Construction wearable technology is becoming trendy on job sites all over due to its ability to enhance safety as well as comfort for workers. Once a novelty in the industry, wearable construction technology has become a part of everyday life for construction professionals. Hard hats, shoes and other construction gears have become multi-faceted thanks to their merging with technology. These wearables are making job sites a safer and more productive place to work.
Here are some new products you should consider testing at your job site:
Illumagear – The Halo
Construction workers can now wear this 360-degree personal safety and task light to make sure that they can see and be seen at all times.
The Halo fits on any standard hard hat; install it by pressing down firmly, which allows the spring tension system to secure it onto the surface. It will stay on, regardless of the type of work you’re doing.
Furthermore, the Halo comes in four modes. There is Halo Mode, which makes it visible from over a quarter-mile away and shown across 360 degrees. You have Hi-Alert Mode, which involves a personal revolving light tailor-made for those high elevation jobs. Also, there’s Task Mode, illuminating the work area in front of you, as well as Dim Mode to turn down your light.
MYO and Smart Glasses
Working on a construction site can be hectic. MYO is an armband that works in tandem with Brigit glasses to help you multitask on-site, allowing you to climb or dig while communicating with your team without needing to stop your activity.
Hand gestures are used to control these devices, eliminating the burden of holding onto a device. For example, you might be wearing heavy gloves, or have oil on your hands, and now instead of relying on touching a tablet or smartphone, you can control your device touch-free.
StrongArm
Keeping employees healthy and on the job is key to running a successful construction business. Given how prevalent back injuries are in construction, StrongArm’s Flex ErgoSkeleton uses a posture pad to alert you if you’re bending or lifting things incorrectly or strenuously. There are also adjustment mechanisms tailored to your height and size.
StrongArm offers the FUSE sensor, which collects posture information in real-time and provides feedback whenever you twist or move side-to-side.
Blackline Safety – G7
For workers who are out in the field alone, safety is especially important. The G7 provides real-time safety alerts via network connections. Those alerts go to a back-end monitor and are broadcast as needed.
It can provide mass notifications of any new workplace hazards, security threats, and weather updates while offering two-way voice and text communication.
Loomia
Construction workers are particularly affected by temperature stress due to their work environments. This start-up company has created feet-friendly construction wearables in the form of soft-heating soles that can be used in shoes and garments. Heating levels can be increased to 200 degrees and help you power through those frigid winter conditions.
MIT - Pressure Sensors
Some dangers on the construction job site may not be easily recognized, and that’s where sensors come into play. MIT has created pressure sensors that weigh the level of contact between feet and shoes to ensure an even reading of data. The insoles with their integrated sensors then use the data readings to calculate the entire force applied by the user’s body weight and carried load on the shoe, and if what you’re picking up is too heavy, it lets you know and you can bring in some backup.
There's also an integrated jacket that employs wearable smart sensor construction techniques to increase the human perception of carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide. It possesses sensors at the top of its sleeves to detect dangerous gases and a sound volume sensor to handle loud on-site noises.
Wearable technology has come a long way to improving working conditions, comfort, awareness, and safety on construction job sites.
For the latest news on construction technologies, subscribe to CONEXPO-CON/AGG 365.
