Meet the HumanTech team: Fernando Sigchos Jiménez, moved by his passion for improving construction for a safer and greener future
The European Builders Confederation (EBC) represents the construction small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and crafts at the EU level. We have spoken to Fernando Sigchos Jiménez, its Secretary General, to learn more about his motivation for creating a better construction industry and his aim to make a positive impact in the sector through HumanTech.
"The EBC team looks forward to engaging further with our HumanTech partners and all stakeholders interested in how to deliver a safer and more sustainable construction sector, as this is the way forward for such a pivotal sector for the European Union."
Previously in charge of EU projects and communication, and before that of social affairs, he has spent the last decade representing, defending, and promoting the vision of small companies in the construction sector.
Read our interview with him:
Q: Fernando, what drives you at a personal and professional level?
A: In Europe, there is a growing pressure for environmental and social sustainability, with digitalisation as a key factor in achieving them. These societal challenges motivate me as a person, a European citizen and a specialist in European affairs and construction.
A political scientist by education, with construction, I was caught up in the willingness of a sector to evolve, adapt and face up to its responsibilities to keep contributing to society, the economy and the environmental efforts in the European Union — despite being perceived as male-dominated, facing heavy and dangerous tasks, handling a difficult working environment, or being considered unattractive to young people. To change this image and showcase the sector's evolution motivates me to chip in.
"In Europe, there is a growing pressure for environmental and social sustainability, with digitalisation as a key factor in achieving them. These societal challenges motivate me as a person, a European citizen and a specialist in European affairs and construction."
Q: Construction is indeed a sector that faces great challenges and where much remains to be done to achieve necessary improvements in terms of safety, diversity, sustainability and efficiency. How fortunate we are that your motivation drives the change we want to see and that we are working together to achieve it!
Now, tell us about your organisation, the European Builders Confederation. What is your focus and what have you set out to achieve?
A: EBC is the voice of the most down-to-earth actor in the construction sector. Those who put their hands to work to ensure that European citizens have quality homes, buildings, and infrastructure. EBC represents the national associations of SMEs and craftsmen in the construction sector, which are important active actors for local, regional, national and European economic activity.
Always open to optimising the way they work, construction SMEs are aware of their strategic role in efforts to decarbonise the built environment, to improve the health and safety of their workers or to achieve inclusive digitalisation in the European society, and are therefore interested in initiatives and projects that allow them to do more in these fields.
"Construction SMEs are aware of their strategic role in efforts to decarbonise the built environment, to improve the health and safety of their workers or to achieve inclusive digitalisation."
Q: Now, let us know about EBC’s role at HumanTech. What activities are you working on?
A: By bringing the approach and perspective of construction SMEs and crafts to the consortium, at EBC we aim to bridge the manifest gap between the fast-paced development of innovation and the real uptake of technology by the overwhelming majority of small companies in construction.
Our role in European projects is mainly to provide a reality check. Does the innovation in design or development bring real added value to small construction companies? Is it technically and financially accessible? Is it presented suitably to trigger interest?
We are excited to help the HumanTech team answer these questions by also being involved in the usability assessment of the technologies, promoting awareness and developing new approaches to training for the upskilling of the current and future workforce.
"At EBC, we aim to bridge the manifest gap between the fast-paced development of innovation and the real uptake of technology by the overwhelming majority of small companies in construction."
Q: Your role is essential to ensure that the technologies we are developing best suit the needs of the sector’s companies and their workers. What is the positive impact you hope to generate through our project?
A: The health and safety of construction workers is paramount. So is attracting new talent to meet the sector’s environmental, social, and economic demands and ambitions. Taking the time to see how the sector's digitalisation can address both needs is very important.
We consider HumanTech proactively addresses these issues. Its final findings will be taken as a reasoned consideration of how to maintain a human-centred approach in a sector that is set to evolve digitally and environmentally. In this sense, the nascent technologies put forward in the context of HumanTech could lead to a significantly improved work environment at construction sites once mainstreamed and upscaled.
"The nascent technologies put forward in the context of HumanTech could lead to a significantly improved work environment at construction sites once mainstreamed and upscaled."
Q: We hope so! And can’t wait to see more of our advances towards creating a safer, greener, more efficient industry — attractive to a younger generation of skilled workers.
What about the milestones you hope to achieve?
A: Endeavouring towards bridging that gap between innovation and SMEs in the construction sector, EBC's involvement in HumanTech will mainly consist of providing critical feedback on the usability of technology, defining an SME-friendly training programme and appropriate communication.
As the technical developments of HumanTech become more mature, EBC will play a significant role in the objectives of training, marketing, and sharing information on this innovation with construction SMEs, all actors in the construction value chain and policymakers.
Q: We are really looking forward to it! Beyond HumanTech, what do you think are the keys to achieving greater sustainability in the sector?
A: In the context of the EU’s flagship strategy for climate neutrality, the European Green Deal, all sectors have a role to play towards achieving this goal by mid-century. Construction is no exception, and this constitutes a major challenge and a very ambitious target objective for the entire ecosystem. More effort is needed to achieve a climate-neutral building stock. However, this is a collective, collaborative exercise along the entire construction value chain, without which a real transition or paradigm shift will not be achieved.
