FAA issues final rule on commercial use of drones

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a final rule on the operation and certification of non-hobbyist drones.

The rule covers commercial uses for drones that weigh less than 55 pounds, and it takes effect Aug. 29.

Operational limitations include:

Visual line-of-sight (VLOS) only
Drone must remain within VLOS of the remote pilot in command and the person manipulating the flight controls. Alternatively, the unmanned aircraft must remain within VLOS of the visual observer.
Drone must remain close enough to the remote pilot in command and the person manipulating the flight controls for those people to be capable of seeing the aircraft with vision unaided by any device other than corrective lenses.
Small unmanned aircraft may not operate over any persons not directly participating in the operation, not under a covered structure, and not inside a covered stationary vehicle.
Daylight-only operations, or civil twilight (30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset, local time) with appropriate anti-collision lighting.
Maximum altitude of 400 feet above ground level (AGL) or, if higher than 400 feet AGL, remain within 400 feet of a structure.
No operations from a moving vehicle unless the operation is over a sparsely populated area.
The final rule includes the option to apply for a certificate of waiver on some of the operational limitations if the proposed operation can be performed safely. An online portal will be made available by the FAA to apply for such waivers.

Contractor giant Suffolk Construction has invested in 27 ConTech and PropTech companies since 2019 through its Suffolk Technologies venture capital firm. Parker Mundt, Suffolk Technologies’ Vice President–Platforms, recently spoke with Building Design+Construction about his company’s investment strategy.

Drone Software | Jun 12, 2023

Drones take site assessments to new heights

Eric Vallejo, Director of Reality Capture and Geospatial Solutions, IMEG Corp., discusses strategies for using visualization and reality capture.

Sustainability | May 1, 2023

Increased focus on sustainability is good for business and attracting employees

A recent study, 2023 State of Design & Make by software developer Autodesk, contains some interesting takeaways for the design and construction industry. Respondents to a survey of industry leaders from the architecture, engineering, construction, product design, manufacturing, and entertainment spheres strongly support the idea that improving their organization’s sustainability practices is good for business.

AEC Tech | May 1, 2023

Utilizing computer vision, AI technology for visual jobsite tasks

Burns & McDonnell breaks down three ways computer vision can effectively assist workers on the job site, from project progress to safety measures.

Skanska employees posing at Autodesk University 2022

AEC Tech | Jan 27, 2023

Key takeaways from Autodesk University 2022

Autodesk laid out its long-term vision to drive digital collaboration through cloud-based solutions and emphasized the importance of connecting people, processes and data.

HITT is using Hilti’s Jaibot for repetitive tasks such as drilling anchors

Giants 400 | Nov 14, 2022

4 emerging trends from BD+C's 2022 Giants 400 Report

Regenerative design, cognitive health, and jobsite robotics highlight the top trends from the 519 design and construction firms that participated in BD+C's 2022 Giants 400 Report.

Top innovations in the U.S. construction sector in 2022, BD+C Giants 400 Report

Contractors | Nov 14, 2022

U.S. construction firms lean on technology to manage growth and weather the pandemic

In 2021, Gilbane Building Company and Nextera Robotics partnered in a joint venture to develop an artificial intelligence platform utilizing a fleet of autonomous mobile robots. The platform, dubbed Didge, is designed to automate construction management, maximize reliability and safety, and minimize operational costs. This was just one of myriad examples over the past 18 months of contractor giants turning to construction technology (ConTech) to gather jobsite data, manage workers and equipment, and smooth the construction process.