BLACKSBURG, Va. – Construction workers in the United States have been dying on the job at a rate of more than 1,000 per year since 2016, according to the Center for Construction Research and Training. Virginia Tech researchers and industry partners are working to change that.
During Construction Safety Week, Virginia Tech hosted a demonstration outside Bishop-Favrao Hall on its Blacksburg campus, where researchers and business partners showcased technologies — including virtual reality, robots, and drones — designed to better prepare workers before they ever set foot on a job site.
A robot named Spot
One of the most popular technologies on display was Spot, a robot made by Boston Dynamics. HITT Contracting brought Spot to show how it can reduce risk in dangerous areas.
“In some of these high-risk areas where we can eliminate people from doing any kind of observation or being within the scene, we can introduce this robot,” said Alan Sanchez, Field Robotics Engineer at HITT Contracting. “It could traverse, have the onboarding system sensors in order to assess really if it’s safe or not for someone to be there.”
Spot can also identify structural problems before they become hazards on the job site. Rachel Gertler, Robotics Operations Specialist at HITT Contracting, explained how the robot uses a programmed model to flag issues early.
“There was a beam that was supposed to be here, because I have the model programmed in my computer, and it can kind of see ahead of time problems that can snowball later on,” Gertler said.
Students train in virtual reality
Virginia Tech’s Safety Center is also using virtual reality to train the next generation of construction workers. Nazila Roofigari-Esfahan, Associate Director of the Safety Center, said the program exposes students to real-world hazards in a controlled environment before they ever reach a job site.
“Construction is one of the most hazardous industries we have in the U.S. and around the world,” Roofigari-Esfahan said. “It is important to prep our workers before they set foot in a construction job site so they are ready to recognize hazards.”
The VR program offers two levels of immersion — individual headset experiences and a full-room environment on campus called “the cave,” where an entire class can train together simultaneously.
“Not only are they in the same environment, they have the possibility to talk together,” Roofigari-Esfahan said. “The collaboration, and the hazards that they help each other recognize, or the discussions they have, are fascinating to me.”
The scenarios students encounter are not generic simulations — they come directly from industry partners who deal with those problems every day.
“They are facing workers being hit by traffic, they are facing workers falling off ladders because they’re not using the right procedures,” Roofigari-Esfahan said.
More technology on the horizon
Other technologies on display at the event included drones and a helmet capable of sensing incoming hazards. Virginia Tech’s helmet lab has also begun designing construction helmets for the first time.