5 Reasons to Introduce AR in Civil Engineering: Solving On-site Issues and Future Outlook

Table of Contents

• Reason 1: Improving on-site work efficiency

• Reason 2: Enhancing construction quality and accuracy

• Reason 3: Smoothing communication and consensus building

• Reason 4: Strengthening safety

• Reason 5: Human resource development and future outlook

• FAQ

In recent years, the use of AR (augmented reality) technology has been attracting attention in the civil engineering industry as well. By overlaying digital information onto the real-world scene via smartphones, tablets, or AR glasses, there is growing potential to solve many of the traditional problems faced on construction sites. Because AR can match the planned drawings with the actual site in real time and visualize progress and cautions on the spot, it can scientifically support work that used to rely on experience and intuition. Also, since spatial information can be understood intuitively even without specialist knowledge, it helps smooth communication and human resource development. Specifically, sites have long been burdened with issues such as construction defects and rework due to misinterpretation of drawings, lack of communication among stakeholders, the complexity of safety checks, and labor shortages and difficulties in skill transfer. AR technology is expected to be a trump card to solve these problems. The construction and civil engineering field has been said to lag in IT adoption, but movements to incorporate digital technology across the industry are accelerating, such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s *i-Construction* promotion. Among these technologies, AR is expected to be a key tool directly linked to improving on-site productivity, safety management, and quality assurance. This article explains five reasons to introduce “AR in civil engineering”, from the perspectives of solving on-site issues and preparing for the future.

Reason 1: Improving on-site work efficiency

Introducing AR technology can dramatically improve the efficiency of on-site civil engineering work. Conventionally, workers would hold drawings while using surveying instruments and marking tools to set out positions, then re-measure after construction to check the as-built condition—resulting in time-consuming repetitive tasks. By using AR, workers can view the full-scale completed form on site as per the design through a tablet or smartphone, allowing them to proceed with work while visually confirming the layout. For example, an excavator operator can view the finished terrain image through a tablet from the cab and perform excavation or embankment work accordingly. Because the required locations can be constructed at accurate heights and slopes without relying on a veteran’s intuition, both reduced work time and improved construction accuracy are achievable.

Also, virtual stake setting and line display via AR can greatly reduce the labor of surveying and marking. Whereas surveyors traditionally worked in pairs operating a total station and marked the site with stakes or chalk, an AR system can show virtual markers at required points. A person walking the site with a tablet simply needs to point it to display the design baseline and height information on the spot, so positioning work can be performed efficiently by a single person. As a result, preparation time for construction is reduced and projects can proceed smoothly even with staffing shortages.

Efficiency benefits extend to progress management as well. Since the latest plan model and site conditions can always be overlaid and checked in AR, progress tracking and detection of schedule delays can be done in real time. This enables site supervisors to arrange the next tasks accurately and carry out the project with minimal waste. Overall, AR strongly supports the “planning is 80% of the work” mindset on site and helps realize efficient construction with less unnecessary effort.

Reason 2: Enhancing construction quality and accuracy

AR adoption also significantly advances quality assurance and accuracy improvement in civil engineering. If 3D design data can be continuously overlaid onto the real object during construction, even slight deviations or mistakes can be immediately detected and corrected on the spot. The ability to correct issues early, before they are discovered after completion and become major rework, is a major advantage.

For example, in rebar placement work, mistakes in the number or spacing of bars—traditionally checked based on skilled workers’ experience—can be spotted at a glance if placement diagrams are displayed in AR. Similarly, positions of pipes and cables that will be buried underground and dimensions of concrete structures can be checked during construction using AR displays. Such continuous quality inspections during construction prevent situations where “it turned out different from the design” only after completion.

AR also proves powerful in as-built inspections and quality records. If the shape of a completed structure is captured as point cloud data or photogrammetry and overlaid with the design model in AR, as-built deviations can be visualized instantly. Heat-map color displays let you immediately see “which areas are higher or lower than the design,” quickly identifying where additional fill or cutting is required. In this way, advanced quality control using AR dramatically improves construction accuracy and consequently reduces rework and costs.

In fact, there are reported cases where AR use significantly reduced rework due to construction mistakes, shortening schedules and cutting costs.

