The Trump Card of Construction DX: How AR Construction Is Transforming Job Sites

Table of Contents

• Introduction

• What Is AR Construction

• Examples of AR Technology Applications in the Construction Industry

• Benefits Brought by AR Construction

• Challenges of Introducing AR Construction

• Future Outlook for AR Construction

• Simple Surveying with LRTK

• Conclusion

• FAQ

Introduction

Amid workstyle reforms and the wave of DX (digital transformation) in the construction industry, one technology attracting attention is AR (Augmented Reality). With AR, simply pointing a smartphone or tablet at a job site can overlay three-dimensional design data and construction information onto the real-world view, intuitively "visualizing" information that was difficult to convey with drawings or photos alone. Facing numerous challenges such as labor shortages, an aging skilled workforce, and prevention of construction mistakes, the introduction of AR technology is expected to deliver revolutionary effects on both site efficiency and quality improvement.

This article focuses on AR construction as the "trump card" of construction DX and explains in detail how AR technology can transform construction sites. We cover concrete use cases, benefits, challenges in implementation, and future prospects to explore how AR can change job sites.

What Is AR Construction

AR construction is a general term for initiatives that utilize AR (augmented reality) technology in the construction field. AR is a technology that overlays digital data—such as CG models or textual information—onto real landscapes and can be used through special headsets or devices like smartphones and tablets. For example, at a construction site you can point a tablet camera and display an AR projection of the finished building model or pipe layout over the live view, making it possible to check the real site and design data at the same time.

While VR (virtual reality) immerses the user in a virtual space by wearing goggles, AR is characterized by allowing users to refer to digital information while viewing the real world. Therefore, in scenes where work and inspections are performed at an actual job site, AR is more practical. By introducing AR construction, it becomes possible to cross-check design drawings and BIM model information on site, visually display work procedure guides, and intuitively perform information sharing and instruction issuing that were difficult with paper or drawings.

In this way, AR construction connects the "site" and the "digital," innovating communication and work across various stages of construction projects. In the next chapter, we will look at specific examples of how AR technology can be applied in the construction industry.

Examples of AR Technology Applications in the Construction Industry

AR can be used in many stages of construction projects. Below are the main application scenes.

• Use in the design and planning phase: You can overlay the completed building image onto the actual site to align recognition between designers and clients (owners). Sharing how the structure will appear within the surrounding landscape via AR prevents misunderstandings like "the finished image was different" and facilitates smooth consensus building during the planning phase. Also, using AR in the planning phase to simulate construction procedures and temporary structures (such as scaffolding) helps with pre-examination of safety and optimization of construction processes.

• Use in construction management (on-site construction): By overlaying design models and drawing information onto actual structures at the site, early detection and correction of construction mistakes becomes possible. For example, if you display a BIM model of piping or rebar inside a wall via AR, you can verify on the spot whether invisible components are being installed correctly. Because differences between progress and plan can be immediately understood at the site, it becomes easier for responsible personnel to share the situation, leading to improved construction management efficiency.

• Use in surveying and measurement: Surveying work that traditionally required specialized surveying equipment or multiple people can be simplified on-site with AR-enabled smartphone apps, allowing for simple measurements on the spot. For example, you can AR-measure ground elevation differences or earthwork volumes and display them instantly, or indicate building placement locations with AR markers based on design drawings. This can greatly reduce the labor and time required for routine surveying and layout work.

• Use in safety management: AR also contributes to improving site safety. You can visually mark hazardous or no-entry areas in the real world to alert workers. There are also attempts to display blind-spot situations that are not visible to operators during high-altitude or heavy equipment operations via AR. In addition, by displaying temporary structures in AR prior to construction and planning movement lines, safety measures during construction can be considered in advance. Such applications are expected to reduce the risk of human error and accidents.

• Use in training and remote support: AR is a powerful training tool for less experienced workers. Through AR glasses or tablets, work procedures can be displayed clearly as guides and caution points emphasized, enabling real-time sharing of veteran craftsmen's know-how. Experts not present on site can inspect the site and give instructions remotely via AR, supporting newcomers as if the experienced worker were physically present. This improves efficiency in skills transfer and employee training, helping to alleviate labor shortages.

As shown above, AR technology is being used from design to construction, maintenance, and education, and in each scene it has the potential to dramatically improve productivity and communication on site.

Benefits Brought by AR Construction

The main benefits expected from introducing AR on site fall into two major aspects: operational efficiency and quality & safety improvement. Let’s look at each in detail.

Benefits for Operational Efficiency

• Streamlined progress management: By using AR on site to overlay the finished model or schedule, the current progress can be intuitively grasped. Differences from the plan become immediately apparent, allowing for prompt decisions on schedule revisions or personnel redeployment as needed. This kind of real-time visualization of progress can lead to shorter construction periods and waste reduction.

• Reduction of labor in surveying and measurement tasks: Surveying and measurement tasks that used to require manpower and time can be carried out quickly with just a smartphone using AR-enabled apps. Because you can measure terrain and dimensions on the spot and confirm results immediately, the preparatory and post-processing workload is reduced, greatly speeding up routine surveying tasks. For example, effects such as “surveying working time was halved” have been reported, allowing limited personnel to perform more measurements.