Given their omnipresence in the sector, one of the keys will be to embark on SMEs in this green and digital transition. SMEs need time to adapt but are fully aware and already engaged in a path towards more sustainable use of resources out of ecological awareness, social responsibility, and economic necessity.
"More effort is needed to achieve a climate-neutral building stock. However, this is a collective, collaborative exercise along the entire construction value chain."
Q: And how do you think the human-centred technologies we are developing will contribute to creating a safer and greener construction industry?
A: The increasing digitalisation of professional activities in construction shows that there is a real potential for improvement, especially in complex but important areas like health and safety, energy performance or optimal use of resources.
By keeping people at the centre of innovation, we enhance the knowledge of SMEs and their entrepreneurs and workers, thus having a better chance of providing them with tools, methods or ideas that can make their work easier in many ways. Artisans, craftsmen, and SMEs place human capital at the heart of their activity, making them great partners for integrating accessible human-centred technologies in the construction process.
Q: How do you think technology will evolve in the construction sector? What impact will it have in the coming years?
A: The sector is still one of the least digitised sectors, so the potential for improvement is there. In EBC, we consider the sector's digitalisation as an enabler, not a goal. For us, the human component remains fundamental in current and future construction, whatever its form.
Technology is likely to play an increasingly important role in relieving repetitive and heavy tasks, improving communication between professionals on site, and better anticipating and monitoring the life cycle of a building. We need to continue investigating how to develop tools that bring real added value to the daily activities of the sector's professionals and work towards bridging the gap between innovation and its uptake and application on the ground.
"We need to continue investigating how to develop tools that bring real added value to the daily activities of the sector's professionals and work towards bridging the gap between innovation and its uptake and application on the ground."
Q: Ambitious projects are developing innovative technology solutions and making a difference in the construction sector. Do you know of any that have inspired you?
A: I sense a growing political interest in buildings, with better availability of funds for projects impacting the construction sector.
During my time as EBC's Projects and Communications Manager, one project that particularly stood out for me was BIM4Ren. If its ambition to develop BIM tools to contribute to the energy renovation of buildings was already interesting, the commitment to make these tools easy to use and accessible in terms of training and financing for construction SMEs particularly impressed me. Often, the lack of consideration for the daily activity of small companies in construction, which struggle to cope with the impact of geopolitical and economic crises, which face a demand with limited human and financial means, which suffer from stereotypes and a lack of attractiveness, makes many initiatives disconnected from the reality to which they claim to contribute.
Apart from Fernando, his colleagues Elena Maria Petrich, Projects and Communication Officer, Jordi Calatayud, EU Projects Officer, and Spyros Mathioudakis, Policy Officer, are also part of our HumanTech team. Learn more about their work.
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Building the future: The benefits HumanTech technologies bring to construction workers
We are developing human-centred technology solutions that will facilitate the work of construction professionals — creating a safer, greener, more efficient and rewarding working environment. From robots with vision and intelligence to exoskeletons for workers' protection and support, we are building the construction industry's future, vital to European and global economic development. Find out how our HumanTech technologies will positively impact construction workers day to day.
The construction sector is an essential part of the European economy. It includes various activities related to designing, constructing, and maintaining buildings, infrastructure, and other structures.
According to data from the European Union's (EU) Commission Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, it accounted for 9% of the EU’s GDP and "employed around 18.7 million people, representing 7.3% of total employment. The industry includes large construction companies and many small and medium-sized enterprises."
The construction sector is a crucial economic growth and employment driver in many EU member states. In addition, it contributes to the development of infrastructure, including transportation, energy, and telecommunications networks, which are critical for the functioning of modern economies.
However, the industry faces challenges, including reducing its environmental impact, improving safety standards, and addressing skills shortages. The EU has implemented several policies and initiatives to support the development of a sustainable and competitive construction sector, such as the European Green Deal and the Horizon Europe research and innovation program.
In this blog post, the first of our #HumanTechBenefits series, we analyse the benefits our HumanTech technologies will bring to construction workers.
Solutions provided by HumanTech
At HumanTech, we are dedicated to developing innovative, human-centred technologies that go beyond the current state of the art. With them, we strive to contribute to the digitalisation of the construction industry, making it safer, more productive and attractive to a new generation of highly skilled professionals, and accelerate the sector's green transition.
Our solutions will have a major positive impact on construction and bring great improvements for its workers.
Collaborative and interactive robotics
As a vital part of automated production lines, physical barriers typically isolate robotic systems, and workers are not allowed to be around. However, a new concept of collaborative robots (cobots) is safer for workers to be around during operation. They often have integrated mechanisms for safe stops when a collision is detected before severe damage is done to a worker or property.
Multiple tasks — monotonous, dangerous or little productive (e.g. transportation of materials from one place to another) — can be done with interactive robots.
What are the benefits of the HumanTech cobots?
