Artificial Intelligence and its derivatives stand to deliver enormous advantages to the construction industry. AI has become all but unavoidability for most industries, and the construction sector is no different. On the digital age scale, construction is growing at pace as urbanization and globalization have skyrocketed over the past century. As a result, the industry is being replete with various challenges, including space limitations, health and safety, productivity and efficiency, etc. This is where AI enters the story as it appears very poised to address all of these challenges while fulfilling the most vital business needs – cost reduction.
In the coming years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and even Machine Learning will automate various construction tasks in astonishing ways. Here are the top twelve leading Tech startups that are turning AI into value-adding technology for construction sites.
1. Indus.ai
Indus.ai, Inc. creates and licenses its very own AI construction analytics platform. This platform can count material arrivals, trucks and can also measure equipment productivity. It also provides real-time project controls for correcting schedules and reconciling over-billed charges. The clients can use the platform to increase billing accuracy, optimize resources, or reduce delays.
Indus.ai utilizes live video streams from IP cameras. The software itself is powered by a proprietary machine visualization neutral network that can precisely recognize over 100 types of construction activities and equipment.
Location: San Francisco, California, United States
Website: https://www.indus.ai/
2. Dusty Robotics
Dusty Robotics can automate the layout process in the construction site using a mobile robot. It automatically drives around on the site, immediately marking layout as it goes. It also produces reliable and consistent results, guaranteeing crews to
consistently building off the current files and documents.
Location: Mountain View, United States, California
Website: https://www.dustyrobotics.com/
3. Open Space
OpenSpace is a photo and video-based documentation tool. The trademarked Vision Engine platforms allow users to capture 360 videos and images without manual input. The user needs to walk around with the hardhat camera on his head (Garmin VIRB 360). All images that are captured each half-second are automatically integrated or tied to the project plans.
Location: San Francisco, United States, California
Website: https://openspace.ai/
4. Built Robotics
Built Robotics develops a particular automation technology to make construction much safer, more productive and faster. The company builds and develops robotic upgrade kits primarily for construction equipment. They utilize off-the-shelf sensors and write software in order to make the machines operate autonomously. Currently, they support excavators, skid steers, and dozers, with more equipment on the way.
Location: California, San Francisco, United States
Web: https://www.builtrobotics.com/
5. AirWorks
The aerial mapping software by AirWorks helps engineers and land developers to evaluate more construction job sites within their acquisition schedules and critical planning. The AI-powered software separately converts 2D and 3D aerial records into CAD models through proprietary machine learning tech.
Location: United States, Massachusetts, Cambridge
Website: http://airworks.io/
6. Nyfty.ai
Nyfty.ai provides Jobsite automation through the simplicity and power of voice and short text conversation. It is an automation platform that can talk to subcontractor scheduling software. On the other side, the platform can also talk and connect to humans through text, phone, or the app and possibly through other systems via SDKs, Iframes, and Speakers.
Location: Menlo Park, United States, California
7. Caidio
Caidio offers AI-based software for enhancing the productivity and quality of concrete construction. The machine learning algorithms process data from every phase of the concrete construction processes into valuable method instructions. Everything is all available through a SaaS subscription model.
Location: Espoo, Finland
8. BuildStream
BuildStream uses AI and IoT to integrate telematics data and records into one central platform, helping larger-scale construction projects increase equipment utilization and save money. In fact, every aspect of equipment management is digitized, including scheduling in construction, maintenance, labor management and procurement. BuildStream adds value for contractors and also equipment rental companies.
Location: New York, New York, United States
Website: https://www.buildstream.co/
9. Versatile Natures
Versatile Natures’ IoT and AI platform transforms and changes any construction site into a smart, data-collecting work environment. The platform itself delivers a detailed analysis of the project status while radically improving onsite safety. The platform empowers construction project managers to make more informed and timely decisions, ultimately hastening the project completion and increasing the projects’ profits.
Location: San Francisco, United States, California
Web: https://www.versatile.ai/
10. Astralink
Astralink is more of a Quality Assurance platform designed for the construction industry. The platform uses Augmented Reality (AR) technology in bridging the gap between real-life construction fieldwork and BIM. Using their trademarked Computer Vision & Deep Learning procedures as well as tablet computers to connect BIM models, Astralink prevents real-time construction errors from occurring.
