The University of Cambridge and Trimble, a company that provides technology for the construction industry, have begun a project to investigate how Microsoft HoloLens could be used to inspect bridges.
Engineers at the university\u2019s Construction Information Technology (CIT) Laboratory have started trialling the use of HoloLens to investigate whether construction inspectors could use it to spot potentially dangerous cracks in bridges without having to physically visit the site.
Digital cameras will be used to take pictures of a structure, which will then be uploaded to Microsoft\u2019s Azure public cloud. The photographs will be stitched together to provide a detailed image of the bridge being inspected.
Safety experts can then use HoloLens to zoom in and out of the bridge, rotate and \u201cwalk\u201d around it from anywhere in the world.
Dr Ioannis Brilakis, director of the CIT Laboratory at Cambridge University, said: \u201cThis exciting relationship with Trimble will enable us to work together to push forward our agenda to develop new, transformative tools and technologies to deliver a much safer and more productive construction industry and help build the infrastructure on which the wellbeing of society depends.\u201d
Engineers at the university have also looked into whether HoloLens could be used to enable building companies to keep track of work while constructing homes and offices, and whether the device could assist manufacturers by cutting down on the need to refer to blueprints regularly.
Aviad Almagor, director of Trimble\u2019s mixed reality programme, said: \u201cThis initiative has helped us to inform the next frontier of technology within the sector \u2013 especially in areas such as construction, where IT has traditionally been under-utilised.
\u201cAt Trimble, we are excited about the potential mixed reality has to transform this industry, and partnering with Cambridge and Microsoft is just the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n