This technology allows workers and robots to execute tasks together. It is also highly accepted by the industry and its workers and has great flexibility in dynamic environments. However, cobots still require significant advanced training to operate, and robot programming time can be a bottleneck for efficiency.
The development of intuitive communication channels (such as speech or gestures) between robots and workers can significantly contribute to the efficient deployment of cobots in construction sites.
Robotic technology can contribute to
- the execution of supporting tasks (e.g., brick hand-over), allowing the worker to concentrate on core-competence ones,
- carrying out physically demanding tasks (e.g., moving heavy loads),
- and fulfilling time-consuming, repetitive tasks (e.g., material handling).
Collaborative and interactive robotics allows workers to
- safely work close to robots,
- use ordinary language and intuitive gestures to give robots simple commands (no advanced robotic training is required),
- understand the robot's behaviour and be comfortable working with them.
Exoskeleton technologies
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are a leading cause of injury among construction workers (its rate in construction is 16% higher than in all industries combined). In their occurrence, several risk factors are involved related to the task and the organisation of work: manual handling of loads, forced static or dynamic postures, repetitive movements, etc. For example, constructing a brick wall is a repetitive procedure in which part of the work is carried out in awkward postures when done over shoulder height (the shoulders and elbows are the main affected body areas).
Exoskeletons are wearable machines powered by electricity or human motion, used to amplify or transform workers' movements to improve their efficiency and productivity, and increase their safety. In recent years, they have been proposed to solve all the problems associated with WMSDs.
Lightweight, integrated body sensors in exoskeleton solutions can help construction workers in:
- Carrying heavy material or lifting intelligently while the body sensors can warn them about straining or having harmful poses during tasks
- Avoiding muscle-skeletal disorders due to repetitive movements
What are the benefits of the HumanTech exoskeleton?
The exoskeleton would assist wearers in their tasks by:
- Reducing the muscular activity of the assisted areas
- Preventing from adopting risk postures without impeding other movements involved in the tasks. In fact, the exoskeleton anticipates and adapts to the user's needs in each task, and it gets out of the way when it is not needed.
eXtended Reality technologies
Extended reality (XR) is an umbrella term for various immersive technologies. These currently include Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR), which are defined by the level of interaction between the virtual and real world they offer.
According to XR Today, XR blends the real and virtual landscapes "with digital overlays that interact in real-time with real-life objects. This, combined with cutting-edge hand and eye tracking, combine real-time 3D (RT3D) content with a person’s field of view (FoV)."
In recent years, this technology has seen a huge growth in adoption in more and more sectors, from medicine to training, marketing and entertainment. Moreover, it offers the opportunity to revolutionise construction by enabling better decision-making, efficient use of resources and cost savings, fostering collaboration between different teams working on a project and improving overall safety and performance in the workplace.
What are the benefits of the HumanTech XR technologies?
In HumanTech, we will use XR technology for i) Visualisation, ii) Interaction with 3D models and iii) Training of workers in safe and remote environments.
It will allow construction workers to benefit from
- Live visualisation of BIM data over actual buildings
- Guidance and safety alerts to avoid errors
- Effective decision making
Through our innovative solutions, we aim to empower construction workers and engineers, enhance their skills and productivity, and drive the industry towards a safer, more sustainable future.
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Meet the HumanTech team: Patrick and Sebastian, questioning construction’s status quo
Curious to know what the team at Implenia, Switzerland’s leading construction and real estate service provider, does at HumanTech? We have spoken with Patrick Roth, Project Manager of New Business Models & Innovation, and Sebastian Mattes, BIM & Reality Capturing Specialist, two members of Implenia’s extended innovation community.
They tell us about their roles and objectives at HumanTech, their mission at Implenia, the positive impact they hope to generate through the project, and the next milestones they hope to achieve. They also reflect on the importance of innovation and sustainability in construction and how our technologies contribute to creating a safer and greener construction industry.
"As part of the extended innovation community at Implenia, Sebastian and I are two of many active employees who constantly try to question the status quo of how the industry plans and builds", Patrick Roth.
Dive into our exciting conversation to learn more!
Q: Tell us about yourselves. What is your professional focus nowadays?
Patrick: As part of the extended innovation community at Implenia, Sebastian and I are two of many active employees who constantly try to question the status quo of how the industry plans and builds. Here we are not only looking into new products and technology, but also developing new services and business models. While Sebastian has a strong focus on all the opportunities that come with the digitalisation of our processes and the opportunities that arise there, I focus on new services and business models in the public infrastructure sector as well as how we manage all of our various innovation topics within the division Civil Engineering.
Q: And about Implenia, what is your mission, and what goals do you hope to achieve?
Patrick: Our mission is to develop real estate sustainably with and for people, and to construct buildings and infrastructure to meet their needs for modern living, working and travelling. Implenia recently completed its successful transformation and now focuses on integrated construction and real estate services in Switzerland and Germany and offers tunnelling and related infrastructure projects in other markets. With innovation as one of our four strategic priorities, Implenia implements innovative solutions that bring sustainable added value to our clients, and develops and deploys services, products and methods to ensure that construction has a sustainable and economically viable future. Furthermore, with sustainability as one of our five core values, we are creating a future worth living for everyone. Our achievements and efforts in sustainability can be read in Implenia's latest Sustainability Report from April 2023.
