Enlarge Courtesy University of Michigan The University of Michigan's M-City is a faux town made to test autonomous vehicle technology. Courtesy University of Michigan A map shows all of M-City's transportation nuances, which are embedded to allow for testing in many traffic conditions and situations. A 32-acre, $6.5-million mini city at the University of Michigan looks like a film set, with building facades that mask empty interiors and vacant lots. But special attention is paid to the details of the infrastructure in this ghost town. Roadways and traffic signals look technologically advanced, with sensors and cameras that communicate with the
When a buried oil pipeline at a station on the Trans Alaska Pipeline System sprung a leak, the pipeline company faced a costly problem: Scrap the piping below ground and rebuild above ground or find technology that could inspect the original line.
During the Bluebeam eXtreme user conference in Los Angeles, July 29- 31, amid announcements and presentations, two construction workers talked about the future of construction drawings.
Image courtesy of Zebra Imaging Inc. Zebra's holographic images are useful for client presentations or enhancing collaboration on complex projects where shared documentation is key. Fifteen years into the 21st century, construction-related technology has yet to produce jetpacks, ironworker robots and other items predicted by science fiction. But one futuristic product is already available—three-dimensional holographic prints that provide unique visualizations of project designs and concepts for collaboration.The technology, developed by Zebra Imaging Inc., Austin, Texas, encodes 3D digital data from a variety of software products onto specially designed polymer film tiles ranging in size from 12 in. by 12 in.
Photo Courtesy Icon Architectural Group Construction of a Grand Forks, N.D.-based UAS airport and testing facility, called Grand Sky Development Park, includes hangers for drones of all sizes, from fixed wing to octocopters. Related Links: Grand Sky Development Park Commercial Drone Operators Take Flight for Construction Construction of site improvements, including security fencing, access roads and culverts for a $25-million, 217-acre unmanned aerial-systems park, began in Grand Forks, N.D., in July. But even before the first phase broke ground, the developer started pushing drone-related research by partnering with the developers of an airtraffic-control system for drones.The facility, called Grand Sky
Courtesy, OriginClear Inc. Jar (far left) contains original flow-back water from a fracking site in Bakersfield, Calif.; it is laced with oil and chemical particulates. Another jar (middle) contains treated water, or effluent, after going through OriginClear Inc.'s EWS treatment. The last jar (far right) contains the sludge that was removed. A company that makes systems for algae growth and harvesting has repurposed its machines to tackle flow-back water from the oil-and-gas industry. The water-separation technology, which recently completed successful testing in Bakersfield, Calif., uses electricity, instead of chemicals.“The energy cost is low, on the order of 0.14 cents per
Photo Courtesy of Mott MacDonald The corroding steel structure behind this century-old red granite facade is causing the granite to crack. The condition is treated by sending an electric current through the steel, stopping the corrosion. Engineers are using a newly developed carbon-fiber-reinforced geopolymer mortar as a conductor for cathodic protection (CP). The mortar helps to carry an electrical current through the steel frames of structures built before 1960, guarding against corrosion.“We just take the joints out, put the necessary wiring in, re-tuck the joints with the anode material and refit the joint with heritage mortar. It’s as simple as
Sami Masri, a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, uses the Microsoft Kinect to gather data on the condition of roads. The device’s infrared projector, infrared camera and RGB camera are mounted beneath a vehicle to create a 3D image of the road as the vehicle drives; this data along with GPS information is used to identify cracks and potholes and localize them.If devices like Masri’s prototype were installed in all 2016 Toyota Corollas, for example, live road health monitoring could be possible for Departments of Transportation (DOT’s) across the nation, similar
Photo cCourtesy of Zachary Podkaminer SAM the Semi-Automated Masonry machine uses a map of the wall it's building along with a laser to build alongside workers. Related Links: Robots on the Jobsite Advancing in Construction VIDEO: Watch SAM Work A robot that lays bricks is now out of beta testing and at work alongside masons and laborers at a school-building jobsite in Ft. Collins, Colo. The Semi-Autonomous Mason, more commonly known as SAM, is already booked for two additional jobs. Masons working with SAM say the robot may help alleviate workforce shortages foreseen in future generations in masonry trades."He does
RSS
