Trend Analysis on Adoption of Virtual and Augmented Reality in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industry

Mojtaba Noghabaei, Arsalan Heydarian, Vahid Balali and Kevin Han
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Mojtaba Noghabaei: Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Arsalan Heydarian: Department of Engineering Systems and Environment, Link Lab, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
Vahid Balali: Department of Civil Engineering and Construction Management, California State University, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA
Kevin Han: Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA

Data, 2020, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: With advances in Building Information Modeling (BIM), Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies have many potential applications in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. However, the AEC industry, relative to other industries, has been slow in adopting AR/VR technologies, partly due to lack of feasibility studies examining the actual cost of implementation versus an increase in profit. The main objectives of this paper are to understand the industry trends in adopting AR/VR technologies and identifying gaps within the industry. The identified gaps can lead to opportunities for developing new tools and finding new use cases. To achieve these goals, two rounds of a survey at two different time periods (a year apart) were conducted. Responses from 158 industry experts and researchers were analyzed to assess the current state, growth, and saving opportunities for AR/VR technologies for the AEC industry. The findings demonstrate that older generations are significantly more confident about the future of AR/VR technologies and they see more benefits in AR/VR utilization. Furthermore, the research results indicate that Residential and commercial sectors have adopted these tools the most, compared to other sectors and institutional and transportation sectors had the highest growth from 2017 to 2018. Industry experts anticipated a solid growth in the use of AR/VR technologies in 5 to 10 years, with the highest expectations towards healthcare. Ultimately, the findings show a significant increase in AR/VR utilization in the AEC industry from 2017 to 2018.

Keywords: virtual reality; augmented reality; building information modeling; industry trend; virtual environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C8 C80 C81 C82 C83 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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