Smart Helmet—it’s a hard hat on steroids.
The helmet is equipped with an array of cameras that provides 360-degree vision through its glass visor, even in low light. The helmet’s “visual-inertial navigation” enables the wearer to map the work environment and share the data wirelessly with other helmet wearers on the job site. The Smart Helmet’s “Intellitrack” system is capable of object recognition and tracking.
Los Angeles-based manufacturer Daqri started shipping Smart Helmets (retail price: $1,500) in October. The company is targeting the industrial sector, but President Andy Lowery says that the augmented reality helmet could work in commercial construction for training purposes and job site communication.
“Work instructions could be overlaid on top of building materials, decreasing human error, reducing training time, and accelerating building projects,” says Lowery. The hard hat could also be used to uncover electrical hot spots before they cause trouble.
Read about more innovations from BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report.
Related Stories
Data Centers | Oct 26, 2020
Speed to market is biggest obstacle for burgeoning data center construction sector
Hyperscale and edge computing are driving growth in data center and mission critical facilities construction.
Adaptive Reuse | Oct 26, 2020
Mall property redevelopments could result in dramatic property value drops
Retail conversions to fulfillment centers, apartments, schools, or medical offices could cut values 60% to 90%.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 15, 2020
L.A., all the way
KFA Architecture has hitched its wagon to Los Angeles’s star for more than 40 years.
Architects | Oct 14, 2020
The Weekly Show: AI for building facade inspections; designing a world-class architecture firm
The October 15 episode of BD+C's "The Weekly" is available for viewing on demand.
Coronavirus | Oct 8, 2020
The Weekly show: Statue of Liberty Museum, emotional learning in K-12, LA's climate change vulnerability
The October 8 episode of BD+C's "The Weekly" is available for viewing on demand.
Architects | Oct 8, 2020
Gensler’s annual report chronicles the firm’s ‘transformation’
The firm positions itself as a leading voice for how building design plays a central role in meeting society’s evolving demands.
Smart Buildings | Oct 1, 2020
Smart buildings stand on good data
The coming disruption of owning and operating a building and how to stay ahead through BIM.
Architects | Oct 1, 2020
BIG imagines how we could live on the moon
The architecture firm has partnered with ICON on the project.
Architects | Sep 30, 2020
Sir David Adjaye OBE to receive 2021 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture
His practice, Adjaye Associates, was founded in 2000 and today has studios in Accra, London and New York, with projects across the world.
Coronavirus | Sep 28, 2020
Evaluating and investing resources to navigate past the COVID-19 pandemic
As AEC firm leaders consider worst-case scenarios and explore possible solutions to surmount them, they learn to become nimble, quick, and ready to pivot as circumstances demand.