Tag: tech: Page 18

Machine control

Trimble intros several updates to field survey tools, SketchUp for use with compact equipment

If you do a lot of work with skid steers, compact track loaders and mini-excavators, Trimble has developed a suite of products that will enable you to do many of the same things as contractors who run big equipment equipped with GPS machine control, but with less hardware and at a lower cost. “Customers have seen the […]

November 17, 2016

Roadbuilding

GNSS machine control allows Halley Engineering Contractors to widen Florida’s deadly SR 997 2 months ahead of schedule

In the period from 2005 to 2011, the 36-mile stretch of Florida’s State Road 997 between the city of Homestead and Okeechobee Road to the north, claimed the lives of 28 people—a dozen in 2014 alone. And, in that same time frame, more than 900 others were injured in crashes on the two-lane highway. Though […]

October 13, 2016

Machine control

Three views on the past, present and rapidly evolving future of GPS in heavy construction

Editor’s Note:This is the fourth in a four-part GPS/GNSS 101 series. To read more, click here. It’s hard to believe, but the use of GPS in heavy construction is now more than 15 years old. Mike Momrow, survey manager for the Rifenburg Companies in Troy, New York, was present at its genesis, purchasing and fielding […]

October 10, 2016

Technology

SmartCap integrates camera-free worker fatigue monitoring into hard hats, ball caps and more

The signs are unmistakable: the head bob, the eyes that have trouble remaining open, a blank stare. These are all symptoms of “microsleeps,” or brief episodes of fatigue-based loss of attention. While these may be common when you’re parked on your couch in front of the TV at night, they can be deadly if they […]

October 10, 2016

Technology

DJI one-ups GoPro with the Mavic Pro, an even more compact foldable drone with stout specs

GoPro made a splash recently with the unveiling of its Karma drone. Not only does the Karma fold up for easy transport, it has a beginner-friendly flight system designed not only to assist in operation, but to teach proper flight control techniques as well. And despite the Karma’s relatively low base price of $799, it […]

September 28, 2016

Technology

Airware acquires Caterpillar partner Redbird to offer full drone planning solution for construction, mining

In order to better integrate planning for and analysis of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flights on construction jobsites, Airware, a San Francisco-based company that develops what it calls a “comprehensive operating system for commercial drones,” has acquired French drone data startup Redbird. If that second name sounds a bit familiar, that’s because Redbird has been […]

September 23, 2016

Technology

Panasonic upgrades semi-rugged Toughbook 54 laptop with faster processor

For those contractors that require a Windows laptop they can throw in the pickup and bring onto the jobsite, Panasonic has improved its Toughbook 54 with power upgrades. Panasonic calls this 14-inch laptop the thinnest and lightest semi-rugged laptop in its class, weighing between 4.2 and 4.6 pounds, depending on the model. The Toughbook 54 […]

September 22, 2016

Vocational

Mack working to integrate WheresMyConcrete’s real-time mixer data into telematics service

Mack Trucks has announced that it is working to connect real-time concrete mixer data into its telematics service through a partnership with WheresMyConcrete. WheresMyConcrete is a service that allows mixer fleet dispatchers to track delivery and order progress as it happens. The cloud-based software gives dispatchers a 30,000-foot view of the entire operation through order updates, mix […]

September 21, 2016

Roadbuilding

3D Asphalt Paving: The highest smoothness and accuracy possible, no strings attached

Stringless paving isn’t just for concrete contractors. The asphalt guys are in on it as well, but with a few slight twists on the methods used. As with concrete paving, stringless asphalt paving offers the benefit of eliminating the costly step of bringing in a survey crew to set up the stringline. Eliminating that step […]

September 20, 2016

Business

Construction time clock app busybusy adds Quickbooks integration

Busybusy, a digital time clock app developed specifically for the construction industry, has been updated with Quickbooks integration. The app, which provides construction companies with a quick transition to digital time sheets by allowing workers to clock in at the jobsite from their iPhone or Android device, previously required firms to export that time sheet data from […]

September 15, 2016

Technology

Drone 2.0: Kespry’s lighter, stronger drone not only flies itself, it renders 3D maps for you

One of the biggest reasons drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) went from a hobbyist gadget to an industry expected to generate 100,000 jobs and $82 billion for the U.S. economy over the next 10 years, is their low barrier to entry. With as little as $100 you can grab a UAV from Amazon and start taking […]

September 7, 2016

Roadbuilding

Trimble displays MX7 360-degree mobile imaging system at 2016 APWA Public Works Expo

Trimble featured its MX7 mobile imaging system, which departments of transportation and municipalities can used to capture 360-degree images of road and site infrastructure details, during the 2016 American Public Works Association (APWA) Public Works Expo in Minneapolis. The MX7 includes six 5-megapixel cameras that provide 30-megapixal geo-referenced images that can be taken at up […]

August 31, 2016