Construction sites in Japan have seen expanding use of wearable technologies that integrate information and communication technology with clothing and accessories. General contractors are testing effects of wearable devices such as censor-embedded watches and shirts that can manage workers’ safety and physical conditions. Use of wearables in the process of construction such as measuring and marking has started as well.

Shimizu, in cooperation with Toshiba will develop a system to manage construction workers’ health and safety with smart wristbands. Monitoring conditions of 70 workers all day for the next one year, the company will take advantage of the system to improve the work environment and the safety level.

Obayashi is aiming at practical use of smart clothing that can collect vital data of workers on real-time basis, using NTT Communications’ cloud computing system. Taisei developed a new surveying system integrating wearable technologies which can reduce labor required for site measuring by half. A group of academia and industry including Takenaka and Tokyo University has started a pilot program to identify primary factors in amenity of buildings by collecting psychological and biological data from smart devices such as watches and glasses that inhabitants wear. (2015/08/27)