Technological Innovation Takes Spotlight at BEC Conference
The technological wave crashing over the glass and glazing industry took center stage during the final day of the Building Envelope Contractors (BEC) Conference. The annual event occurred in Nashville at the Omni Nashville Hotel. It was organized by the National Glass Association.
According to Stefanie Couch, founder of Build Women, the future of technology doesn’t just mean highly advanced computer numerical machines and robotics but more nuanced applications, such as artificial intelligence (AI).
“The great part about AI is that you don’t have to be an expert on it because most people don’t know how to use it,” said Couch. “There’s so much you can do with it.”
But how can people use AI in daily life? Couch said the technology is used daily, from phone facial recognition technology to self-driving cars and software programs such as Canva, Grammarly, and ChatGPT.
Conley Oster, co-founder and chief operating officer of Raise Robotics, walked attendees through recent technology advancements in field robotics and their implications. Raise Robotics recently partnered with TSI Corp. to install curtainwall brackets on a project in Virginia.
Oster explained that modern robotics can recognize patterns in data to identify components and highlight environmental discrepancies, plan motion decisions based on processed data, and execute planned commands while streaming sensory data.
“Another massive improvement in robotics is the advancement of machine learning,” said Oster.
Machine learning helps robots improve machine algorithms’ speed, accuracy, and robustness.
Project managers also shared their perspectives on workflow. Alyssa Wolf, an estimator at Assured Glass, emphasized the importance of accuracy between estimators, project managers, and field teams.
“You fall to your systems; you don’t rise to your roles,” said Matt Kamper of Woodbridge Glass.
Kamper added that everything on a project needs to be documented, including dates, details, dollars, and dimensions.
The BEC conference ended on March 5 and transitioned into Glass Processing Automation Days, which ran until March 6.