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Website: http://www.astralink.io/
11. Nucon
Nucon is an AI engine aiming to provide help for construction companies to learn from their mistakes. The mission of Nucon is to make construction data helpful and useful so that all upcoming building projects will have better safety, quality and profitability. Nucon automates the organization, collection, and analysis of construction data, turning it into timely insights.
Location: Singapore
12. Kwant.ai
Kwant helps to increase construction safety and productivity using AI-powered predictive analytics and sensors. Everything can be set up and installed in a couple of minutes. The company has already analyzed thousands of project schedules with the utilization of Artificial Intelligence. The algorithms can standardize unstructured data into consistent and standardized buckets.
In fact, real-time data that come from APIs and sensors are being compared with standardized forensic data. The service can predict with higher accuracy if there are early warning signs that risk the construction project’s execution.
Location: New York, United States
Construction Sites Powered by AI: What Are the Advantages?
At first look, it can be quite challenging to see how Artificial Intelligence applies to construction. However, by thoroughly understanding what AI is, it is easier to make a relation between the applications and the company’s specific workflows. Generally, AI provides and offers automated tools that you can utilize to solve problems, uncover insights and work smarter.
Today, numerous construction companies currently utilize AI to boost performance particularly. And from “smart hats” that capture 3D models in real-time to advanced and intelligent machines that can automatically generate customer quotes, your company has many opportunities to leverage AI for development and growth.
Here are the following benefits once AI powers your construction business:
1. Automating machine functionality
Construction machines like bulldozers, cranes and excavators are considered critical to the performance of the construction site. Take note that human errors and poor planning may put machines at a crucial risk. When construction tools are improperly operated, it causes deaths and injuries to anyone nearby.
Good thing that AI tools are being deployed today to make construction machines much safer. By combining self-directed technology and sensors, normal machines are upgraded to automated tools only for your construction projects. The end result is safer and faster workflows.
2. Automating the building planning process
Builders usually spend days and weeks planning and designing manual models in the past. While proper planning is vital to project success, taking too long in preparing building plans is a way of losing customers. This is where AI tools come in handy during the planning for upcoming projects. These intelligent machines help you in digitizing previous projects and create the same ones much faster.
With AI, all data from the past work can be fed into the computer system, where dimensions, materials, costs and locations are analyzed further in real-time. After analyzing, it’s easier and faster to generate accurate plans. Builders can anytime customize the plans to fit customer preferences precisely.
3. Making access to data easier
Data is crucial to the construction business nowadays. In the last years, the rise of information techs creates an entire arsenal of new techs and tools every project manager can utilize to make more efficient and wiser decisions.
However, as the demand for customized projects continues to escalate, builders often face some challenges in accessing real-time data. Such accessibility allows builders to communicate with multiple teams, solve problems much faster and meet ever-evolving customer requests and expectations. With AI, accessing data has become very easy in different ways.
Also, a new inventory management system like Pro Crew Schedule has the capacities that allow easy access, accurate allocation, and faster tracking of inventory, assets, and materials, which are all associated with a specific phase within the project’s timeline. Overall, AI tech and software solutions like Pro Crew Schedule give PMs the bird’s eye view of the entire project.
4. AI enhances project management for construction
From initial design concepts to documentation, pre-construction to handover – numerous stakeholders, versions, and changes can overwhelm even the most well-aligned and organized construction teams. Almost 80% expect to face additional costs from omissions and design errors. Only efficient project management can determine the front-runners in the market.
AI proves to tremendously improve construction project management efficiency, particularly in the early discovery of project risks. Earlier detection means it can easily be mitigated. On top of that, AI can make a link between RFIs, submittals and change orders back into the design phase. Artificial Intelligence also helps in reducing the number of wasteful change orders and tricky RFIs.
AI has an ultimate goal for your construction business – to provide a better project performance. Another construction tool that has a similar goal is Pro Crew Schedule. This construction scheduling software can transform construction processes, thus, increasing the efficiency of performance. Only Pro Crew Schedule can take the burden off your shoulders by simply covering everything under one roof.
Explore Pro Crew Schedule firsthand! Experience all its features on a FREE live demo! Request today!
Key Takeaways
So are you ready to use AI to improve and power your construction business? Implement AI in all areas of your business. AI may unlikely replace the human workforce, but it will tremendously alter business models in the construction sector, reduce worksite injuries, reduce costly errors, and make building operations more efficient.
