Avatar Partners, which has offices across the U.S., offers
11 augmented and mixed reality software applications
including six specific to the construction industry: Avatar
Connect, SimplifyXR, Smart Design, BIM2Field, ARFab and
the Augmented Reality Maintenance Aid.
Unlike VR, Avatar’s AR software allows users to overlay
virtual content into the physical world in a way that makes
the content seem physically there, and essentially merges the
digital and physical worlds using a mobile device. For example,
users can draw in objects in 3D using a tablet or remote
PC to provide guidance or instructions to ensure a job is performed
correctly thanks to a unique annotation feature that
is part of the system.
Brian Toppel, subject matter expert for Avatar’s AEC division,
says the company’s BIM2Field product has three primary
uses for construction firms: installation location, installation
instruction and installation verification or QA/QC.
That’s especially important when it comes to deep foundation
work such as installing caissons or piles. For example,
with the Avatar system a worker can simply mark on a tablet
or mobile device the location of where a caisson or pile has
been installed. The program then creates an overlay which can
be used to compare that location with the intended location.
“The key to successful enterprise AR is precision,” said
CEO Marlo Brooke. “Our solutions maintain an accuracy of
one-eighth of an inch on any situation, whether that’s a doorway
frame or a large stadium. This means that the BIM model
is implemented correctly the first time around. We can also
use artificial intelligence to perform auto QA-checks during
every step of the build cycle, ensuring that any deviations are
caught and can be corrected early-on.”
Toppel says because the system is so accurate, it helps to
dramatically reduce errors on construction sites which in
turn eliminates a lot of “rework” and thereby reduces costs.
A former project manager in the construction industry,
he says the Avatar construction apps can also help increase
worker safety on a jobsite.
“Look at a caisson operation. You’ve got all these things
going on at once: guys drilling, guys coming in with Bobcats.
It’s kind of a choregraphed ballet,” he said.
“With our system we can actually do a training solution
that goes through all of that and see what steps people are
actually doing compared to what they should be doing, and
we can create a more safe environment.”
The Avatar software can also help achieve significantly
better production rates. Toppel says in some cases using it
can translate into time savings of as much as five to 10 minutes
per caisson.
“That’s important because it’s all about unit rates in deep
foundation. It’s all about how many can I get done in a day?”
he said.
Toppel says Avatar solutions also help make it easier to
share knowledge between senior employees and personnel
on the ground. Therefore, tasks that would normally be
handled by senior staff can now be performed by less experienced
people.
X-ray vision
Perhaps one of the coolest features of the Avatar AR solutions
is that users are provided with a sort of X-ray vision into any
kind of object. Users can easily pull the object out of wherever
it is located and examine it from any angle.
“What we’ve found is a 90 per cent reduction in QA inspections
and quality inspection time with augmented reality,
and being able to identify errors that were not in the paper
schematics,” Brooke said.
Cost savings
While wearable devices such as the Microsoft HoloLens
allow hands-free use of Avatar’s software, it can also be easily
used on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. The
software itself starts at about US$5,000 and can range as high
as US$30,000 depending on a client’s requirements. The company
also provides a codeless offering environment where
clients can develop their own mixed reality and AR construction
solutions.
Brooke says that’s a small price to pay compared to the net
savings a company can realize by using the system.
“The return on investment is immediate. It’s generally
within the first one or two uses,” she said. “The thing to know
is augmented reality is not a silver bullet. There’s very specific
times when it will and will not be useful. Using AR for advertising
is not going to provide a huge return on investment.
However, if you can prevent a wiring error that could not only
save lives, but save money, that’s huge.”
Breaking into market
Despite making inroads into the U.S. construction industry,
Avatar is still looking to crack the Canadian market. Brooke
and her company have begun talking with a number of systems
integrators in Canada about bringing its software north of the
border and is hopeful those discussions will soon bear fruit.
COVER STORY
“What we’ve found is a 90 per cent reduction in
QA inspections and quality inspection time with
augmented reality, and being able to identify errors
that were not in the paper schematics.”
– Marlo Brooke, Avatar Partners
PHOTO: AVATAR PARTNERS
16 Q4 2020 www.pilingcanada.ca
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