The Future Is Now: Meet the Game-Changing Construction Technology That’s Already On-Site
SpotWalk combines world-beating robotics with an incredible 360° image capture to equip projects with next-generation site documentation.
The San Francisco Airport Harvey Milk Terminal 1 redevelopment is a $1.2 billion construction project that promises to be one of the most spectacular airport renovations in the United States once complete. The contractor, Hensel Phelps, is understandably conscientious about this work which — as with all big projects — to their exacting standards.
To do that, they are onboarding some of the most sophisticated new construction technologies around, and if you were to visit the site you may well get to see one of the most game-changing innovations in action.
SpotWalk is an innovative new product that integrates our HoloBuilder technology with Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot. Controlled by the HoloBuilder SpotWalk app, the Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot can walk job sites autonomously, capturing 360° images that record the progress of a construction project over time.
This technology is an incredible combination of brawn and brains, partnering the world-class robotics of Boston Dynamics, with the incredible visual capture and progress control of HoloBuilder. As a product, SpotWalk can handle the documentation of a site walk autonomously, freeing up time for field engineers while guaranteeing consistent, compliant photo capture.
But how does SpotWalk makes lives easier?
1. Single source of truth
SpotWalk eliminates time-consuming photo management and avoids confusion by creating a single source of truth that can be accessed by all stakeholders on-site or from a remote location. By having all eyes on the same detail, project workers can deliberate progress from a single source of truth and catch errors early. Moreover, SpotWalk makes sure that the right spots are captured with robotic precision, building a perfect 360° replica of the jobsite in all phases of construction.
2. Efficiencies
Documenting site progress at the end of the day can be tedious, but SpotWalk can be trained to autonomously tour a programmed route, taking 360° captures as it walks. By delegating this work to technology, site workers can be released from draining and repetitive tasks to address mission-critical tasks like coordinating work or managing risk. The product requires no human assistance beyond the initial training of the site walk paths, and it takes minutes to learn. This is progress documentation on autopilot.
3. Consistency
For compliance purposes, it’s important to have a consistent record, but often other important work gets in the way. This can result in documentation with gaps and inconsistencies, which could generate problems further down the line. SpotWalk is super accurate and consistent on every single site walk and SiteAI, HoloBuilder’s machine learning engine, also analyzes the images for unprecedented insight into the jobsite. That means fully objective capture with quantifiable analysis and no holes in the documentation schedule. Ever.
4. Easy adoption
New site technology can take a little getting used to, and sometimes it requires time, energy, and training. SpotWalk is easy to set-up and it doesn’t take long for anyone to learn how to program the robot through the app. If you already use HoloBuilder, you can even send SpotWalk off on your pre-saved routes with minimum fuss.
5. Safety
Everyone knows that construction sites can be dangerous places, but a product like SpotWalk can help project managers mitigate risk in a variety of ways. Firstly, remote site viewing means fewer people need to be on-site to assess progress, and — as a premium robotic technology — Spot is able to maneuver around some obstacles and might also enter places that can be difficult or unsafe for a human worker, taking unnecessary risk out of the equation.
SpotWalk might have futuristic looks, but in reality, it is a secure, reliable, and very practical tool that helps site workers focus on their important work with repetitive or risky tasks draining time.
If you want to learn more about SpotWalk, we recommend reading the full press release from Autodesk University 2019.
What do you think about SpotWalk? Let us know your thoughts and send us an email to buildingtogether@holobuilder.com!
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