2 years ago, an under construction pedestrian bridge on Florida International University’s (FIU) campus collapsed onto the open road below, killing 6 people and injuring several more. After a 19 month investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded their investigation late last year, largely placing the blame on the engineer of record’s design. Now, officials are ready to start the process of replacing the bridge.
Read more[WATCH] 8 Power Plant Chimneys Demolished at Same Time is Better than Dominoes
via Demolition News
Power plants are facing demolition all over the world as country’s move away from less environmentally friendly power sources and abandon older facilities. The good news, for us, is that we get some pretty awesome demolition videos out of the shutdowns.
Read moreTriax Releases Hard Hat Tags to Monitor Social Distancing and Contact Trace Amid COVID-19
via Triax
Many construction sites are open after nationwide shelter-in-place orders slowed the industry due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, but it’s still not business as usual. Social distancing efforts still need to be in place, but that can be hard to manage. I have heard stories of at least a few construction site shut downs after a positive test from a worker, causing everyone on site to need to get tested, but wouldn’t it be nice if you could monitor who that person came into contact with?
Read moreThis Printable, Waterproof, Rip Proof, Paper Could Be Perfect for the Jobsite
via TerrSlate
The construction industries method of choice for note taking and filling out paperwork is still, generally speaking, pen and paper. That can pose a problem when trying to fill out paper documents on a jobsite that’s not only dusty, dirty, and muddy, but also when it’s raining. It’s kind of a hassle to bring back a soggy stack of notes to the office and trying to figure out what that big smudge blob. I can’t even count how many times I’ve seen a set of plans with several coffee ring stains on them, as well.
Read moreThe Ultimate Construction Father's Day Gift Guide 2020
Father’s Day 2020 is June 21, so you better get started on gift ideas if you want to impress dad this year. Whether your father is contractor, handyman, or DIYer, we’ve got a lot of great ideas for him this year.
For more more gift ideas, be sure to check out our past Father's Day Gift Guides from 2016, 2017, and 2018, 2019 or our Ultimate Construction Holiday Gift Guides from 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, and 2019.
Read moreMilwaukee Tool Announces MX Fuel, a New Battery Platform for Light Equipment
courtesy of Milwaukee Tool
[updated 5/29/20] Back in June of 2019, Milwaukee hosted its annual New Product Symposium (NPS), a media event featuring hundreds of new products that they planned to release throughout the year and Construction Junkie was in attendance. Just when we thought we were done seeing all of the new tools after several hours of presentations and hands-on time, Milwaukee threw a curveball at us.
Read more[VIDEO] This Robotic Suction Cup on Wheels Can Make Window Glazing Easy
The SMartLift SL1008 Outdoor Glazing Robot, via SmartLift
Suction has been a lifting method of choice for window glaziers and other trades that work with smooth, flat objects for decades. Many of those suction solutions are for manual lifting, but not SmartLift, a robotic glass lifting machine capable of lifting, hoisting, and tilting up to 2,200 pounds of glass.
Read moreAutodesk Construction Cloud Releases New 3rd Party App Integration Platform, ACC Connect
courtesy of Autodesk
As many across the construction industry have figured out, there is no single software that can fully encompass all of a company’s technological needs. According to a recent Construction Technology survey, nearly 75% of companies are integrating data at from at least 1 other software provider, highlighting the need of different software to talk to one another. Without these integrations, you’re forced to manually transfer redundant data from one program to another, wasting time and energy, while also increasing frustrations for your company’s daily users.
Read moreProcore Uses Software Data to Gauge Impact of Coronavirus on Construction
Image via Procore
With many states across the country slowly beginning to re-open amid the Coronavirus Pandemic, it’s been interesting to see how the construction industry has reacted. In the past, it’s been extremely difficult to get a firm grasp at how large sectors of the industry are affected by events, but with the influx of data being poured into relatively new technologies, we can start to gain a much clearer picture.
Read moreHilti Acquires Concrete Sensors, an IoT Concrete Testing Startup
photo courtesy of Hili and Concrete Sencors
The only thing slower than watching paint dry is, well, watching concrete dry. Proper curing of concrete is extremely important, though, for quality and safety reasons. Perhaps equally important is proper testing and documentation of the concrete’s strength over time. In a move to help bolster their digital portfolio, power tool giant Hilti has acquired Concrete Sensors, an internet connected concrete testing startup.
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