Willmott Dixon workers are now able to “see through concrete” using a mobile phone app that shows a mix of reality and 3D construction models in much the same way as Microsoft’s HoloLens.
Danish technology firm Dalux claims that 40,000 construction workers worldwide are now using the Dalux Field app, which uses augmented reality (AR) on both Android and iOS smartphones.
Willmott Dixon has been testing Dalux on four different construction projects ranging in size from £4m to £25m.
The firm’s digital manager, Andrew Gamblen, said: “The workers on site are excited. Even though not all are using it every day, they still check each time something has been installed and see if there are any issues. They no longer have to run back and forth to the office.
“We work with a lot of information-heavy construction models and if a system cannot handle large amounts of data we have no use for them. Dalux displays everything in a fast, simple and stable application.”
Dalux co-founder Brent Dalgaard added: “Earlier, it was only one type of Android phone that could show augmented reality. Now it is open to a huge workforce, so we expect to see augmented reality spread fast in the construction industry.”
Dalux has grown from 20 to 55 employees in one and a half years and is present in 100 countries with the UK as a key market.
