Irish engineering firm Mercury has reaffirmed its commitment to innovative technology with the progression of its digital project delivery programme.

The company is currently trialling a number of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Realty (MR) tools.

Where VR fully immerses the user in digital content, MR and VR blend real and virtual objects, enabling the user to interact with both worlds simultaneously.  

AR & MR construction tools are designed to allow the user to overlay the BIM model in the context of the real world facilitating unambiguous visualisation of the project on a 1 to 1 scale.  

This creates a clearer understanding of the project for the site construction team and project stakeholders.   

SiteVision by Trimble is an augmented reality system specifically designed for outdoor use. It leverages high-accuracy Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to automatically position georeferenced.

-- Advertisement --

SiteVision is a handheld device designed for use on outdoor construction sites. It allows the site team to display complex BIM data in-situ. It is ideal at the planning stage when it can display property lines and underground services. As the project progresses, it enables the team to understand spatial relationships and to accurately mitigate structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing clashes. 

Users can accurately measure distances using Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM) create and assign tasks, add notes, capture augmented reality photos, sharing their views with offsite stakeholders for seamless collaboration. The real-time data eradicates the need for interpretation, reducing rework and ensuring quality. 

SiteVision offers benefits to Mercury's construction teams, client teams, and facilities management teams. Mercury can eradicate the need for test holes to locate services by modelling underground services and displaying them using site vision. For the client teams, final client walks can be conducted to show that all underground services have been installed as per design. Maintenance teams can overlay the model on-site enabling them to locate services behind false ceilings.  

The Extended Reality and Remote Technology (XR & RT) programme forms part of Mercury's Beyond50 strategy, as part of the 'Digital Edge' pillar. Digital Edge aims to ensure that Mercury's frontline people have the right technology to enable them to deliver real value to clients, pushing digital construction to the edge.