Reason 3: Smoothing communication and consensus building

AR in civil engineering is also a powerful tool to close interpersonal communication gaps. Construction sites involve many stakeholders—clients, contractors, designers, and site workers—and each can easily form different impressions from drawings and documents. Sharing the completed image and construction process on site via AR means everyone can see the same “actual object” and discuss it, substantially reducing mismatches in understanding. As the saying goes, “seeing is believing”: points that are hard to convey with words or drawings become intuitive.

Main effects of communication enhancement through AR:

• Unifying understanding: Everyone from client to worker can share the same completed image

• Remote consultation: AR images can be shared online, enabling site reviews without travel

• Explaining to non-experts: People who cannot read drawings can intuitively understand and reach agreement more easily

Especially in large projects or works involving new technologies, smooth explanation and consultation with clients and authorities is crucial. By showing a completed model created in AR directly on site or sharing AR footage with remote parties, the time required to reach consensus can be greatly shortened. Explaining while sharing the future structure visible through a tablet makes hard-to-understand points obvious. You can also hold meetings with distant clients online based on AR models, reducing the need for site visits.

AR is also effective in resident briefings. Projecting a planned road or bridge on site lets residents easily imagine the post-construction landscape and safety measures, which helps alleviate concerns and questions and makes it easier to gain understanding and cooperation for the project. These communication benefits also contribute to improved site morale and trust building between organizations. AR becomes a bridge between the site and the office, between technical and non-technical people, creating an environment where everyone can move toward the same goal.

Reason 4: Strengthening safety

AR technology is a strong ally for safety management on construction sites. By simulating the operating areas of machinery, placement of temporary structures, and worker movement paths in AR in advance, you can identify interference and collision risks ahead of time. Hazard prediction activities that were conventionally done on 2D drawings become more intuitive and accurate through AR’s three-dimensional displays. For example, you can check the swing radius of a crane and the layout of the material storage area in AR to ensure there is no overlap with obstacles or restricted zones. Eliminating safety concerns at the planning stage reduces near-misses during work and directly contributes to accident prevention.

AR is also used in safety education and training. Recreating hazardous tasks in a virtual space allows workers to safely experience simulations of failures or accidents, which is a major advantage. For instance, letting workers virtually experience the consequences of a mistake in high-altitude procedures via AR raises their sensitivity to danger. Training programs that recreate past accident cases in AR so trainees can learn key safety measures are emerging. For young engineers, learning in a form closer to real experience than classroom theory is effective for raising safety awareness and skill proficiency.

Furthermore, AR devices enable visualization of hazardous areas. Construction sites often have hidden hazards—underground utilities, fall-risk zones for work at height, blind spots of heavy machinery—but AR can make such potential dangers visible, for example:

• Positions of pipes and cables buried underground

• Boundary lines of fall-risk areas for high-altitude work

• Swing radii of large machinery and blind spots from operator seats

Sharing these hazard details in advance promotes site-wide safety awareness and helps prevent accidents caused by careless mistakes. AR technology serves as the final push in safety management, reducing human error and supporting sites aiming for “zero accidents.”

Reason 5: Human resource development and future outlook

With population decline and aging advancing in the construction industry, human resource development and skill transfer are major challenges. AR adoption is effective in this area as well. By visualizing veterans’ knowledge and know-how as AR content and passing it to young workers, previously tacit skills can become an organizational asset. For example, showing guidance marks for the tacit “key points” that only experienced workers previously understood by feel enables novices to follow correct procedures without hesitation. This can be viewed as an enhancement of on-the-job training (OJT) and will improve the efficiency of site education.

Moreover, incorporating cutting-edge technology on site helps motivate younger workers. For digital-native generations, working in an environment familiar with smartphones and XR technologies is attractive. Companies that proactively use new technologies, free from old customs, can appeal as “advanced” employers in recruitment. For skilled laborers at the site, AR’s potential to reduce physical and mental burdens is welcomed as part of work-style reform. The increasing availability of intuitive AR systems means even those not comfortable with digital tools can learn to operate them without resistance.

