To succeed, civil and structural engineers must prioritize employee safety and well-being. Effective solutions save money and prioritize team well-being. The industry already has the technology to safeguard its most important asset: its workers. The good news is that this technology doesn’t necessitate settling; it provides more insight and captures more data while improving jobsite safety. Making sure that the team is working in the correct place and performing the right tasks is critical for reducing discrepancies and errors. These mistakes often lead to rework, resulting in financial losses for the company. Unnecessary rework can also increase the chances of mishaps, but technology can help improve safety and be a game-changer. What’s next for unpiloted systems? A solution is only viable if it helps an organization achieve its business objectives. While unpiloted systems have already proven themselves in construction, helping teams monitor progress more accurately and quickly, the potential applications are as exciting as today’s uses. Users have become comfortable with this technology, making it easier for companies to invest because they see the practical applications and understand the return on investment. This is especially true when considering the younger generation entering the industry. It’s rapidly becoming second nature for younger employees to pick up one of these solutions and start using it. As conversations on maximizing projects’ budgets and return on investment continue, unpiloted systems must be part of the conversation. In some ways, pondering what’s next for unpiloted systems is only limited by imagination. Drones will continue to go anywhere data is needed. A few likely applications to emerge in the coming years are increased deployment of drones in indoor settings and on watercraft and further integration of the many unpiloted systems on the job site. Additionally, reality capture can be used on almost any robotic system. APIs—or Application Programming Interfaces — enable two applications to communicate with one another, allowing these sensors to integrate into other software solutions and operations.
Consider a team making repairs to a building’s façade. The drone operator could scan the building and send the information to an on-site 3D printer, which immediately prints a replacement for a section of the façade. Unpiloted systems should provide peace of mind. Unpiloted systems enable teams to have multiple capabilities to better understand the project before them and eliminate the need to jump to conclusions because accurate data is too hard to gather. Knowing that a sensor is autonomously collecting data should give civil and structural engineers peace of mind; they know it’s gathering what they need and performing the task accurately. Whether standing 1,000 feet away, a mile away, or halfway around the world, this visual component allows a team to see what’s happening in that moment. Considering that this technology is still relatively new, having only emerged in the past 10 or 15 years, it’s remarkable how quickly the industry has progressed. The price point has lowered, these tools are easier to use than ever, and they are lighter and smaller, allowing them to access an increasing number of places. The best days of unpiloted systems are ahead, and the industry will continue to grow because of the ability to use these devices in and around infrastructure. Civil and structural engineers should not passively watch the industry evolve but actively shape the future. New approaches to long-standing challenges are nothing to fear, and the debate over technology should not paralyze companies. Sometimes, the solutions needed are right before us, and embracing technology may sound like a simple solution, but it can have a huge impact. Companies must adopt current technology, build a foundation for their industry’s future and help make job sites safer, more efficient and better for everyone. That’s a goal that everyone can stand behind.
JOSH RAYBURN is business manager, US & CAN, over reality capture for Leica Geosystems. For more information, please visit www.leica-geosystems.com .
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Summer 2024 csengineermag.com
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