Construction companies use drones mostly to get bird’s eye views of job sites. However, concrete contractors do more with drone technology.
Surveying a job site before construction or performing routine inspections can be dangerous. Heavy equipment, trenches, slips and falls, and traffic moving around large job sites create risk. Concrete companies use drones to inspect sites remotely. Drones allow great views of job sites from the safety of a camera; as such, they reduce risk, especially in dangerous areas, such as highway construction jobs or large earth excavations, where much of the site extends many stories below ground level.
Drones do more than take pictures; guided by computer technology, they can look for errors in concrete installation, including cracks and deterioration. Contractors can use drones to monitor foundation digs, and concrete pours. In addition, drone AI can send warning signals of potential dangers.
Drones act as day and night security cameras. Job sites lose more than $1 billion in building materials every year to thieves and vandals in the United States. Static cameras help stop crime. But large drones with long battery life can patrol entire sites silently from above.
Drones with AI can estimate job site materials stock; they can measure gravel, dirt, and other concrete materials. Drones give more accurate measurements than glancing over large piles of material from the ground with human eyes.
Construction workers can expect increased drone use on the job site. The flexibility, artificial intelligence, and improved battery life of improving drone technology lend themselves well to many construction needs.