How Apple Vision Pro Can Affect Construction Industry

Apple announced the Apple Vision Pro, and it is a game changer. But will it affect the construction industry? I believe it will have an impact, and here are some of the ways I believe Apple Vision Pro will impact the construction industry. 

What is the Apple Vision Pro?

Whenever something new comes from Apple, it is usually groundbreaking and disturbs the industry. This time, Apple did it with augmented reality (AR) headsets.  Apple Vision Pro looks very similar to virtual reality (VR) goggles; most of us are familiar with them. They are bulky and heavy, and they are left on the shelf after a couple of uses. Apple has now redesigned the AR headset so completely that there is nothing left of the standard VR goggles. It is sleek, light, and unique, as Apple always does with its products.

It sees everything around you

The best thing about Apple Vision Pro is that you can still see with the goggles what is around you. With typical VR headsets, you can’t see anything around you, and you feel isolated. With them, it is dangerous to walk around the site, but not with Apple Vision Pro. I believe that with such goggles, it will be possible to walk around the construction site, and in case of danger, it will sense them first and send you an alert. Theoretically, based on what we saw in the Apple presentation, this could be possible.  

AR in construction 

AR isn’t new to the construction industry. In fact, there are many startups that are creating products with AR. For example, XYZreality. While for Apple, all the electronics and chips are in goggles. With XYZreality, it is different. All the chips are installed in the helmet. On construction sites, we need helmets. This company uses the helmet as an advantage to store all the chips and computers. 

BIM with AR

AR will finally kickstart BIM. BIM has been around for two decades, but it is expensive, and not every site wants to use it. With AR, I believe it will be different. People will be able to wear AR glasses and see instantly where the pipes should go on the site, whether something is missing or not. It will now make much more sense to use BIM than ever before. 

Less rework with AR

The use of AR will reduce reworks significantly. Once the project has been drawn with BIM, workers will be able to wear AR glasses and see how everything should be installed step by step. This will significantly reduce refunds. Imagine you enter a construction site, and you can rewind or forward through the construction process and see how everything should be executed. 

Live camera in AR

Usually, AR goggles come with a camera. Because of that feature, anyone from the office will be able to connect with that camera and help solve issues that arise on site. This feature will significantly improve collaboration between the site and the office. The worker or site manager will be able to keep working while receiving assistance from the office. 

Scheduling

Clients and contractors will be able to upload their schedules and plans in the BIM model, and they will be able to see the progress of the project. They will be able to foresee whether there are any collisions on the schedule. 

Is AR a game changer?

The construction industry has been lacking in productivity for decades. I believe that AR could be a game-changer in the construction industry. AR has been around for the past few years, but Apple will for sure kickstart the AR industry, and time will only tell how.  For sure, the biggest winner will be BIM. More construction sites will adopt BIM. 

Author – Emil Berzins. Follow me on