Connected Construction

Topcon is offering an array of new tools that can improve surveying and machine control capabilities for contractors. Light and compact, the B110 dual-frequency positioning receiver board features the new Vanguard ASIC system and can support 226 universal channels for GPS, GLONASS and Galileo tracking and scalable positioning. The B110 board’s small size, low power consumption and versatile communication interfaces make it easy to integrate into any precise positioning application. It features a high perfor

Software specialist Bentley Systems continues to add to its portfolio with the acquisition of the SpecWave software, on of a series of moves by the company. This follows on from its recent alliance with GPS pioneer Trimble and underlines Bentley’s strategic plan for expansion in the field of specialist software for industry. The company plans to continue along this path, having achieved notable successes and CEO Greg Bentley said, “One of our highlights in 2011 was our growth in Asia.” A key portion of the

The historic city of Raleigh in North Carolina is one of the few cities in the US that was planned and built specifically to serve as a state capital and its population and traffic volume have grown enormously in recent years An indicator of Raleigh's growth has been the need for an expanded roadway system to serve Wake County. As early as the 1970s there were plans for a Western Wake Expressway. This developed into a 112km, interstate-grade beltway, known as the Raleigh Outer Loop, which will encompass Ral

Topcon Europe Positioning (TEP) has launched a new, professional-grade robotic total station – the PS series – which the firm says is designed to surpass the power, accuracy and capabilities of its peers. The PS is said to utilise Topcon’s new PowerTrac technology to increase the prism tracking power. “Using new optics, laser system and advanced algorithms, PowerTrac provides the PS with the ability to keep tracking a moving prism even under the toughest environmental conditions,” said Leighton Davies, surv

Sick UK says its new LMS500 family of laser sensors achieves new levels of high-speed and consistent performance in adverse highway conditions. “The incontrovertible rule in laser measurement used to be – if you can’t see it, the laser can’t see it, but with the LMS500 this is no longer true,” said Tim Stokes, SICK UK laser sensor specialist. “These hard-working sensors ignore spray, smoke and dust and cope with rain, snow, ice and fog. They will operate reliably for applications such as vehicle spacing, sp

UK-based Macleod Simmonds Ltd (MSL) has launched a GPR (Ground Probing Radar) consultancy providing both a survey service and software package which, the firm says, takes the output from multi-antenna surveys to a “whole new dimension”. The firm says it can now provide survey capability for almost any type of terrain, application or location that end users might require. For the existing roadway or smooth surface terrain survey location, MSL has a Carriageway System based on a multi-antenna set up from Ital

One of the interesting developments at the recent Hillhead quarry show in the UK, was of a rather more compact machine than usually seen at the exhibition. A UK equipment rental firm, CLS Selfdrive, revealed a US-manufactured compact grader equipped with machine control equipment. This is of note seeing that such machine control technologies are usually fitted to much larger machines. The increasing proliferation of the systems and the reduction in costs in real terms however means that this technology is n

The rapid increase in information availability is transforming the construction sector. Conventional methods used for sourcing geographic data based on maps and localised sampling meant that there was often a lack of accurate information relating to ground conditions at specific areas where work was planned, often resulting in unwelcome surprises for construction companies along with additional costs for projects.

Prolec last month launched its new Prolec Machine Engine (PME) platform at Donington Park motor racing circuit in central England. The event attracted around 100 customers said to be keen to witness the company’s next-generation, modular safety and control system for plant machinery. At the launch, Prolec described PME as an elegant replacement for its legendary Liftwatch and Heightwatch product ranges. Visitors watched live demonstrations on a Hitachi ZX130 excavator alongside Donington Park’s Launch Pad b