Tag: construction technology: Page 37

Construction Equipment

Topcon unveils the LN-100: world’s first 3D positioning solution designed for BIM and construction layout

If you’ve ever felt like a total station is more tool than you need or understand, Topcon has come up with the solution. The  LN-100, introduced yesterday at the World of Concrete is the world’s first 3D positioning solution designed specifically for BIM and construction layout. What Topcon did was take the basic functionality of […]

January 23, 2014

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No. 1 in 2013: The 5 best smartphones for construction work

Remember that excitement we mentioned about the Caterpillar B15? It inspired us to go through the available options and rank the best smartphones available for construction work. We took price, features, operating system and apps into consideration along with toughness to help construction professionals pick the perfect smartphone. In the end, the smartphone countdown turned out […]

December 30, 2013

Technology

Contractors are spending more time with their smartphones: have increased app, social media and tablet use as well

While our 2014 Internet Use and Social Media Survey does not show the dramatic contrasts that our 2013 survey did, there are still bits of intriguing data in its numbers, especially when you look at the trend picture with three consecutive surveys on this subject. Much has stayed the same from last year’s survey. There’s […]

December 29, 2013

Technology

Construction firm saves $1.2 million by switching from paper plans to iPads and Apple TV combo

For some people, adopting new technology comes easy. They naturally want whatever is newest and fastest. But for most, the cost needs to be justified—especially when you’re buying enough devices for a huge company. According to a report from Citeworld, Balfour Beatty Construction, the global firm headquartered in Dallas, justification for Apple’s iPad and Apple […]

November 22, 2013

Technology

Google’s secret construction software platform could cut construction costs, planning time in half

The same folks that gave us Google Glass and are working to make driverless cars a reality are hard at work on an online software platform that could cut construction costs in half, according to a report from Globes. Just to give you an idea of the kind of momentum that’s behind this “secret” project, […]

October 25, 2013

Telematics

Why most contractors don’t use telematics and how AEMP and AEM are trying to change that

One of the biggest and most confounding challenges in the heavy equipment industry is how to get more construction companies to use telematics to monitor and manage their fleets. The technology is well established and the ROI well proven, yet surveys continue to find only a small percentage of contractors using the technology. The Association […]

July 25, 2013

Technology

House printing, crawling, concrete-eating demo robots point to automated jobsites of the future

As we noted in our piece on Komatsu’s new D61i-23 dozer, which uses machine control technology to automatically raise and lower its blade from rough dozing to finish grading, it’s easy to imagine a time when equipment won’t need human operators. You might shudder at the thought of robots preparing sites and then putting together […]

July 18, 2013

Telematics

Don’t ignore telematics: How gradually adopting the technology greatly benefits your largest expense

“We think machine communication and connection is a huge change event for the industry, a complete game changer,” Kevin Karlix, John Deere’s director of sales, North America, told editors at a recent company press event. “In fact, we understand that construction equipment lenders in China are now requiring a remote disable on machines they finance.” […]

July 1, 2013

Technology

Samsung’s water- and dustproof Galaxy S4 Active redefines top-of-the-line in rugged smartphones

The design isn’t quite as exciting as Caterpillar’s take on rugged smartphones, but Samsung’s new Galaxy S4 Active certainly continues the recent and satisfying trend of water- and dustproof phones that aren’t hideous and a pain to use. In the past, most smartphones granted with an IP67 rating were bulky and badly specced—typically running an […]

June 6, 2013

Technology

Google Glass won’t revolutionize the construction industry. Not yet anyway.

If you put aside all the coverage of Apple’s stock price and the company’s “uncertain future,” the biggest tech story going right now is Google Glass. Just in case you’re unfamiliar with it, Glass is Google’s wearable computer currently in development. It’s a device that looks a bit like a pair of glasses without the […]

May 14, 2013

Technology

Behind the B15: The design process of Caterpillar’s rugged smartphone

Just a couple of weeks ago, Caterpillar launched a pretty surprising new product. Not a dozer or an excavator, but a phone. A very rugged smartphone. And to much excitement, I might add. The phone received copious amounts of coverage from mainsteam outlets and the consumer technology outlets alike at its debut during the Mobile […]

March 13, 2013

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Caterpillar enters smartphone market with rugged Android-powered B15

Caterpillar’s latest unveil has nothing to do with horsepower or fuel efficiency. In fact, the latest piece of equipment from the company doesn’t even have an engine or wheels. But it’s still all about productivity in harsh conditions. During the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona, Spain this week, CAT unveiled its super-rugged B15 smartphone. […]

February 27, 2013