The Future of Home Construction
We all know that virtual reality is some of the hottest tech that’s currently available. It started off as just another gaming experience, as is the case for the Oculus Rift. But it later on started being used for more varied tasks. One such useful application is in real estate — VR technology holds value for prospective home buyers who take virtual tours of the house they want to check out.
But there’s new tech in town that makes use of the present surroundings. While both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are based on the concept of altering our perception of our surroundings; they are different in how they do so.
Virtual Reality
Virtual reality works by blocking out all other input besides the input generated by the gear. The gear often comes in the form of the Oculus Rift or the Samsung Gear VR. In a sense, you are “living in a different reality” in VR. This tech is commonly used for buyers who wish to view a house without having to actually visit it.
The experience in incredibly immersive, but also disorienting because our aural senses, which are also responsible for orientation and balance; are confused between what we see and hear versus what we actually feel.
Augmented Reality
On the other hand, augmented reality takes what we currently see and adds something to it. You could practically be looking at an empty lot and the software then generates a preview of your finished house. AR is brought to us through clear glasses such as the Samsung AR Monitorless Glasses.
Now, how exactly does AR help in the real estate business?
Well, it helps greatly in spatial planning and visualization. It has the ability to help architects and companies like this home builder coordinate better. This is due to the fact that a clear and definite goal is seen by all parties involved.
Some apps like SmartReality are able to recognize a design and import it into a 360-degree image that is completely viewable. This ability allows builders and architects to literally “walk through” a design. And to detect any potential design flaws even before they start building. It can even help in the pre-construction of building components. Thus, ensuring that each and every component fits together like Lego pieces (metaphorically).
AR in itself presents many advantages, but the chief among these is the cost savings you can get because of the minimized — or even nullified — risk of error from construction flaws. Reworking something faulty is both expensive and time-consuming.
And since we’ve mentioned time, another chief benefit that AR tech brings is that; builders and architects are able to make more accurate estimates regarding the completion of a project.
Finally, augmented reality also helps greatly in earthquake investigations. Some software, like CityViewAR, allows for the viewing of buildings that have been destroyed in earthquakes. Thus, allowing investigators to locate points of weakness that led to the failure of the building. This holds value because it allows contractors to see what errors were made. And to rectify these errors should they be tasked with rebuilding the structure. Comment your views on the future of Home Construction.