"With innovation as one of our four strategic priorities, Implenia implements innovative solutions that bring sustainable added value to our clients, and develops and deploys services, products and methods to ensure that construction has a sustainable and economically viable future", Patrick Roth.
Q: Highly ambitious but urgently needed targets to accelerate the sustainable transformation of the industry — making it better for people and planet.
In particular, what are your roles and objectives at HumanTech?
Patrick: We represent the end user's point of view. As Switzerland's leading construction and real estate service provider, we bring a great deal of experience in the development, planning and execution of large and complex projects to HumanTech. In addition, we support defining the use cases and requirements for the solutions that will be developed, and we will be in charge of the extensive tests of two of the five use cases in the real environment on the construction site.
Our goal is to ensure that everything developed under the HumanTech project directly benefits our workers’ health and safety and the construction industry in general, and is not just developed from a research point of view.
"Our goal is to ensure that everything developed under the HumanTech project directly benefits our workers’ health and safety and the construction industry in general", Patrick Roth.
Q: A vital aspect of our project, which guides our own mission! And what positive impact do you hope to generate through HumanTech?
Sebastian: We hope to be able to build a bridge between our scientific partners and the construction sites, point out some current challenges on site, and provide a more efficient way of using data (e.g. point clouds, 360-degree images). Also, make our partners understand how construction sites work.
Capturing data may be challenging, but working with it and using its potential is usually more complicated. Our approach is to use existing data or data created with common devices more efficiently. For example, when using 360° cameras for documentation, we would like to use AI for counting material.
The human-robot collaboration is a really promising approach. There, we detect two general use cases: first, to protect human workers from heavy loads or unhealthy working positions, and second, robots can jump in as 'experts' for a specific task (for example, autonomous bridge inspection).
Overall, we see potential in the HumanTech technologies to bring new opportunities in the three main industry trends: digitalisation, sustainability and industrialisation.
"We see potential in the HumanTech technologies to bring new opportunities in the three main industry trends: digitalisation, sustainability and industrialisation", Sebastian Mattes.
Q: We are excited to see how these impactful results materialise and hope to be able to share our progress with the broader public soon! What is the next milestone you hope to achieve?
Patrick: We are getting closer to finalising the use case scenarios, which will be a milestone as the technology providers can start developing solutions. We look forward to seeing the first test run of the developed technology at one of our construction sites.
Q: Regarding the need to build a greener construction industry, do you think it can become net zero? If so, what opportunities and challenges do you see?
Patrick: In view of the climate crisis, the construction and real estate industry, as any other industry, must move towards net zero as quickly as possible. In the future, special attention must be paid to embodied carbon caused by materials and processes. The challenge will be reconciling technical innovations in low-carbon materials with building standards and simultaneously providing a long-term business case.
Q: And about the human-centred technologies we are developing, how do they contribute to creating a safer and greener construction industry?
Patrick: There are several aspects. Wearable technologies, for example, can monitor workers' health and safety in real-time, alerting them to potential hazards and providing vital information to supervisors. This helps reduce the risk of accidents and injuries and ensures that workers work in a safe and healthy environment. The same holds for automated and robotic solutions, which can be used to perform repetitive or dangerous tasks, enabling workers to focus on more complex and significant ones.
On the other hand, using BIM and new digital solutions enables construction companies to design and plan projects more efficiently, reduces the need for rework, and ensures that projects are completed within budget and on time. This benefits workers and reduces waste and environmental impact.
"Our technologies will ensure construction workers work in a safe and healthy environment while enabling them to focus on more complex and significant tasks, reducing waste and environmental impact", Patrick Roth.
Q: How will technology evolve in the construction sector over the next decade? What impact do you think the associated changes will have?
Patrick: Technology will evolve rapidly in the construction sector over the following years. The increasing data availability resulting from digital planning and engineering will pave new ways for automation, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality. This will lead to entirely new solutions that will help our field workers do their jobs healthier and safer, more accurately and in less time.
Q: Ambitious projects are developing innovative technology solutions and making a difference in the construction sector. Are there any that have inspired you?
Patrick: Implenia is constantly working with innovative startups and partners to accelerate the development of innovative technologies in the construction and real estate sectors. The Implenia Innovation Hub has developed an extensive ecosystem of startups/scaleups, research institutes & universities, industry partners, and other market participants with which we continuously ideate and do pilots to validate new solutions that help shape a more efficient, sustainable and industrialised construction world.
"Implenia is constantly working with innovative startups and partners to accelerate the development of innovative technologies in the construction and real estate sectors", Patrick Roth.
Q: Any final words to end on?
Patrick: We always highlight the importance of understanding the actual needs of the end users and testing new solutions in the real environment. It’s not enough to develop new technology or business models in a laboratory environment. Innovators need to get to the action, talk to the experts and ideally experience the needs hands-on. And then, as our Head Division Specialties, Anita Eckardt, always says: Fail fast… As soon as you have a first solution, an MVP, test it in the real environment, and improve, pivot, or cancel your solution as quickly as possible.
