The increasing popularity of the term Io Tot Internet of Things is transforming things in almost every sector, including the construction industry. In future construction industry will have far-reaching consequences by using inter-connected machines that collect data from each other and communicate with each other.
Like other industries, the earlier construction industry also used the interaction between humans as the primary communication style. However, IoT technology has introduced two new forms of communication i.e., human to machine and machine to machine to increase communication in the construction industry.
Before knowing how IoT can enhance construction industry in 2020, let us know what IoT is?
Introduction with IoT
IoT predicts a future in which nearly all objects will have processors and sensors to share information by using the internet. In this way, a world of interconnected devices is suggested by IoT, including heavy equipment used in the construction industry to the appliances used in a household.
Conventionally internet-connected humans around the world now IoT will connect all the objects of the world through the internet.
IoT has already started revolutionizing the entire world with the introduction of Alexa from Amazon, driverless cars, and smart homes as a number of sensors are used in them. In this way, IoT will undoubtedly change the construction industry also by 2020.
According to a report, the number of devices interconnected through IoT will increase to an enormous level by 2020. IoT can help in enhancing the construction industry by 2020 through some of its applications like:
Safety at the construction site
In the commercial world, you can find a number of wearable technologies which can provide real-time information about the workers to the management.
Activity Trackers are one of the currently used wearable IoT technologies that can provide you information about the distance traveled by you, calories burned and your heart rate, etc. Supervisors of a construction project can also use activity trackers to monitor the vital signs of their workers remotely.
Another practical application of IoT that can be used at construction sites, beside activity Trackers, is Smart Vest. This vest can not only keep the wearer fresh but also translate between languages and measure his vital signs.
Many sensors can also be used at sensitive areas, floors, and heavy equipment instead of orange cones to discourage people to come closer to them to a dangerous limit. In this way, IoT can help in preventing many accidents occurring at construction sites due to this reason.
Monitoring corrective maintenance of equipment to improve efficiency
The sensors used in heavy machinery can help in increasing its efficiency by tracking all the parameters of the construction equipment ranging from the work-hours of usage to their repairs.
Whether the sensors are used on heavy excavators or drills, they can provide real-time information about the status of the essential parts of that equipment to the management.
It will help control in taking the decision about the corrective maintenance or replacement of that equipment without delaying the things unnecessarily. In this way, IoT will abolish the need for a middleman to keep these records manually as now machines can directly talk to the management about their condition.
Management of Construction Site
The site of construction can be managed more effectively by using IoT technology. The facial recognition cameras and RFID sensors can remotely check the logs automatically at the time of the works along with keeping the record of the absentees. It will also eliminate the paperwork in the management as smart devices will take care of almost every aspect of the administration.
It will also help HR managers by providing them. People Analytics containing information about the talents, health, and working habits of the workers so that they can take suitable decisions effectively.
IoT will also help improving communication between the teams by sharing the data collected by the devices through the internet so that arrangements can be taken and problems are fixed effectively.
Monitoring security of construction site
The entry of unregistered intruders or personnel to the restricted areas can be discouraged by using RFD tags and smart cameras for facial recognition. IoT will allow supervisors to observe the site of construction remotely from anywhere in the world by using an internet connection. The cameras used for image recognition can also be used for locating equipment by reading their tags, they can also be used for alerting the management about wrongly placed items as well as leaks, hazards, and breaches.
