Enabling data driven construction

BuildAI recently extended its solutions to bring the crane industry to the forefront of technology advancements.

BuildAI was founded in 2018 to enable more productive and safer work practices across the construction industry. CEO and Founder Kristian Butcher explains some of the challenges the construction sector face when adapting to new technology.

“Construction is a fragmented field requiring a lot of labour-intensive hours, there is poor communication and a lack of data transparency, leading to the inefficiencies which currently characterise the industry.”

Kristian Butcher

“This current model places incredible stress on the individuals that work in our industry which is why we wanted to be part of the solution, BuildAI is not about replacing jobs. Instead, AI is used to provide more connected productive work environments and to give employees flexibility they never had, which means more time with their families.”

Leveraging artificial intelligence technology including computer vision and deep experience in construction and commercial environments, BuildAI supports project delivery teams to optimise the critical path.

 Integral to the critical path of any project is the safe and efficient operation of the crane, since it’s the timely movement of materials from the delivery zone to the work face that drives the progression of critical activities.

Coordinating material deliveries and lift plans is a daily occurrence and requires constant rescheduling to meet overall project program milestones. Often this is done manually and lacks transparency for all relevant participants such as sub-contractors, material suppliers, and project management.

This dynamic environment places crane operation teams under pressure, while requiring the highest safety standards are maintained.

In conjunction with industry experts, BuildAI created a game-changing innovation called CraneCast to support safer and more efficient crane operations.

CraneCast is the crane driver’s extra set of eyes to look out for those working in the vicinity. Monitoring every lift with unprecedented vision streamed live to the driver’s cabin. CraneCast is fitted with the latest camera technology, providing high-resolution vision in multiple directions including sideways to see what’s nearby during slewing.

This vision maximises the driver’s situational awareness at the hook to reduce risk to people, plant and structures in the vicinity of the lift.

Effective crane management remains a significant challenge to constructors as crane activity can’t be effectively managed with evidence.

In addition to the vision, the system is capable of capturing data of every movement and relaying this in real-time to a cloud-based software platform that automatically produces lift, load, rated capacity and overall utilisation and efficiency statistics.

This provides crane and site management with automated lift schedules and reporting on planned versus actual lifts, understanding of how the cranes are performing in real-time, and ultimately improve crane management with data-driven decision-making. As the system can automatically generate lifting logs with crane time categorised, it can integrate with other existing crane booking or delivery scheduling software packages such as Voyage Control – helping you get the most out of your resources.

With this ultimate transparency of what the crane is doing, project delivery teams have their finger on the pulse of all critical path activities. Productivity rates can be measured, forecasts of upcoming activities can be accurately scheduled, program risk indicators able to be calculated.

The physical dimensions of the device have been intentionally designed to mimic ponder weights used on tower cranes. The unit is less than 200kg, housed in a polymer shell which is engineered to withstand impact of regular crane operations. Supplied with its own rigging assembly that can be easily attached to existing chain setup. The rigging assembly including hook has been proof tested to 32T capacity.

CraneCast is fully independent, using battery power and WIFI connectivity, there’s no need for cabling runs across the boom. This means it can be fitted to luffing, hammerhead cranes, crawler and all-terrain cranes. The system also comes with a device stand which remains on site, to enable safe and efficient servicing.

Marr Contracting are among the first to experience the benefits of CraneCast.

“CraneCast’s technology is a game changer for our industry. Although there are lots of crane cameras out there, CraneCast’s unique ability to provide a 360-degree view and capture data is the missing link for us in delivering even safer, faster and more cost-effective solutions for our clients” – Simon Marr, Managing Director, Marr Contracting.

CraneCast is currently deployed on Tier 1 projects in Sydney including on the four tower cranes at Multiplex Western Sydney Airport terminal building providing superior vision to the crane operators.