Kashima Construction Co., Ltd. (President: Yoshinori Yamashita) and Ricoh Co., Ltd. (President: Yoshinori Yamashita) introduced the Ricoh Virtual Workplace (VWP) developed by Ricoh in the first phase of the Okawatsu Water Distribution Route Second Floor Rehabilitation Project (Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture) ordered by the Hokuriku Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and started efforts for new remote management of the site. VWP is a system that allows multiple users to connect to the virtual reality (VR) space at the same time. When introducing the system, we confirmed that BIM/CIM models, point group data, and live live video streams of on-site cameras can be shared in the VR space by three sites: the Shinanogawa River Office of the Hokuriku Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Kashima JV Office, and the Kashima Head Office (Minato-ku, Tokyo). The system started operation in May this year. As a result, VRs and real space have been combined, enabling communication and decision-making from remote locations while sharing the same information, as if they were on a construction site.
Construction status and progress are checked while viewing the BIM/CIM model and live images of the site in the VR space (left), and the results of rock inspections are checked by entering the VR space of the riverbed from three sites (right).
Background of the introduction
In construction, there are many occasions in which multiple parties gather at the same place, check the actual items, and make decisions while communicating. On the other hand, in recent years, with the development of IoT, new ways of working, such as remote visits and remote work, are required at construction sites for the purpose of improving productivity and controlling the infection of new-type coronaviruses. Under these circumstances, it became increasingly difficult for all parties concerned to share the construction process and image using various materials, and consensus building was sometimes time-consuming.
Overview and features of the system
VWP is a system that uses a personal computer connected to a network, VR goggles, and VWP applications to allow multiple people to enter the same VR space from a remote location simultaneously, enabling each person to communicate freely. The features of this system are as follows.
Since the BIM/CIM model, 360° photograph, and point cloud data measured by 3D scanner can be reflected in the VR space, it is possible to confirm the situation of the site from a remote location in the same way as the actual presence at the site.
VR space allows free conversation with each other, as well as 3D scanners for point cloud measurements of structures, checking electronic documents, and signing documents, allowing visitors to be on the spot at a distance.
In this construction project, a function to share live video streams of the field camera in the VR space is newly implemented, enabling meetings to be held while watching actual video clips from multiple remote locations.
Future development
This construction project has been selected as an i-Construction model facility by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The project has been utilizing a variety of advanced technologies, including construction planning and management using BIM/CIM models, utilization of point group data obtained with 3D scanners, and monitoring of riverbeds by submerged visualization. In the future, we will proactively utilize this system to facilitate speedy and appropriate decision-making in cooperation with ordering parties in accordance with the situation on the ground. In addition, we will work with Ricoh to develop more sophisticated systems for incorporating live 360° cameras into live video broadcasts, as well as collaborating with site management tools, to provide new site management and working styles suitable for the digital age.
