As architecture and design continue to explore the possibilities of virtual reality, the construction and safety sectors might be about to also embrace the area with a number of new products being developed.
At a recent CIOB and BRE industry event – Accelerate to Innovate – a number of the new ideas involving the use of Virtual Reality and construction were lauded by the judges.
The event held in April showcased two products using Virtual Reality that can be used to help improve safety on construction sites as well as possibly help in the training of high risk situations.
The iHR – immersive Hybrid Reality for Construction training and practice is a new Oculus Rift-style system with a headset that allows wearers to conduct “real” physical tasks while fully immersed in virtual environments. It is based on relatively affordable commodity hardware.
Developed by Dr Ludovico Carozza (pictured above), the product provides trainees and workers with “real-life” scenarios on high-risk jobs, as a more effective way of preparing them for work on site. Scenarios where it could be used include welding jobs on power plants.
The Situation Engine was a similar product that may give us a glimpse into the future of construction. It aims to improve on-site health and safety behaviour by delivering a virtual site experience based on actual project models using a headset and video game technology. Activities can be benchmarked and situations adapted to individual needs.
By putting the “wearer” into the actual experience of witnessing potential site accidents, it is hoped that this will change behaviour compared to traditional training. The proprietary system of controls allows the trainer to replay a situation, so the learner can experience it from multiple perspectives.
It has already been used by Hong Kong contractor Gammon Construction and has been trialled at four Australian universities.
A great example of how collaboration between man and machine can improve efficiency and safety.