Pickens Technical College’s Construction Technology Pathway: Construction Drones Emerging

A large part of Pickens Technical College’s Construction Technology pathway is emerging technology and how it fits with traditional construction theory and practices. Now, more than ever, technological advancement is rapidly changing how job sites are run and construction projects are completed. Pickens Construction Tech instructors John Matthews and Greg Shamburg use a combination of their experience and ongoing knowledge of the construction industry as it evolves to inform and prepare their students for a long career in this field. 

One emerging technology that has shaken up the construction industry in the United States is the use of drones. Simply by giving contractors a better, fully optimized, and customized view of the job site, these drones have changed many practices once considered ubiquitous and standard in the construction industry, leading to new standards of precision and safety on the job site.

A New Go-To Tool

Construction drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are becoming much more popular in the field for many reasons. They can be fully or partially autonomous and are usually piloted remotely by a worker on the ground. The drone gives the construction crews data that they couldn’t acquire before. They give contractors a bird’s eye view of the site and everything it contains, from materials to machinery to people. Contractors are using the technology to record images and videos that assist them in optimizing grading plans, operations, and finding minute differences between how a job site was designed and how it was built.

Construction experts are calling drones a go-to tool that contractors can use to improve their data and understand exactly where they are in a project. They give construction crews real-time information, which is becoming increasingly important, to make small adjustments on the fly. Crunching the numbers has never been more important in construction technology. 

In addition to giving contractors a better view of their job sites, drones can also be outfitted to improve job site communication, volumetric analysis, grade verification, historical documentation, and overlay design documents with work for visual verification. These operations were much more difficult only a few years ago. 

Where Do Drones Leave You?

The advent of drone technology in the construction field will require you to learn how to use these devices and how to use the data they give you. Moving with the times and utilizing new technology is part of being a successful construction worker, so understanding how drones and other new technology is and will continue to be part of the job moving forward. 

At Pickens, you’ll not only learn how to be successful on job sites and move ahead in your company, but you’ll also learn how new technology like drones is constantly affecting the entire construction industry at once. With a heavier emphasis on technology and data than ever before, and the need for precise, real-time data rising, drone technology will soon become the norm on job sites around the world. By signing up for the Pickens Construction Technology program, you’ll be at the forefront of new and exciting construction concepts as they mature.