ConstructConnect Blog

Artificial intelligence is all the rage these days. We use it daily in everything from voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, Facebook’s image recognition software, Google’s search engines, and getting recommendations on what to buy from Amazon and what to watch on Netflix.

When it comes to investing its hard-earned dollars in technology, you can’t say the construction industry hasn't been consistent. As in recent years, the 2018 JBKnowledge Construction Technology Report found that construction firms are still investing less than 1% of annual sales volume in technology.

As the light shines brighter on construction technology companies, it has become evident we are in a period of change in the industry. Equipment is getting smarter and rental companies are now able to do more with less.

In the next 20 years, it’s possible that all the backhoes, excavators, dozers, graders, and other heavy equipment we use on construction sites will move away from diesel engines to all-electric. For years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been enacting stricter emissions standards for nonroad diesel engines like those used in construction.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has incredible implications for the field of construction. It's already proven its value in health care, manufacturing, transportation, and other industries where automation and systems management are critical. With its many applications, it has the potential to improve productivity and safety on jobsites.

Contractors are increasingly adopting new technologies to give themselves an edge over the competition. According to a recent study from USG Corp. and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 74% of contractors expect to adopt advanced technology within the next three years. The majority of them are doing so to increase labor productivity.

Early last week, cybersecurity firm Trend Micro released a report based on a two-year research project exploiting vulnerabilities they found in radio frequency (RF) remote controllers used to operate construction equipment like cranes and excavators.

Construction has been one of the slowest industries to adopt technology. That’s partly cultural—folks in the industry like to solve problems with their own ingenuity. Many firms are still family owned, and there’s still a lot of reverence for tradition. Finally, this is an industry with thin margins, where the first funding priorities are equipment and personnel.

There is no denying that technology has altered our lives forever. From the powerful smartphones we carry with us everywhere we go to the satellite systems that guide us in the right direction as we navigate from one place to the next, technology is interwoven into virtually every part of our lives. Even our homes and other buildings are being constructed in revolutionary ways that make them sturdier and longer-lasting than ever before.

Technology is rapidly changing how we design and construct the built environment. It's allowed us to build stronger, taller, and more energy efficient structures. Technology has made construction sites safer and workers more efficient. It has allowed us to increase productivity, improve collaboration, and tackle more complex projects.