Sena Technology, a team communications company, is launching a full-scale demonstration research project with the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology to eliminate communication blind spots at construction sites and innovate safety systems.

Sena said on Jan. 29 it signed a contract with the institute to study ways to develop and commercialise a collaboration efficiency model for construction sites using wireless communications technology.

The key goal is to build a demonstration-based smart safety management and collaboration model by the end of this year by applying Sena’s “Mesh Intercom” technology to construction sites that have relied on one-way communications centred on walkie-talkies.

According to the company, Sena’s Mesh Intercom is an intelligent wireless communications technology that supports “multi-party two-way communications,” allowing multiple workers to talk simultaneously without separate operation. Unlike the existing PTT (Push-To-Talk) method that requires pressing a button to speak, it enables real-time communication as if workers are in the same space.

Through a mesh-structured Mesh Network, connections among remaining personnel are maintained even if a worker leaves the communications range, and it also provides a “self-healing” function that automatically reconnects upon return. The company said this improves worker safety and operational efficiency at construction sites where workers need both hands free.

The institute plans to analyse and verify, from a neutral and public perspective, performance of Sena’s technology in extreme construction environments such as high noise and multiple concurrent tasks. Based on that, it plans to establish guidelines for a “smart construction communications standard” that can replace existing walkie-talkie systems.