At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we once again have to repeat that augmented reality is coming to engineering and in a big way. Recently, we have been talking about how the Microsoft Hololens could factor into engineering industries, specifically in construction. Now, engineering firm, Aecom, has confirmed our rumors. They will be running a “pilot project” that will see engineers using the “mixed-reality” goggles on construction projects.
Integrating mixed reality into construction sites means that you could see the finished product in front of you, how tall it is going to be, how wide it is going to be, what needs to be secured and will give you an 
idea of what needs to happen before construction begins.
The president of Aecom, Stephen Kadenancy, said: “With this technology we can gain clarity earlier in the design review process than with 2D drawings or 3D models on screen, and team members in different locations, each wearing a headset, can simultaneously explore the same holographic projections.”
The move by the engineering firm shows that there is a need for a holographic engineering design process that would improve a product or even building design before any actual work begins. Aecom will be integrating Trimble software which would allow the engineers to view structures on a table surface in augmented reality.
“Exploring complex structures in a mixed reality environment has a huge potential to accelerate the engineering design process,” said Kadenancy. Perhaps your engineering career could be improved by the use of mixed reality applications, that could root out issues before they arise during the construction process.
Aecom will be testing the Hololens in London, Hong Kong, and Denver, according to V3.
