HoloLens trialled for construction inspection

Engineers at the University of Cambridge has begun trials with Microsoft’s mixed reality technology to inspect construction sites without being physically present.

Engineers at the University of Cambridge have started initial trials to see if construction engineers could use Microsoft’s HoloLens mixed reality technology to spot potentially dangerous cracks in bridges without having to physically visit the site.

Using this technology could be cheaper and quicker than sending an inspector to visit a site, while also being able to enhance certain parts of bridges for more accurate conclusions. This could mean fewer large-scale repairs, keeping bridges open for longer, and cutting traffic delays and congestion.

Workers required at the location take pictures of the structure using digital single-lens reflex cameras, before uploading them to a cloud service, such as Microsoft Azure. Safety experts could then view those images that have been stitched together, zoom in and out of the bridge, rotate and ‘walk’ around it from anywhere in the world using HoloLens.

The trials are part of a collaboration between the University of Cambridge’s Construction Information Technology (CIT) Laboratory and Trimble, a California-based company that provides technology for the construction, geospatial, agriculture and transportation industries.

Dr Ioannis Brilakis, director of CIT Laboratory at the university, said: “The construction sector is undergoing rapid transformation as a result of the revolution in digital engineering. The university has a wide portfolio of research projects which aim to solve problems in the construction sector.”

Engineers at the university have also considered whether HoloLens could be used to enable building companies to keep track of work while constructing homes and offices, and if the device can assist manufacturers by cutting down on the need to regularly refer to blueprints.

Rather than place users in a fully isolated computer-generated world, as virtual reality does, HoloLens showcases mixed reality, allowing the wearer to put 3D digital models in the physical space. The device is self-contained and does not require a connection to a phone or PC, allowing users to walk around the objects they create and interact with them using gestures, gaze and voice.

HoloLens has previously been used by NASA to recreate Mars in its offices, allowing scientists to virtually conduct operations on the planet.