State of the Art Plant that you'll want on your Construction Site

Gone are the days of the wooden spoon cement mixing method (for most of us anyway) as now we're in the age of the robot. We're already measuring with laser beams for a start. Technology is becoming so advanced that construction work will soon be so easy that we'll wonder how we ever coped before.

Do you feel like you need any of these beauties on your site?

3D Printers create building materials

3D Printers have been around in the mainstream for a year or two now, but we're still a long way from recognising the seemingly infinite potential of them.

Imagine running out of something on site and rather than having to wait for the wholesaler to courier it over, or worse still, get in back in stock, you could just print it. So far we only seem to have seem miniature working spanners and a few arty things come out of these printers, but Skanska are beginning a collaboration with Loughborough University to develop the use of 3D printing in construction, including 3D printing with concrete.

Machines that Detect Driver Stress

Let's face it we all feel under pressure sometimes. Imagine if your machinery could tell you to stop and relax, grab a cuppa and don't come back until you feel better! It's on the horizon. A group of students involved with Volvo Techworld have that very vision.

Machines that can detect signs of stress such as increased heart rate, shallow breathing and rise in body temperature could soon be part of a healthier workplace. And for safety, machines that can detect something like a cardiac arrest from the driver could potentially be life-saving and help to prevent major accidents.

Drones for a Bird's Eye View

Drones have been in the news a lot recently. They've become a popular toy for aviation keen adults and children alike, and the attachment of Go-Pro cameras makes for fun exploring of the local area. Even though the air traffic safety team aren't so keen, drones are going to grow in popularity.

Using a drone to gather a better overall view of a site is an affordable, safe and time saving way to get to know the working environment, to scope out danger and to take an overall look at a plot. Drones with a live feed to the site office can also help give a better overview of the work that's going on at any time to help with day planning.

And for those lower down, dark and dingy places, there are remote controlled camera drones with all terrain wheels. Not too dissimilar to those remote controlled cars you would have played with as a child - who says work is dull?