Swinerton, the national construction services provider, is among the GCs that are embracing construction technology is various ways.
It is using high-definition 3D scanning technology to provide clients with such benefits as time-stamping work with preserved historical data, minimizing client travel thanks to remote walk-through capabilities, and coordinating subcontractors with an eye toward minimizing change orders and errors.
The firm’s prefab and modular construction capabilities leverage technology to reduce construction costs by as much as 20% per project, improve quality and safety, and expedite a project’s completion.
And on a number of its jobsites, Swinerton has been testing Boston Dynamics’ quadruped robot, better known as Spot Dog, for walk-throughs to inspect progress (such as tracking the numbers of studs or electrical conduit installed daily), measure and report data points, create a digital twin, and compare as-built to BIM.
Meet Spot Dog: The robotic inspection dog for construction jobsites
The three-foot-tall yellow robot “is an incredibly capable machine,” says Eric Law, Swinerton’s senior director of technology and innovation, whom BD+C interviewed last week with Tristen Magallanes, the firm’s innovation analyst; and Brian Ringley, a construction technology manager with Boston Dynamics.
Swinerton has been testing Spot Dog for four months. It used the robot to track the interior work within a ground-up medical office building in Redwood City, Calif. (That robot has since been relocated to one of Swinerton’s other projects in Austin, Texas.) The robot was also at work at the Queen Emma Building in Honolulu, Hawaii, where Swinerton is reconstructing an office building to affordable apartments.
The robot in use in Honolulu, which can handle a payload of up to 30 lbs., was equipped with a laser scanner and 360-degree camera. The robot, explains Ringley, can be controlled directly or tele-operated from offsite. There’s also an “auto-walk” feature where the user takes the robot to where he or she wants it to go, and artificial intelligence lets the robot repeats that pattern and tasks.
A video of Spot Dog in action in Honolulu can be viewed here.
Spot Dog, standing in front of Swinerton's brand image.
Law notes that a robot is better suited for capturing repetitive data because humans “have a hard time walking the same path everyday.” Spot Dog is also capable of navigating uneven terrain, and can be programmed to avoid obstacles.
Boston Dynamics has about 100 of these robots in the field, confirms Ringley, all of them under leases that typically run from six to 12 months. He declined to discuss lease terms, except to say “it’s cheaper than leasing a car.”
Spot Dog was expected to complete its work at the Honolulu project sometime this month and be relocated to roam another Swinerton project.
Ringley says that Boston Dynamics is constantly tweaking its robots for better mobility, stability, and autonomy. Boston Dynamics is preparing to launch a 2.0 version of Spot Dog “soon,” he says, without disclosing any details.
Related Stories
AEC Tech | Oct 25, 2021
Token Future: Will NFTs revolutionize the design industry?
How could non-fungible tokens (NFTs) change the way we value design? Woods Bagot architect Jet Geaghan weighs risk vs. reward in six compelling outcomes.
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | Oct 15, 2021
7 game-changing trends in structural engineering
Here are seven key areas where innovation in structural engineering is driving evolution.
AEC Tech Innovation | Oct 7, 2021
How tech informs design: A conversation with Mancini's Christian Giordano
Mancini's growth strategy includes developing tech tools that help clients appreciate its work.
AEC Tech | Oct 5, 2021
EarthCam Builds On its Connectivity with Autodesk Construction Cloud
Premiering new visual verification features for Autodesk Build and BIM 360
AEC Tech | Sep 21, 2021
A new webtool follows ConTech from incubation to application and beyond
MIT and JLL have created Tech Tracker to help real estate professionals see what’s hot now and what might be.
Architects | Aug 5, 2021
Lord Aeck Sargent's post-Katerra future, with LAS President Joe Greco
After three years under the ownership of Katerra, which closed its North American operations last May, the architecture firm Lord Aeck Sargent is re-establishing itself as an independent company, with an eye toward strengthening its eight practices and regional presence in the U.S.
Architects | Aug 5, 2021
Lord Aeck Sargent's post-Katerra future, with LAS President Joe Greco
After three years under the ownership of Katerra, which closed its North American operations last May, the architecture firm Lord Aeck Sargent is re-establishing itself as an independent company, with an eye toward strengthening its eight practices and regional presence in the U.S.
AEC Tech | Jul 14, 2021
Bjarke Ingels Group and UNStudio invest in SpaceForm, a virtual workspace for architects
Squint/Opera developed the platform in 2018.
AEC Tech | Jun 30, 2021
Orro Launches New Integration with Sonos, Providing Seamless In-Wall Control for Sonos Speakers
With the new integration, customers can use the dynamic display on Orro’s smart light switches to control their favorite audio content on their Sonos speakers.
AEC Tech | Jun 9, 2021
Orro Announces Unified Smart Home App
Orro app now provides control of other smart home devices from leading professional and consumer device manufacturers.