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Meet the HumanTech team: Arantxa Renteria, advancing robotics for safer and greener construction
Introducing Arantxa Renteria, a robotics expert and leader of the TECNALIA team within HumanTech. With a passion for improving human-robot collaboration, Arantxa aims to transform construction workplaces, ensuring workers' health and safety.
As part of TECNALIA, an organisation focused on generating impact through technology, Arantxa and her team are developing innovative solutions such as exoskeletons and teleoperated robots to support workers and create safer and greener construction environments.
Q: Tell us, Arantxa, what do you do for a living, and what is TECNALIA's focus?
A: I have been working in robotics from the beginning of my career. Firstly, with projects related to the automation of industrial processes. Now, I am more involved with issues regarding the interaction between humans and robots, considering not only process-related parameters but also consequences on the ethical and social sides.
In TECNALIA, we help companies to be more competitive and generate wealth and employment. We develop customised research, development (R&D) and innovation projects with a single aim: to generate impact on businesses through technology.
Q: And what is your role at HumanTech?
A: I manage the TECNALIA team, professionals working on exoskeletons, robotic teleoperation and learning robots, and methodologies to analyse human factors. They are very different technologies, but we aim to integrate them to achieve a valuable solution for workers in construction environments.
Q: Sounds very exciting! We look forward to learning more about the technological advances we are working on. In particular, what is the positive impact you hope to create through HumanTech?
A: We are concerned about developing healthy environments that preserve and improve people's health and quality of life. That is why we are focusing our technological activity on transforming workplaces in the construction sector.
"We are concerned about developing healthy environments that preserve and improve people's health and quality of life. That's why we focus our technological activity on transforming workplaces in construction."
Q: That's right. Improving construction workers' health and safety conditions is critical and urgent, and we hope to contribute to it from HumanTech. What milestones do you hope to achieve?
A: Our team aims to develop robotic devices (exoskeleton and teleoperated robot), able to support workers (exo) and operate autonomously and safely (robot) in highly unstructured environments, collaborating with humans in a non-intrusive way.
"We aim to develop robotic devices (exoskeleton and teleoperated robot), able to support workers (exo) and operate autonomously and safely (robot) in highly unstructured environments, collaborating with humans in a non-intrusive way."
Q: Amazing! Beyond HumanTech, what's your opinion on the sustainability challenge in construction?
A: Current construction and material consumption patterns are unsustainable to maintain economic prosperity and the well-being of future generations. Therefore, a paradigm shift in production/construction systems and societal consumption patterns is needed. For this, it is key to introduce circularity into construction systems, optimising the use of raw materials, materials, products/services and energy.
"Current construction and material consumption patterns are unsustainable to maintain economic prosperity and the well-being of future generations. We need a paradigm shift in production/construction systems and societal consumption patterns."
Q: And how do you think the technologies we are developing contribute to creating a safer and greener construction industry?
A: Our technologies (wearable devices and robotics) will ensure workplace safety, reduce injuries and job losses, and increase productivity.
In particular, we work on:
- Introducing new wearable devices, equipment and systems for the prevention of musculoskeletal trauma and other occupational risks for workers and for predicting potential risks and improvements in the workplace.
- HF & UX (Human Factors & User Experience), data analytics, exoskeleton usability, and smart exoskeletons tailored to each person and each application.
"Our technologies will ensure workplace safety, reduce injuries and job losses, and increase productivity."
Q: Finally, what do you think about technology's impact on the construction sector over the next decade?
A: The future economy in Europe will be based on a new industrial basis — green and digital — and this fact also applies to construction. We need competitive companies, which means innovative companies. The construction industry is labour-intensive, which is why Europe really needs to adopt an ecosystem approach to boosting knowledge co-creation and the construction sector's access to technology.
"The construction industry is labour-intensive. Europe needs to adopt an ecosystem approach to boosting knowledge co-creation and the construction sector's access to technology."
The scaling-up of technology entails making the new solutions work effectively in complex contexts, such as the construction environment. Therefore, running pilot projects is crucial to test and demonstrate the effectiveness of technological solutions in situ so that market access will be granted, thus bridging the gap between the application-ready product and its scale implementation.
Q: Where can we learn more about your work?
A: In our websites dedicated to robotics, automation, and mechatronic control and exoskeletons without frontiers and crutches.
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Meet the HumanTech team: Rachele A. Bernardello, pioneering innovation in construction and engineering
Meet the inspiring Rachele A. Bernardello, a building engineer and research fellow in semantic and digital model process at the University of Padova. She co-leads the LIM.lab Laboratory of Information Modeling and is driven by a strong desire to make a positive impact and advance knowledge and innovation in her field.
"I am driven to continually improve myself and my surroundings, support people and good ideas, and I believe that by striving to do my best, I can positively impact those around me."
In this interview, Rachele tells us about her role at HumanTech, where she is involved in openBIM standardisation and the implementation of sustainable practices in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry.
