Related Links: Construction Industry Drones Fly in Rules Vacuum Some Firms Are Not Waiting For Regulations On Commercial Drone Operations Topcon Positioning Systems Showcases Unmanned Aerial Systems at ESRI User Conference JAVAD Triumph F-1 Promotional Video Consumer-level unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be purchased off the shelf and be up in the air as soon as the batteries are charged, but the data-driven world of construction surveying often demands something a bit more robust. In anticipation of up- coming regulations from the Federal Aviation Administration, surveying and mapping equipment firms are making big investments in UAVs. Many companies are already
The deaths of eight students at a school struck by a tornado in Enterprise, Alabama in 2007 and the deaths of seven others when a tornado struck a school in Moore, Oklahoma in 2013 have spurred building code writers to make the protection of students from tornadoes a priority in the 17 U.S. states commonly referred to as “tornado alley.” The International Building Code 2015 requires new schools in those states to be built with tornado shelters—which is a step in the right direction.But for the approximately 40,000 existing school buildings, averaging 40 years in age, it’s no step at all.
Related Links: Construction Industry Drones Fly in Rules Vacuum Survey Technology Firms Deploy Their Own Drones Some Firms Are Not Waiting For Regulations On Commercial Drone Operations Construction companies are putting unmanned aerial vehicles to work overseas, or they are quietly conducting "hobby" trials domestically, at least until commercial use is legalized in the U.S.John Myers, senior virtual design and construction engineer at Gilbane Building Co., Providence, says "We're back to the Wild Wild West," and also likens the regulatory atmosphere to the "Prohitibion era."Since Myers can't fly legally for commercial purposes, he takes his drone up in a park
Within a year or two, U.S. companies likely will replace many human workers now flying aerial survey and photo missions or inspecting structures from scaffolds and platforms with missions flown by unmanned aerial vehicles—drones.
When Greg Sherwin started tinkering with radio-controlled (RC) quadcopters three years ago, he wondered about using them for construction surveys and inspections.
Every day and week apparently innovative products and concepts cross our screens. Most of them sink without a trace and some of them deservedly become successes. Others draw research and startup funding better spent elsewhere.But how can you spot ‘innovations’ which are best avoided when you don’t have depth in a particular field? The following are a series of questions you can ask quickly and easily with the help of Google. Each question represents a potential red flag. The more red flags, the more likely the innovation is actually a dud or worse. Technology Red FlagsDo they claim to exceed an
Courtesy MOHR The readout from MOHR Test and Measurement LLC's instrumentation system for spent-fuel pools. Courtesy Westinghouse The layout of Westinghouse's instrumentation system for spent-fuel pools. After the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-plant accident, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued an order for nuclear facilities to install reliable, extended-range instrumentation for spent-fuel-pool levels that meets new disaster standards. Last July, the first device was installed, says the device's designer.Two companies recently announced the successful release of a measurement system that meets the new NRC standards, but Westinghouse Electric Co. LLC, Monroeville, Pa., installed the first device in a live
Image Courtesy Environmental Defense Fund and Google Maps Methane leaks from natural-gas lines, such as these shown on a map of New York City's Staten Island (right), add to greenhouse gases. A cooperative effort between the Environmental Defense Fund and Google Earth Outreach aims to help utilities find them. Related Links: Environmental Defense Fund natural gas leak project EPA overview on greenhouse gases Rapid and accurate detection of methane leaks is being offered to natural-gas utility companies following a successful pilot project led by the Environmental Defense Fund, in partnership with Google Earth Outreach.The program uses Google Street View cars
Attempting to bring electric water heaters into the current era, civil engineer-turned-inventor Jerry Callahan says he has created a novel water heater that eliminates traditional modes of failure while increasing energy efficiency—and it has Wi-Fi.Instead of using traditional heating elements, Callahan’s tankless heater, called the Model 1 by Heatworks, uses an ohmic heating process in which electric current is passed through water between 19 graphite electrodes.Until the invention of this device, the ohmic method could not be used to attain the precise water-temperature control needed for domestic or commercial hot-water systems. Callahan claims the Model 1’s microprocessor achieves control by
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