Mobile devices will soon offer 'science fiction' levels of applications
"If we're lucky in a few years you'll be able to view a 3D model in an empty room," says Skanska's Nuzrul Haque
Software on mobile devices will soon be able to provide staff in the construction sector with a ‘science fiction' like ability to see what they're going to build before construction even begins.
That's what Nuzrul Haque, senior IT business partner at construction firm Skanska, said while speaking as part of a panel in a Computing web seminar about mobility and bring-your-own-device (BYOD). The prediction came as Haque discussed the importance of mobility to the construction industry.
"One of the main challenges we have is getting information to a worker," he said during the web seminar, titled ' Mobility: Should you standardise on one platform, or allow unlimited BYOD?', explaining how geography can create a challenge in construction - a challenge that smartphones and tablets can help to overcome.
"It's a much outsourced industry - from two blokes in a van to a large company - the crucial thing is getting them the information to do their job, so why not let them use their own devices," Haque suggested, describing how for Skanska, "BYOD is how we get information to the workers to do their job."
For a construction worker, it's therefore better for them to view a 3D model of what the final design is supposed to look like, rather than having to refer to pages of architectural plans.
Haque suggested that in the not too distant future, it could be possible to use artificial reality tools on a tablet or smartphone and use software to see what a plot should look like when construction is complete.
"If we're lucky in a few years you'll be able to view a 3D model in an empty room, it sounds like science fiction but we're almost there," he said, suggesting that almost all the pieces are in place to make that possible.
"The devices and software are there, it's whether the underlying infrastructure is good enough and that's our main goal," Haque said.
In the video below, taken at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, Nokia unveils a new mobile phone which runs on the Android platform.