She shares her vision for generating a positive impact through HumanTech, highlights the importance of integrating new technologies in the building process as a whole, and emphasises the need of preparing the construction workforce to seize the opportunities the future offers.
Q: Rachele, what is your purpose, professionally and personally?
A: As an individual, I am driven to continually improve myself and my surrounding. I am passionate about supporting people and good ideas, and I believe that by striving to do my best, I can positively impact those around me. Professionally, my purpose is to contribute in my field to the advancement of knowledge and innovation.
Q: That is so inspiring! And what is your focus in your current role at your organisation, the University of Padova?
A: At the research group I am part of, we work on research and educational activities, improving best and new practices. We are focusing on four areas:
- Smart geometry
- Interoperable data model for the AEC industry
- Semantic and digital model for historical buildings and infrastructure
Q: Sounds fascinating. Specifically, what do you do at HumanTech?
A: I am involved in the openBIM standardisation process, which aims to establish a uniform approach to information exchange across the organisation's various activities. Furthermore, we aim to ensure these activities can be implemented sustainably within the AEC industry. Specifically, I am currently focused on analysing the workflows of HumanTech tasks to identify the key requirements for effective information exchange.
Q: A key part of our project. You have told us you are driven by your desire to impact the world positively. What is the positive impact you hope to generate through HumanTech? And the milestones you hope to achieve?
"By adopting a holistic approach to BIM, which involves stakeholders from all project lifecycle phases, we can create more comprehensive and effective models that support better decision-making, reduce waste, and increase efficiency."
A: While the construction phase is a critical component of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) process, it is important to prioritise integrating new digital technologies from the outset of a project. By adopting a holistic approach to BIM, which involves stakeholders from all project lifecycle phases, we can create more comprehensive and effective models that support better decision-making, reduce waste, and increase efficiency.
I hope we can have an openBIM workflow of the HumanTech process from a practical point of view that we can implement.
Q: We look forward to learning more about the advances we will make together to improve this industry! On the sector's sustainability, do you think it is possible for it to be net zero?
A: Yes, I think a net zero future is possible for construction. The biggest challenge to achieving it is to support small companies and actors to be part of the AEC transformation process so that the goals can be achieved at many levels.
Q: And how do you think technology evolve in construction over the next decade? What impact do you think the changes it will bring about will have?
A: I think technology will continue to significantly impact the construction sector over the next decade. With the continued development of tools and software for BIM, as well as the increasing use of automation and robotics on construction sites, we can expect to see more efficient and cost-effective construction processes. In addition, virtual and augmented reality technologies are likely to become more prevalent in planning and phases, allowing for more effective collaboration and communication between stakeholders.
"The successful integration of new technologies in construction will require a collaborative effort between industry, academia, and government to ensure that the workforce is adequately trained and prepared for the future."
However, these changes will also have an impact on the workforce. Many jobs in the AEC industry may be automated or require new skills and training to adapt to new technologies. It is important for educational organisations, such as universities, to adapt their programs to help prepare the next generation for these changes. The successful integration of new technologies in the construction sector will require a collaborative effort between industry, academia, and government to ensure that the workforce is adequately trained and prepared for the future.
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Meet the HumanTech team: Anurag Bansal, confident that our HumanTech technologies will improve construction safety and productivity
We have had the pleasure of meeting Anurag Bansal, Innovation Manager at ACCIONA's Construction Technology Center. Passionate about technology intelligence, open innovation, and result exploitation, with a very extensive and exciting background.
"We foresee our HumanTech technologies to improve the health and safety of on-site construction workers and increase productivity through increasing work efficiency."
Q: Anurag, tell us a bit about your organisation, ACCIONA. What does it do, and what's its primary focus?
A: ACCIONA Construccion has over 100 years of experience developing civil engineering infrastructure projects. It offers sustainable solutions in bridge engineering, tunnels, and special transport structures, as well as in ports, airports, airport services, forwarding, and developing telecommunications transmission networks and data centres with high efficiency and low environmental impact. It is present in all phases of the value chain of these infrastructure construction projects and transport solutions.
Our focus is to
- accelerate the industrialisation & digitalisation of civil construction,
- enhance the positive externality impacts of each infrastructure asset delivered and increase our overall portfolio's long-term operations share.
Q: Ambitious goals, for sure! Now, let us know about your role at HumanTech. What do you do, and what two activities are you working on that excite you the most?
A: At ACCIONA, we are leading two of the five pilots planned within the scope of HumanTech for validating different technologies, such as human-robot collaboration and exoskeletons. Within these pilots, we will directly compare how things are done currently/conventionally and how they could be done using HumanTech technologies.
Some of the activities we are working on that I am most excited about are
- the validation of novel technologies that could later be integrated with our lines of business,
- and connecting with new partners with whom we could develop future alliances.
Q: What milestones do you expect to achieve through HumanTech? And what positive impact do you expect it to generate?
A: I hope we can validate the HumanTech technologies within the project's timeframe and further explore the possibility of replicating them in other work sites after the end of HumanTech.
If the technologies can deliver results as promised, we foresee:
- An improvement in the health and safety (H&S) of on-site workers. E.g. exoskeletons could help workers lift heavy weights, reducing the risk of potential injuries.
