Emerging Trends in Civil Engineering

Emerging Trends in Civil Engineering

Extending our Realities- AR and VR

    Another emerging trend in Civil Engineering and construction is being induced using Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR). AR is essentially about viewing an imaginative world through a lens. The use of AR allows for planning and plotting sites even before breaking ground (for real this time). VR is about creating and accessing the virtual world through immersive technology.

Use of Advanced Materials

    With constant innovation in technology and construction techniques, and the evident climate change and global warming around the world, it is only natural that new materials are being developed. Many of these have already started to be widely adopted across the construction industry.

    One of the best emerging trends in Civil Engineering is the recycling of materials that are hard to dispose of to be used as construction materials. Plastics are being incorporated into roadways and 3D printed projects. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) that is obtained as a by-product of various industrial processes is being injected into concrete during ‘curing’, mixing with other chemicals and forming nanoparticles of limestone imparting to it a great compressive strength.

Machine Interventions - Reducing the ‘workload’

    

    The use of machines such as robots and exoskeletons is another emerging trend in civil engineering. Not only do they resolve mundane tasks with ease, but they also help increase safety and autonomy on-site during construction.

    Exoskeletons are ‘suits’ worn by construction workers on site, to help and/or improve their mobility and workability. Using exoskeletons prevents injuries caused by manually handling things and from hand-arm vibration.

Comparatively, Robots completely remove the need for the involvement of workers in certain tasks. Robots are helpful in automating highly repetitive tasks like brick-laying and tying rebar.

Smart Designs

    The surveys and inquiries are being carried out using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or Drones, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine learning during construction are helping to improve productivity, safety and quality of construction.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is another innovation in civil engineering bringing together a network of structures like smart housing societies that function through detection sensors and energy-efficient methodologies while calculating and analysing their performance for even further improvement in the future. The Data Ecosystem created through such systems is helping in a better demographic and technical analytics of many neighbourhoods.

In today’s day and age, with innovation and technology driving everything and changing at a rapid pace, it becomes crucial to keep up with the latest construction technology and its implication for the industry. The academic curriculum is often outdated or lacks enough exposure to such new technology in civil engineering and other relevant fields.