How Drones and Digital Twins are Changing the Construction Landscape

Drones are used in the construction industry in a number of ways. The birds-eye view a drone provides helps improve site safety by identifying potential risks and areas of concern. Drones can also survey a large area in a short amount of time, leading to greater efficiency in completing certain project tasks. Now, drones are being used in combination with digital twins to even further improve safety and efficiency. 

Digital twins are real-time virtual counterparts of existing physical object or places. They allow for someone to “view” a site regardless of where that person may physically be located. They can also be incorporated into simulations, which can help predict how an area will be impacted by certain events, like climate change. 

The use of digital twins is growing. 

“In 2020, the worldwide digital twin market size was valued at $3.1 B, and by 2026, it’s expected to reach $48.2 B,” shares Jennifer Kite-Powell for Forbes.  

Two of the leaders in the digital twin space are Amazon Web Services with their TwinMaker product and Nvidia with their 3D Omniverse. Both products have been used to capture physical environments and insert them into a simulated environment. 

“Capturing large physical environments takes time to inspect and map - take the construction of a solar power plant with more than 1,000 acres,” shares Kite-Powell.  

These software products utilize the images captured by drones to greatly reduce the time it would take to traditionally inspect such a large area, in some instances reducing hours of work to minutes. 

Kite-Powell interviewed Mike Winn, CEO of DroneDeploy, who says he has seen growth in use of drones and digital twins in several industries, including construction. 

“By creating a digital replica of these sites, you can more easily track, predict and act on these environments in real-time versus sending human workers to inspect different areas constantly,” summarizes Kite-Powell. 

This allows for easier collaboration with staff located in a variety of areas, saves time dedicated to travel, and removes the need for potentially dangerous tasks to be conducted in person, such as roof measurements.  

And in times of social distancing and a global pandemic, less direct contact among staff can keep a project on track. 

“[I]nstead of multiple workers traveling and going on-site, one person can fly a drone, create a digital twin of the site, and easily share it with team members to review and collaborate,” said Winn to Kite-Powell. “The whole process saves time and resources and also provides one accurate ‘source of truth’ for documentation needs.” 

Winn anticipates that digital twin usage, along with drones and even on-ground robotic elements, will provide a full realistic view of a building inside and out.  

These thoughts align with the Global UAV Drones Market Report 2022, which reports that the global market for UAV Drones to more than double over the next five years, from an estimated $27.2 billion in 2020 to a revised size of $58.5 billion by 2026.  

The US holds a large share of the market. 

“The UAV Drones market in the U.S. is estimated at US$9.2 Billion in the year 2021. The country currently accounts for a 30.7% share in the global market,” states the press release for the report. 

It’s certain that combining drone use with other emerging technologies will only continue to expand as both the drone and digital twin space also continue to grow. 

Capitol Tech offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in Construction, Facilities, and Safety and Aviation and Unmanned Systems. Many courses are available both on campus and online. For more information, contact admissions@captechu.edu.