School of PE Blog

Technology is always evolving and advancing to better enhance productivity. Safety and productivity are extremely important in the engineering industry as engineers are equipped with the responsibility to keep everyone safe. As we approach the end of the decade, there are many new technologies emerging within the engineering field.

Interested in what is currently being introduced into the field for PE Civil engineers? Check out a few of our favorite emerging technologies below:

1. Drones

What is that in the sky? Is it a bird? A plane? Neither! It's a drone! Drones have emerged throughout the past few years as not only a leisure device but also have made their way into engineering and surveying projects. Drones can be used to survey a construction site, send images of nearly inaccessible points on a structure, and improve overall job-site safety.ⁱ

2. Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality (AR) has become increasingly popular in many fields and has made its way into the engineering field. Construction sites are an example of where AR can be implemented into modern-day engineering practices. Engineers who work in construction can scale a 3D model of the structure that is being built by using the technology, therefore improving awareness of the overall design. AR can also significantly improve site safety, increase overall profitability of a project, and give engineers the ability to effortlessly record building defects.ⁱⁱ

3. Brick-Laying Robots

As the robotics industry continually advances, those in the construction industry can take a breather, as robots can soon take over the time-consuming repetitive tasks such as brick-laying. Of course, the robots would need supervision to make sure nothing goes wrong, but this advancement of technology is a big step forward for the construction industry.ⁱⁱⁱ

4. 3D Printing

3D printing has been increasing in popularity throughout the last few years. For construction projects, 3D printing is starting to be used to build large structures such as buildings and bridges. As of now, the technology has allowed small residential houses and small office buildings to be constructed. A small pedestrian bridge was constructed in Spain in 2016 using 3D printing.ⁱⁱⁱ

5. Freezing Steel

Exposing steel to extremely low temperatures (below −190 ^°C (−310 ^°F)), also known as cryogenic treatment, has emerged as a new strategy in improving steel durability. Exposing steel to extremely low temperatures is carried out by using liquid nitrogen. Cryogenic treatment can improve deterioration resistance and can also help eliminate any pre-existing residual stresses.^iv

With this exciting engineering technology emerging, now is a great time to go into the civil engineering field. To make the process of becoming a licensed civil engineer as smooth and as stress free as possible, School of PE offers an 84-hour PE Civil exam review course, which covers both the breadth and depth portions of the exam. Past PE Civil students have had great success with School of PE, as 90% of PE Civil students passed their exam in October 2017.

What are you waiting for? Begin preparing for the PE Civil exam today!

Prepare, Practice, Pass

It's that easy!

References

i Dillow, C. The Construction Industry Is in Love with Drones. Retrieved from

http://fortune.com/2016/09/13/ commercial-drone-construction-industry/

ii Woyke, E. Augmented Reality Could Speed Up Construction Projects. Retrieved from

https://www.technologyreview.com /s/602124/ augmented-reality-could speed-up-construction-projects/

iii 10 Construction Trends Shaping the Industry in 2016 and Beyond. Retrieved from

https:// www.forconstructionpros.com / business/article/12162200/10 construction-trends-shaping the-industry-in-2016-and-beyond

iv Slatter, Tom & Thornton, R. (2016). Cryogenic Treatment of Engineering Materials. Reference Module in Materials Science and Materials Engineering. 10.1016/B978-0-12-803581-8.09165-7.