Trimble is an immersive technology company and mixed reality (MR) vendor that works with Microsoft to deliver the XR10, an enterprise-grade industrial solution based on the powerful HoloLens 2 headset.
Additionally, Trimble is developing Fieldlink MR as a cloud-based tool for architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) teams that deploys 3D digital twins technology to help field crews visualize construction data through the Trimble XR10 for Hololens 2 mixed-reality solution. The system directs the user accurately to each point during the layout process on a construction site.
The Sunnyvale-based firm also offers Trimble Connect, which adds crucial remote collaboration tools and new ways to manage 3D assets like computer-aided designs.
Earlier this month, Trimble partnered with the Training Center for Construction at CAMPUS SURSEE in Switzerland to open a Trimble Technology Lab.
The labs focus on Trimble’s construction and geospatial portfolios to give students the skills needed to become construction machine operators, supervisors, or general managers. Later this year, Trimble will take the stage in Las Vegas, Nevada, for its annual Dimensions+ conference from November 7 to 9.
The news comes as rival firms such as Autodesk aim to expand its solutions after acquiring The Wild, leading to increased collaborative and immersive capabilities for professionals in the AEC industry.
To dive deeper into its portfolio, XR Today spoke with Trimble’s XR Lead EMEA and UK Regional Sales Manager, Luke Bottomley, and Public Relations manager Cas Heuvelmans.
XR Today: How is Trimble creating the future of work, or in other words, Industry 4.0?
Luke Bottomley: We develop and manufacture technology solutions for various industries, like transport & logistics, agriculture, construction, and geospatial.
The common thread is bridging the gap between the physical and the digital world. That plays nicely into what we do with augmented reality (AR) and MR solutions, and it is probably the best example of the Trimble mission statement.
We have got two hardware products in the XR portfolio, alongside our BYO device, Trimble Connect AR software. SiteVision pairs a GNSS receiver with a smartphone to use satellite positioning, alongside AR, to accurately position model data in the real world. We aim SiteVision at civil construction and infrastructure.
Then we have another solution aimed at building construction based on the Microsoft HoloLens 2, called the XR10, which is essentially a custom version of Microsoft HoloLens 2. We have an exclusive partnership with Microsoft to develop and manufacture our solution based on that device.
If you go to the Microsoft store, you will see three versions of the Hololens 2: The standard, the industrial edition, and then the Trimble site certified version. We have come up with a custom-built solution aimed at the construction market, so the XR10 offers all of the benefits and the functionality of the HoloLens 2 whilst providing the user with the impact, electrical and eye protection requirements of safety controlled environments.
XR Today: As a strategic partner, could you explain the processes and the relationship between Trimble and Microsoft?
Luke Bottomley: It is more strategic in speeding up and furthering the digitization of the construction industry.
Talking about XR specifically, we partnered with Microsoft right from the earliest days of the HoloLens and started developing Trimble Connect for HoloLens v1 – the first incarnation of the HoloLens device. The XR10 & Trimble Connect AR/MR software represent an advanced stage of that partnership.
XR Today: Can you introduce FieldLink MR and Trimble Connect?
Luke Bottomley: We announced FieldLink MR in January and are still at the beta testing stage. Essentially, it represents the coming together of two key elements from our portfolio, leveraging the power of visualization and the context of using AR/MR.
We can achieve a very high level of accuracy using robotic total stations paired with FieldLink; this is a nice matching of the two technologies to maximize the benefits of AR/MR and our layout technology portfolio.
Trimble Connect is our cloud collaboration platform and a common data environment for primarily sharing BIM data. Also, the platform is for managing and sharing building project data so that the relevant information is at the fingertips of anyone across a project lifecycle.
The benefit is accessing this platform on virtually any device [such as] desktops, web browsers, or mobile tablets that support XR, without necessarily needing any specialist dedicated equipment or training to access that data.
XR Today: What are the goals of the Trimble tech lab in Switzerland?
Cas Heuvelmans: I’ve been to the Switzerland lab; it is all about teaching. The Swiss one at CAMPUS SURSEE is a bit different from the other ones, which are all related to higher education. This one [at CAMPUS SURSEE] is more of a trade school, where people can get certifications for specific technologies and get basic training.
#TrimbleProud to have established another Trimble Tech Lab at CAMPUS SURSEE’s Training Center for Construction. The lab will provide hands-on training, focused on supporting critical upskilling for current industry professionals in Switzerland.
Read more: https://t.co/RKndVSPBod pic.twitter.com/AqxqcKDtWE
— Trimble Inc. (@TrimbleCorpNews) March 22, 2022
For us, it puts our technology in the hands of students to familiarise our workflows and systems. For schools, it’s a way to get the students hands-on with the latest technologies.
Also, we are opening three technology labs in the Nordics. We’ve got one in the UK, a number of them in the US and Canada, one in France, and one in Germany. So, we are really on the strategy to open up more of these labs across the globe.
