A new eye-tracking technology developed by Australian engineers has the potential to not only identify building defects early on during the construction process but also lead to significant cost savings, time, and resource optimization. Embedded in 3D headsets, this tech allows construction workers to conduct more thorough inspections, thereby reducing the 60% of building costs attributed to fixing errors.
The tool combines building information modeling and eye gaze data captured during a standard building inspection; it uses augmented reality headsets that shoot laser beams out of the bottom of the user’s eye to track where they are looking in a 3D model when they perform building inspections. The eye-tracking technology validates the checklist process, ensuring that construction workers are conducting a thorough inspection by matching their eye gaze data against the 3D architectural building model.
With the help of this amazing tool, construction workers can identify essential elements like light switches, taps, cables, or pipes, ensuring that they are the correct ones and are properly installed. However, the eye-tracking data does not replace a checklist but validates it, and defects still need to be manually recorded but the earlier defects are identified, the quicker and cheaper it is to remedy them.
In order to evaluate the tool’s effectiveness, the researchers are working with construction partners on-site over the life cycle of a building project. The project is an example of how researchers are working on applied problems that can help the industry now, rather than in ten or twenty years. The technology indeed has the potential to revolutionize the construction industry by reducing the cost of building construction and shortening timelines.
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