- An increase in productivity through increasing work efficiency.
"I hope we can validate the HumanTech technologies within the project's timeframe and further explore the possibility of replicating them in other work sites after the end of HumanTech."
Q: These are much-needed improvements for the construction sector and its workers. And what do you think about the industry's sustainability challenges? Is there a net zero future for construction?
A: The industry is paving the way to reach net zero in the near future. However, considerable investments are required from the main actors in its value chain to achieve this goal. In addition, technologies need to be ready and adapted for use by the industry's workers.
"The industry is paving the way to reach net zero in the near future. However, considerable investments are required from the main actors in its value chain to achieve this goal."
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We celebrate our 2nd Executive Board Meeting
At the beginning of April 2023, we held our second Executive Board Meeting in Barcelona, Spain. Two intense days to connect in person, collaborate and share our latest progress, as well as align our goals, priorities and next steps to continue creating innovative technologies for a safer, greener and more efficient European construction industry.
The meeting was attended by representatives of our 22 partner organisations from 10 countries, including Germany, Japan, and Greece.
During the meeting, we discussed the progress made over the past seven months and our plans for the project's next phase. From workshops to technical sessions on the cutting-edge construction technologies we are developing — we covered key topics, including project timelines, important milestones, main priorities and following actions. A productive and successful meeting excellently hosted by our partners at Naska.AI.
This meeting has allowed our HumanTech team to strengthen ties and renew energies to take on our project's next phase, focused on continuing our work to develop human-centred groundbreaking technologies that can help reduce the construction industry's carbon footprint and accelerate the transition to a more digitalised — hence safer and more efficient — world.
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AI and Robotics in Construction: HumanTech's first workshop at the ERF 2023
We have held our first workshop at the European Robotics Forum 2023, the most influential meeting of the robotics community in Europe, initiative of euRobotics. Colleagues from seven partner organisations travelled to Odense, Denmark, to participate in our workshop 'AI and Robotics in Construction', which we organised with our sister projects BEEYONDERS and RoBétArmé, and share their vision on the impact innovation, digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics can have on the building sector.
Present and future of AI and robotics in construction
The workshop started with a presentation on the insights on the European Commission's aims in the scope of AI and robotics in construction by Dimitrios Biliouris, Project Adviser at the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA).
Afterwards, our project coordinator, Jason Rambach, and the ones of our sister projects, Dimitrios Giakoumis and Antonio Alonso Cepeda, shared the ambitions of the three projects, part of the European Commission's Horizon Europe programme. In addition, they discussed the potential benefits of AI and robotics for achieving automation in construction, based on the technological advances and research activities we are carrying out to accelerate the digitalisation of the industry.
In his intervention, Jason explained the human-centred technologies we are developing — from robotic devices to wearables and dynamic semantic digital twins — to enable a safer, greener, more efficient, rewarding and digital work environment for a new generation of highly skilled construction workers and engineers.
Our colleagues Fernando Sigchos (European Builders Confederation) and Patrick Roth (Implenia), together with Jonas Bentzen (Christiansen & Essenbæk A/S), examined the potential opportunities and challenges of incorporating AI and robotics into construction sites from the end users' point of view.
Finally, Bharath Sankaran (Naska.AI), Gabor Sziebig (SINTEF), Jose Carlos Jiménez Fernández (Tecnalia), Mads Essenbæk (Christiansen & Essenbæk A/S) and Antidio Viguria Jiménez (FADA CATEC) had an insightful panel discussion on the added value of robots and AI on construction projects and feedback round with the attendees.
The session was a great success, with around 100 attendees filling the room. Researchers, engineers, innovators, entrepreneurs, industry leaders, public officials and professionals from all over Europe had the opportunity to explore how public, industrial, and scientific organisations are collaborating to create a better European building industry through innovation in robotics and AI.
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Want to be part of our journey and explore collaboration opportunities with us? We’re all ears.
*Have a look at more images from our workshop and the European Robotics Forum 2023 below.
Meet the HumanTech team: Patricia Rosen, studying how technology affects us to promote healthier workplaces
How do digitalisation and the interaction with new technologies at work affect us? How can we create healthy workplaces that keep pace with the latest technological developments? Our colleague Patricia Rosen, a psychologist fascinated by the human mind, is working on this at the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA). In particular, she is a researcher within the "Human Factors, Ergonomics" group, where she is leading the "Physical worker assistance systems" team.
"I find it motivating to analyse and investigate the effects of new and emerging technologies on the individual and the overall workforce and thus being able to promote healthy workplaces."
Together with her interdisciplinary team at BAuA, she is focused on defining the user requirements of the technologies we are developing at HumanTech, for which she will rely on the feedback of the construction workers to whom they are addressed.
Q: Patricia, what are you passionate about, and what motivates you most about your work?
A: As a psychologist, learning and understanding how humans behave, think, feel, experience and interact with others as well as their environment has always fascinated me.
In our modern world of work, digitalisation and interaction with new technologies play an important role. I find it motivating to analyse and investigate the effects of new and emerging technologies on the individual and the overall workforce and thus being able to promote healthy workplaces.