Main human-resource benefits of AR adoption:

• Efficient skill transfer: Share experienced workers’ tacit knowledge and raise organizational technical capabilities

• Retention and development of young talent: Use of new technologies boosts motivation and makes the industry more attractive

• Promotion of work-style reform: Reduce heavy labor burdens and enable smarter site operations through digitalization

Finally, the future outlook also makes AR adoption meaningful. Initiatives like the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s *i-Construction* and CIM (Construction Information Modeling) emphasize active use of 3D data and feedback to site. AR is precisely the bridge technology to apply those 3D design data on site. As positioning technologies and device performance continue to improve and “smart construction” linked with digital twins and AI becomes widespread, AR will likely become the new norm in construction. Pursuing AR now means taking the lead in future site DX. Companies that accumulate know-how early can differentiate themselves in productivity and safety and gain trust and higher evaluation from clients. Introducing AR in civil engineering is an investment in the future and a key to strengthening competitiveness.

Introducing AR technology is not necessarily difficult. For example, by combining a smartphone with a high-precision GNSS for simple surveying using LRTK, anyone can easily perform on-site positioning and as-built checks with AR. We have entered an era where one person with one smartphone can handle surveying to AR without specialized equipment. With such technologies emerging, even small companies and sites can adopt AR at low cost and quickly without large initial investments. Start by trying AR on small sites or limited tasks and experience the effects for yourself.

FAQ

Q: What is the difference between AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality)? A: AR (augmented reality) overlays digital information onto real-world scenes, allowing users to refer to information while viewing the actual site. VR (virtual reality), on the other hand, immerses the user completely in a virtual space. On construction sites, AR is suitable for overlaying designs and guides onto the actual site, whereas VR is used for reviewing construction plans and conducting safety training in a virtual environment.

Q: What equipment and preparations are needed to use AR on site? A: Basically, you can start by installing an AR-capable application on devices such as smartphones or tablets. For high-precision AR displays on outdoor sites, combining positioning capabilities such as RTK-GNSS, which is more precise than standard GPS, enables accurate positioning on the order of several centimeters (cm level accuracy; half-inch accuracy). Also, having 3D design data (BIM/CIM models, etc.) is very useful as material to display in AR. It is advisable to start with a small model or simple area and gradually expand use.

Q: I’m worried about the cost and effort of introducing AR. Can small companies adopt it? A: The barriers to AR adoption have fallen significantly in recent years. Even without expensive specialized equipment, many cases start with a standard smartphone, a compatible app, and, if needed, a small GNSS receiver. Depending on the software and service, cloud-based AR platforms with monthly subscriptions are available, allowing introduction with low initial investment. We recommend trial implementation tailored to your needs. By verifying effects on small sites and expanding step by step, you can advance AR utilization without strain.

Q: Can older site workers handle AR? A: Many AR systems are designed with intuitive operation in mind and can be used with simple actions like pointing a phone camera or tapping the screen. Because users operate while viewing the actual object on site, even those unfamiliar with IT tend to find AR easy to understand. In practice, there have been cases where veteran workers initially hesitant later embraced AR once they recognized its convenience. The key is to provide clear initial explanation and support, but once they experience the benefits, AR can be adopted regardless of age.

Q: Are there examples or achievements of AR in civil engineering within Japan? A: Yes—AR technology has already been used in several sites. Major construction companies have developed proprietary AR apps and trialed them in tunnel and bridge projects. For example, in one road widening project, AR glasses were linked with surveying equipment and an over-200 m (656.2 ft) intersection improvement project successfully overlaid the design model on site with about 5 mm (0.20 in) accuracy. In another building renovation project, AR was used to visualize equipment piping in the ceiling space, enabling interference checks in previously unseen areas and reducing rework. National and local governments are also promoting the sharing of advanced cases and guideline development, and practical use of AR in civil engineering is expected to expand further.

Q: Can AR technology be used under any site conditions? A: AR is often used outdoors, but with appropriate measures it can be adapted to various environments. Outdoors, GPS and GNSS can be used for accurate positioning, but in environments where satellite signals do not reach, such as inside tunnels or buildings, AR displays using QR code markers or SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) techniques are considered. For nighttime work, high-brightness displays or markers for low-light conditions can be used. As device performance and software evolve, AR systems that operate stably even under severe weather or in dusty conditions are expected to appear.