Augmented reality
in construction
can help get
the job done faster,
safer and cheaper

The U.S. construction industry is set to expand steadily over the coming years after double-digit growth in 2021. But there remain challenges, in health and safety, skills, collaboration, costs, and many other areas. The question is, how can your organization optimize operations to drive growth and revenue accretion? Augmented reality in construction, powered by 5G and edge computing where available, could offer a much needed set of business benefits.

Augmented reality (AR) is technology that enables the user to overlay digital content onto a live, real-world view—either via a smartphone app or a pair of smart glasses. Virtual reality (VR) is a completely immersive experience in which the user wears an enclosed headset, views only computer-generated images and can manipulate virtual objects with their hands. Mixed reality is somewhere between the two, enabling the user to have one foot in the real world but still interact with virtual objects.

Virtual and augmented reality in construction can support more efficient project management, help improve site safety and worker productivity. Here's what it could unlock for your business:

• Imagine the future: Enable building managers, architects, clients and other interested parties to view an overlay of the completed project onto the site, before being built. Virtual reality offers an even more immersive option. By integrating building information modeling (BIM) into the augmented reality view, planners can tour virtual sites, scrutinize key details, and make modifications early on to minimize delays and costs.
• Collaborate and progress: Share images and videos taken by augmented reality headsets at predetermined locations to track the progress of projects. This can help to align various tradespeople on-site—e.g., bricklayers, plumbers, electricians and carpenters. But it can also help to streamline collaboration between remote project managers, architects and others.
• Enhance safety: There are multiple ways augmented reality in construction can improve safety. The glasses themselves can double as a safety visor. They can be programmed to bring up crucial warnings and hazard information by scanning QR codes in certain areas. They also can be used to highlight whole areas of the site deemed dangerous—for example, where electrical cabling is exposed or flooring is missing.
• Improve and accelerate training: There's nothing quite like learning on the job. And with virtual and augmented reality in construction, managers can train workers without letting them loose on work sites. Overlay instructions and demos accelerate the process, which is not only good for getting new workers up to speed but can also help with safety.
• Improve positioning accuracy: Hyper Precise Location IoT services, based on real-time kinematics technology, can deliver centimeter-level location data in near-real time at a vast scale and low cost on 5G and 4G networks, allowing for a level of accuracy not yet seen.
• Help the inspectors: Integrating BIM and augmented reality content will make the job of inspectors that much easier, enabling them to check "as-built" against digital twin models.

Augmented and virtual reality are among the most commonly cited applications of edge computing technology. That's because they require low latency and high bandwidth—exactly what 5G edge delivers, where available. By processing data closer to the user and leveraging the increased speed of 5G Ultra Wideband where available, you can use applications that can help reduce costs, improve security and deliver a seamless user experience.