I value a lot being able to participate professionally and personally in technological advances affecting how we work and live. I think it is important to accompany these effects early, especially from the human-centred perspective.
"I value a lot being able to participate in technological advances affecting how we work and live and I think it is important to accompany these effects early, especially from the human-centred perspective."
Q: It seems an exciting and necessary field! Even more so as we incorporate more technological advances into our work. What exactly does your organisation, BAuA, do?
A: We promote occupational safety and health (OSH) and human-centred work design. We aim to detect opportunities and risks for employees at an early stage. To this end, we develop approaches for appropriate, targeted OSH measures and ensure that safety and health concerns are considered from the very beginning when technological and organisational innovations are introduced.
Q: And, in particular, what is your role in HumanTech?
A: Within the HumanTech project, the role of my team at BAuA is to define user requirements for all of the HumanTech technologies. Furthermore, we aim to evaluate the different technologies within the specific use cases and pilots from a worker perspective.
For us, a close collaboration with the use cases, the technology developers and implementers within HumanTech is essential. Within our evaluation, we consider, for example, the interaction quality between a potential worker and a specific technology, also addressing the requirements in relation to construction work.
"Within HumanTech, the role of my team at BAuA is to define user requirements for all of the HumanTech technologies — within the specific use cases and pilots from a worker perspective."
Q: An essential part of our project! What do you like most about your work on it, and what are you most looking forward to?
A: I always enjoy working in interdisciplinary teams, which is the case within HumanTech. I am especially looking forward to the point where we have specific set-ups in our pilots and to see how our innovative technologies can support human workers. We also plan to get direct feedback from the workers. To me, this is always very treasurable information, as they are the real experts for their specific tasks or jobs and any associated changes.
Q: How do you think you can make a positive impact through HumanTech?
A: By emphasising the human factors perspective. Within this project, we do not only focus on one emerging technology but different worker assistance systems like collaborative robotics, smart glasses and exoskeletons.
The variety of technologies allows us, on the one hand, to combine existing knowledge on each technology and, on the other hand, to broaden the scope when using multiple systems in a challenging environment like the construction industry.
Q: To conclude, what is the most important milestone you hope to achieve?
A: With the help of the HumanTech team, we hope to be able to provide a comprehensive human factors perspective on the HumanTech technologies in their specific pilot applications.
"With the help of the HumanTech team, we hope to be able to provide a comprehensive human factors perspective on the HumanTech technologies in their specific pilot applications."
Learn more about our work at HumanTech and the team behind it.
Know Gloria Callinan, Project Support Officer at the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), Florendia Fourli, CEO and Managing Director of Hypercliq, and Francesca Canale, Project Engineer at STAM.
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Using motion capture technology to reduce workplace injuries in construction
At HumanTech, one of our main goals is to reduce workplace injuries by 30% in the construction industry. Our partners at SINTEF are building on the motion-capture technology developed by Sci-Track to improve construction workers' safety and well-being and provide services for human-robot collaboration.
This technology can be used to both obtain information about the workers on a construction site and provide them with helpful information for executing their work. For example, it can predict whether a person is at risk of injury and inform them where they should or should not go to avoid it.
How does this technology work? How are we using it at HumanTech? We have spoken with our partner Markus Miezal, Researcher at Sci-Track, to better understand it.
Markus Miezal, Researcher at Sci-Track, is wearing a motion capture suit to show how this innovative technology works in real-time.
Q: Markus, can you explain to us what this technology is and how it works?
A: I'm wearing a suit from the Japanese company Xenoma, which includes 18 inertial measurement units. The sensors provide measurements of linear acceleration (including gravity), rotational velocity and a magnetic field measurement (i.e. a 3D compass). We all have such sensors in our smartphones, which can detect screen rotation, for example.
Our technology uses statistical sensor fusion based on a human biomechanical model to estimate the user's kinematics from the measurements.
Q: How interesting! For what purpose are you developing it? And how will it contribute to HumanTech's objectives?
A: We will use it to track construction workers and provide the kinematics to the exoskeleton from our partners at Tecnalia so that they can identify the user's intention and control the exoskeleton accordingly.
Another option yet to be explored is to also use it in the delivery tasks of the bricklayer and the robot. We will integrate it with the Theta 360° camera from our partners at Ricoh to provide visual-inertial tracking of the human body.
"We will use this technology to track construction workers and provide the kinematics to the exoskeleton from our partners at Tecnalia so that they can identify the user's intention and control the exoskeleton accordingly".
Q: Who will be able to use it, and could you give us an example of a practical, real-life case where it could be used?
A: Due to the shortage of sensors on the market, we will only be able to create a few suits for HumanTech. Apart from the construction sector, our product has been used in rehabilitation and for the ergonomic analysis of factory workers. Motion capture is also a well-known application.
Q: What stage of development are you at, and what are your next steps?
A: We have a working product, but our extensions, in particular the integration of the camera, are planned for August. We are building on existing publications in this field and are currently working on the device calibration process.
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