changing the perspective already.
With technologies like drones and robots working with construction site WiFi, you can expect endless automation that gets the job done even better and faster during COVID.
- Basis of safety. Suppose your company uses drones. You can monitor the building site safely from a specific room. This innovation also keeps the workforce from roaming and minimises physical contact since operations can be completed from specialised rooms.
- Autonomous operations. Instead of manually operating the machines, a strong WiFi lets you control devices remotely. These machines can be autonomous and almost require no human assistance to function effectively while the employees keep a distance, especially in a location with wilder COVID reports.
