Bridgit, a Canadian startup company devoted to improving efficiency in the construction industry, recently launched Groundbreaker. The interactive application combines the smartglass app for Bridgit’s flagship Closeout software, which manages deficiencies in construction projects, with Thalmic Labs’ Myo armband, which can recognize subtle hand and finger gestures.
Mallorie Brodie, Co-founder of the Kitchener, Ont., software developer, says that she and her Co-founder, Lauren Hasegawa, conferred with 500 stakeholders before deciding on the hands-free solution. “We were not convinced that smartglass technology alone was a practical solution, especially if it required audio commands on noisy job sites,” she says.
Combining the smartglass visual device with the motion-sensing armband means users don’t have to fiddle with their smartphones to shoot a photo of a defect in a wall system. Nor do they have to rely on using voice commands, which can slow down information retrieval in the field. They can just point and click, and the data or image can be transferred instantly to the correct person on site who can fix the problem.
Groundbreaker retails for $1,499. Here’s a short video demonstration of how it works.
Read about more innovations from BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Aug 26, 2021
2021 University Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the higher education sector
Gensler, AECOM, Turner Construction, and CannonDesign head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest university sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 26, 2021
2021 Data Center Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. data center facilities sector
Corgan, Holder Construction, Jacobs, and Whiting-Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest data center facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Hotel Facilities | Aug 26, 2021
Building hotels with modules, with citizenM's Menno Hilberts
In this exclusive interview for HorizonTV, Menno Hilberts, Managing Director of Project Management with hotelier citizenM, explains how the company is employing modular construction to help double its presence in the U.S.
Giants 400 | Aug 25, 2021
Top 40 Engineering/Architecture Firms for 2021
Jacobs, AECOM, Burns & McDonnell, and Alfa Tech top the rankings of the nation's largest engineering architecture (EA) firms for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 25, 2021
Top 95 Architecture/Engineering Firms for 2021
Stantec, HDR, HOK, and SOM top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 25, 2021
Top 160 Architecture Firms for 2021
Gensler, Perkins and Will, HKS, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Aug 25, 2021
The rise of entertainment districts and the inside-out stadium
Fiserv Forum, home to the 2021 NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks, proved that the design of the space outside a stadium is just as important as inside.
Architects | Aug 24, 2021
AIA’s Compensation Report reveals how architecture firms weathered the pandemic
According to the report, architecture firms lost 16,000 positions between February and their low in July of 2020.
Architects | Aug 19, 2021
BD+C Events
Building Design+Construction's annual events include the Women in Design+Construction conference and the ProConnect meeting series.
Architects | Aug 19, 2021
Quattrocchi Kwok Architects marks 35 years in business with commitment to social justice
QKA, the largest architecture firm in the North Bay area of San Francisco, has received the JUST 2.0 Social Transparency Label from the International Living Future Institute.
