Bringing safe and efficient new innovative technologies to the industry with a focus on digital transformation

Article contributed by Buildvation

Buildvation is a Brisbane based start-up company focusing on making the mining and construction industries smarter and safer by applying the latest generation computing technologies (Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence). The team has extensive experience in relevant industries (rigger / crane operator, automotive engineering and electronic / software engineering) and are working together to create high technology products that are practical, effective and optimised for the challenging work environments of construction and mining.

The initial focus for Buildvation is creating a portfolio of patented new products initially aimed at the crane industry. They will complement the intuition of experienced riggers (and guess-work of those less experienced!) when depicting loads, especially for the more complex lifting scenarios. In a new approach to lifting safety, Buildvation is in the final stages of developing solutions which will provide the rigger and operator with lift-sensitive information (lift weight, radius, plumb of hook location, percentage of load capacity). Sharing this data with the rigger, where previously only some of this information was available to the crane operator, will now give the immediate crew on the ground another layer of safety and protection. These safety devices have been designed to work with any “luffing-type” cranes, primarily to eliminate the human error associated with “plumbing the hook” before the full weight of the load is lifted.

There are four main products set to launch in the market in 2019 which include:

Rigger Assist

Rigger Assist is a retrofit product which improves the effectiveness of the rigger or dogman by displaying data and recommendations from sensors placed on the crane as well as parameters from the crane computer to ensure the setup of the load is optimised for a quick and clean lift.

A patented small module is attached to the collar on the hook of any luffing type crane.

It uses drone positioning technology and calculations in software to accurately measure the deviation of the hook from the vertical of the boom end, which is an indicator that the load will swing when lifted.

This device uses new radio technology with significantly superior range to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to connect to the display unit, meaning even the highest of tower cranes can be monitored accurately even where there is interference with radio signals (for example around metal scaffolding).

Data-Head Heads-Up Display for Hard Hats

Data-Head is a small patented module that attaches to the brim of the rigger’s hard hat with a heads-up display like that used on top of the range vehicles to display speed or direction on a windshield.

This device gives the rigger a perception of the display data floating in front of them like a hologram in their peripheral vision, whilst still being able to have a full field of vision to focus undistracted on the task at hand and be hands-free.

The module when paired with Rigger Assist, will (in the initial version) give the rigger the relevant data being measured from the hook (deviation from vertical in degrees) and in future versions include cranespecific data (weight of load, radius of hook and percentage of load capacity) as well as a display module available for the operator in the cabin.

Smart Safety Glasses

Smart glasses offer great potential to improve the safety and operational efficiency on-site. However, industrialrated smart glasses available on the market today are unwieldy, expensive and have limited functionality. There is an opportunity to improve the physical as well as functional aspects, so that smart glasses earn their place as ‘must-have’ on-site equipment in the future. The Buildvation Smart Glasses solution has been modelled, refined and developed in-house to address these shortcomings and opportunities for use in the Construction and Mining industries. The Smart Glasses currently under development are designed to be bulletproof to Australia/ NZ safety glasses ratings (and still look good), incorporating technology from smartphones with an embedded computer, hi-res camera, microphone, speaker and a display designed for minimal distraction.

Key to the Smart Glasses solution is the long-range radio support that allows the glasses to be connected

to systems up to a kilometre away. Initially, these will be paired with Rigger Assist, with a future version able to integrate with operational IT systems that might be in a distant office giving the operator access to job sheets, safety specifications and audio/video chat.

An example of a Smart Glasses solution for crane lifting could include support when a junior rigger is in a difficult lift situation, or a specialised lift where the rigger may not have the knowledge of what actions are needed, resulting in a more efficient and safe lifting procedure.

Other safety benefits include the ability to change and amend lift plans, JSAs and safety plans from the field, maximising efficiency with reduction in downtime.

Incidents can also be reviewed through recordings, giving management a greater chance to ensure the same mistakes are not repeated through inexperience.

Operational Crane Tracking

Consistent feedback from crane operators has been the need to have a better understanding of the operational use of cranes out on jobs, for example, the duration of lifts versus idle time. This helps in understanding the efficiency of the fleet, saving on maintenance cycles, improving safety, scheduling efficiency and helping make more informed business decisions.

Current third-party fleet tracking systems provide information about the crane location, speed and other generic vehicle data, but little about lifting and crane-specific data useful to crane operators.

Crane manufacturers are starting to build online systems that report on detailed crane usage using inbuilt telematics available in the more expensive and modern cranes. However, for most operators who have a diverse fleet, these systems aren’t implemented in the same way and are only available on some cranes, making it difficult to provide a fleetwide view of crane operations. Using the technology developed for Rigger Assist, key data is extracted from the crane systems using telematics and software to provide a consistent fleetwide view of the operational use of the cranes. Features include location maps, lifting time and weights, historical reports, alerts and maximum percentage capacity lifted.

For more information or to discuss the opportunities these technologies can bring to your business, please email info@buildvation.com or visit www.buildvation.com