The construction industry is often a late adopter of technology and very hesitant to change. However, despite this historical reluctance, there are many technological innovations that have the potential to penetrate the industry and change how it operates. Interesting Engineering takes a look at several of the fastest-emerging construction technology trends that could expand in 2020.
Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR)
These technologies are already making a huge impact on many industries around the world, and the construction industry is no exception. Buildings are becoming ever more complicated, and these technologies are helping architects and construction teams improve designs and detect design errors.
To date, architects and design teams greatly improve building design through interactive design and gesture interfacing. 2020 is set to see this technology's influence on the industry expand even further. This could range from errors in HVAC system design or finding missing elements that have been overlooked during the design phase.
3D Printing
Another tech trend to watch out for in 2020 is the role of 3D printing in the construction industry. The benefits of it have already been explored and exploited by various construction companies around the world.
The ability to either prefabricate offsite or directly on-site has obvious labor and material cost benefits over more traditional building methods. It also reduces waste and being automated is not restricted by construction worker shift patterns.
Robotics
2020 may also be the year where robotics makes a bigger impact in the construction industry. Somewhat linked to the impact of 3D printing above, robotics is also seeing impressive infiltration into the industry. In fact, one report by the World Economic Forum predicted that 2020 could be the year of the robot in the construction industry.
From robotic bricklayers to laying roads, robots are increasingly finding their place amongst the workforce on construction sites. This is interesting as traditionally the construction industry has seen very little automation, relying largely on manual labor. By adding robots to the workforce, construction companies are seeing improved construction times and improved quality of builds. Robots are also being used to help demolish buildings too.
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