• Time savings via remote communication: Sharing live site footage through AR glasses or tablets allows instructions and confirmations from remote offices, eliminating the need for experts to travel to the site each time. Reducing travel time and obtaining appropriate advice on the spot speeds up decision-making. Being able to support multiple sites from a single location also improves personnel allocation efficiency.

• Improved setup and team coordination: By displaying upcoming construction steps and the completed image on AR and sharing them, all workers can approach tasks with a common image. Setup errors and communication omissions are reduced, and team operations become smoother. As a result, overall site work efficiency improves, enabling high productivity even with fewer personnel.

Benefits for Quality & Safety Improvement

• Early detection of construction mistakes and prevention of rework: By overlaying the real object with design data in AR, deviations or errors can be detected on the spot. For example, checking via AR whether piping is installed in accordance with the design during piping work allows correction during construction for mistakes that would be difficult to fix later. This reduces rework such as the “it turned out different from the drawing” problem and helps prevent material waste and schedule delays.

• Improved construction accuracy: AR supports accurate work without relying on craftsmen’s intuition or experience. Because you can work while displaying dimensions and installation positions from drawings in actual scale via AR, even non-experts can achieve high-precision installation. Variation in finished shapes is suppressed, contributing to consistent finishing quality.

• Thorough quality control through information sharing: Since clients, site supervisors, and other stakeholders can view the same AR footage to confirm conditions, recognition gaps such as “I thought I explained it but it wasn’t understood” can be reduced. Design intent and changes reliably reach the site, preventing mistakes due to missed instructions or confirmations. Improved communication quality directly leads to improved construction quality.

• Enhanced safety and risk reduction: AR applications are effective in safety management. Highlighting hazardous points or running AR simulations of work procedures in advance can reduce human error. There are also attempts to supplement blind spots during heavy equipment operation with AR, which helps prevent accidents. Thus, AR introduction contributes not only to efficiency and quality but also to strengthening safety.

Challenges of Introducing AR Construction

Although AR construction offers many benefits, there are challenges to overcome when implementing it. The main points to note are listed below.

• Technical accuracy issues: Current AR technology can exhibit slight misalignments or sensor errors. Outdoor use may be affected by GPS accuracy, and even indoors device pose estimation errors can cause digital information not to perfectly coincide with real objects. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid overreliance on AR displays, verify with actual measurements, conduct accuracy validation, and devise usage methods accordingly.

• Infrastructure and work environment setup: Effective AR use requires high-speed, high-capacity communication environments, stable power supply, and devices with adequate performance. Handling large 3D data at the site makes network setup such as Wi-Fi or 5G important, and mobile batteries may be necessary for long-term use. Issues such as screen visibility under strong outdoor sunlight also arise, so preparations tailored to site conditions are required.

• Introduction costs and ROI: Procuring AR equipment (compatible smartphones, tablets, AR glasses, GNSS receivers, etc.) and implementing the applications/software used come with costs. In recent years, cloud services and apps that allow relatively low-cost starts have increased, but depending on the number and scale of sites, significant investment may still be necessary. When introducing AR, it is important to validate effects with a pilot small-scale implementation and determine the cost-effectiveness that suits your operations.

• IT literacy and training of personnel: To effectively use AR—a new digital technology—on site, education and support for site staff are essential. Some older workers may be unfamiliar with IT tools and initially resist. Efforts such as training on operation methods, preparing manuals, and assigning support personnel are needed to build a user support system and gradually promote adoption.

• Data management and security: Digital data handled by AR, such as construction drawings and BIM models, may contain confidential information. When using cloud services, measures to prevent information leakage and manage access rights are important. Operational rules for how to record and share footage filmed on site must also be established. Including countermeasures against unauthorized system use and cyberattacks, it is necessary to build a security environment that allows AR to be used with confidence.

Future Outlook for AR Construction

Going forward, AR utilization at construction sites is expected to expand further as AR technology evolves. Improvements in device performance and cost reductions mean that AR experiences currently performed mainly on tablets and smartphones will soon be easily accessible with lighter AR glasses. If helmet-integrated AR devices become widespread, workers will be able to view necessary information in their field of vision while keeping both hands free, further enhancing safety and efficiency.

In addition, through integration with digital twins (technology that reproduces real construction sites digitally) and IoT, AR may display sensor information and progress data in real time. For example, measuring concrete strength or machine operating status with IoT and visualizing that data in AR is a conceivable use case. Continuously synchronizing BIM and other 3D data with site conditions will further advance real-time visualization of sites.

Government and industry initiatives are also tailwinds. AR/VR technology use is encouraged under DX-promoting policies such as *i-Construction* promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It is anticipated that AR will become a familiar tool not only for major construction companies but also for small- and medium-sized construction sites. Collaboration between veteran site workers and digitally native younger workers through AR to share knowledge will create a new standard for construction sites.

