The construction industry is rapidly evolving with the influence of cloud and mobile technology. As the risks associated with the work in the industry are very high, it is necessary to get technology involved keeping in view the safety concerns of the workers. This has led to the innovation of smart wearables or wearable technology that can be used on construction sites.
Smart wearables have the potential to transform the construction industry by improving the safety and efficiency of the workers. They collect, store, transmit and receive information about the worker’s location, nearby hazards, biometric signs, and other job-site data.
This article lists out some of the top wearable technologies that can provide better safety, communication, and productivity for the construction industry.
Top 6 Wearable Technology in Construction
The top wearable technologies used in construction are:
- Smart helmets
- Bionic suits
- Smart glasses
- Smart safety vests
- Smart work boots
- Wearable sensor
1. Smart Helmets
Helmets are one of the important equipment used by workers on the construction sites. Smart helmets enhance the safety by offering:
- 3D visual overlays
- 360o view of surroundings
- Augmented work instructions
- Direct communication to remote workers
2. Bionic Suits
The workers on construction sites face health and safety issues due to extreme physical labor, causing long-term problems. Bionic suit is a wearable technology that can pick and handle heavy materials and machinery with ease, as shown in Figure-2.
The technology reduces the labor time; for example, concrete chipping that takes five days of work can be completed within a single day. It improves the efficiency and productivity on job sites.
3. Smart Safety Vests
Safety vests are another important necessity for job sites. Smart safety vests are now available with the following features:
- Location enabling and tracking facility
- Monitoring workers' activities
- Tracking the distance walked by the workers
- Working temperature
- Working hours
- GPS to detect hazard zones
- Call buttons for emergency
Smart vests can effectively track individual worker's productivity and safety by increasing their real-time visibility at construction sites.
4. Smart Glasses
Smart glasses are the cheapest form of smart wearables when compared with smart helmets, vests, and bionic suits. They can be used even for small-scale projects due to their affordability.
Smart glass wearers can control what they see on their lens just by rolling their eyes in certain directions. The wearer can access plans, instructions, and layouts. Smart glass eliminates the need for bulky plans and paperwork.
Smart glasses have the ability to record pictures, videos, and voice commands that are integrated with specific mobile apps.
5. Smart Work Boots
Smart boots are work boots with multiple technologies embedded in them. The embedded sensors in the boots determine the real-time location and accountability of indoors and outdoors. This technology eliminates guesswork about who is on-site and their location at any specific time.
6. Wearable Sensor
A wearable sensor is worn on the work belt and acts like a partner on the job. In case of any slip, trip, or fall, the sensor alerts the safety supervisor of the accident. The sensor also sends the location of the worker to the supervisor to initiate help.
It is also equipped with a self-alert button that, if held for 2 seconds, sends a message to the safety supervisor indicating an alert. This means if the wearer faces a safety issue, they can seek help through this sensor without leaving the work zone.
FAQs
The top wearable technologies used in construction are:
1. Smart helmets
2. Bionic suits
3. Smart glasses
4. Smart safety vests
5. Smart work boots
6. Wearable sensor
A wearable sensor is worn on the work belt and acts like a partner on the job. In case of any slip, trip, or fall, the sensor alerts the safety supervisor of the accident. The sender sends the location of the worker to the supervisor to initiate help.
It is also equipped with a self-alert button that, if held for 2 seconds, sends a message to the safety supervisor indicating an alert. This means, if the wearer faces a safety issue, they can seek help through this sensor without leaving the work zone.
The workers on construction sites face health and safety issues due to extreme physical labor, causing long-term problems. A bionic suit is a wearable technology that can pick and handle heavy materials and machinery with ease.
The technology reduces the labor time; for example, concrete chipping that takes five days of work can be completed within a single day. It improves the efficiency and productivity on job sites.
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