Moreover, AR technology itself is improving in accuracy. Combining high-precision positioning using satellites (RTK-GNSS) and high-performance LiDAR sensors is beginning to ensure information overlay accuracy onto real space at the centimeter level (cm level accuracy, half-inch accuracy). This will enable AR to be fully applied to tasks such as surveying and stakeout positioning, which previously faced precision challenges.

Thus, AR construction is expected to evolve further and become a common sight at construction sites. Accumulating know-how by introducing AR early on will likely contribute to future competitiveness.

Simple Surveying with LRTK

When utilizing AR technology on site, a key challenge is "how accurately to perform alignment." Traditional AR sometimes required placing markers or doing initial calibration for each site, which can be time-consuming. Enter our solution called “LRTK.”

LRTK attaches a compact high-precision GNSS antenna to a smartphone or tablet and integrates with cloud services so that anyone can easily perform simple surveying with AR and overlay design data. Because satellite positioning (RTK-GNSS) allows positions to be determined at the centimeter-class (cm level accuracy, half-inch accuracy) at all times, complicated alignment tasks and dedicated markers are unnecessary. If you prepare design drawings or BIM model data on the cloud in advance, you can simply point your smartphone at the site to AR-project the model in actual scale and with accurate coordinates.

With LRTK, even without specialized surveying skills, a site worker can complete surveying and AR-based verification alone with a smartphone in hand. Its ease of use has already begun to be adopted in civil engineering and construction sites, receiving high marks such as “surveying work time was drastically shortened” and “measurement data and design models can be shared immediately between the site and the office.” It is also a technology compatible with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s *i-Construction*, and will be a powerful partner for achieving accurate and efficient construction management with small teams.

If you are interested in simple AR surveying or digitizing your site, please check the details of LRTK. Using the latest technology to visualize your site can bring new innovations to your projects.

Conclusion

The introduction of AR technology to construction sites strongly promotes construction DX (digital transformation) and is transforming site work that previously relied on manpower and experience. By merging site reality with digital design information in real time, efficient progress management and high-quality, mistake-free construction have become possible. As seen in case studies, concrete effects—such as remote support, heavy equipment operation assistance, and reduced labor for surveying and inspections—have already been reported at many sites.

Of course, introducing the technology requires clearing issues such as data preparation and personnel training, but recently, easy-to-adopt AR solutions using smartphones and the cloud have appeared, steadily lowering barriers to entry. By incorporating AR into your construction processes, there is significant potential to alleviate labor shortages, improve work efficiency, and ensure quality.

Please use the use cases and benefits introduced in this article as a reference to consider “what issues at your site can be solved with AR.” Starting AR utilization in even small areas can be the trigger to raise productivity and quality control standards at your site.

Finally, we introduced tools like LRTK as concrete examples of construction DX using AR technology. By introducing appropriate solutions, you can maximize AR’s efficiency and quality improvement benefits. Use the power of the latest technology to bring new innovations to your construction sites.

FAQ

Q: What equipment and preparations are needed to use AR on a construction site? A: Essentially, you can start with a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet capable of AR display. By using a dedicated AR app or cloud service and preparing 3D data such as construction drawings or BIM there, you can display AR through the camera on site. If you require higher positional accuracy, external GPS (GNSS) receivers that attach to tablets or AR-capable smart glasses can make alignment smoother, but you can sufficiently try AR with general mobile devices first.

Q: Does introducing AR cost a lot? Is the cost-effectiveness justified? A: Implementation costs vary case by case, but in recent years it has become possible to start AR at relatively low cost by utilizing smartphone apps and cloud services. Even when equipping specialized high-performance devices, required investment is much lower compared to traditional large surveying instruments or VR systems. More importantly, effects such as “surveying work time was halved” and “rework due to construction mistakes decreased, shortening schedules” have been reported, so cost benefits from reduced labor and fewer mistakes are considerable. Because AR can be effective even at small sites, overall it is reasonable to expect a favorable cost-effectiveness.

Q: Can AR usage help improve site safety? A: Yes, AR greatly aids safety management. For example, AR can visually display hazardous areas or no-entry zones to alert workers, and supplement blind-spot visibility from heavy equipment operator seats, helping prevent near-misses and accidents. AR-based work guidance is also expected to reduce human error and misunderstandings. In safety education, AR simulations can be used for virtual high-altitude work experiences to conduct realistic hazard prediction training. Thus, AR introduction contributes not only to operational efficiency and construction quality but also to improved safety.

Q: What is the difference between VR (virtual reality) and AR, and which is more suitable for construction? A: VR is a technology where users wear dedicated goggles and immerse themselves in a computer-generated virtual environment, separating them from the real scene. AR overlays digital information onto the real scenery so users can view the site’s real view together with digital data. For on-site construction work, which requires confirmation and operations in the actual work environment, AR is generally more suitable. AR allows reference to design information while observing the site, directly supporting progress management and mistake checking. VR is effective mainly for experiencing the completed design or for safety training and remote planning away from the site, but as a technology that can transform job sites, AR can contribute more directly.