NEWS FEATURE
Increased project complexity, rising accuracy and efficiency requirements, and skilled labour shortages – these are just a few of the challenges facing building constructors today. The Leica iCON trades is an automated measurement and layout solution that overcomes these challenges with ease. Here, we take a deeper look at how the technology was developed and what makes it so easy to use.
Today’s building construction businesses must complete more complex projects faster and with fewer errors. Efficiency, accuracy, and simplicity have become daily necessities.
However, traditional manual methods of taking measurements and performing layout tasks on construction sites no longer meet these criteria, creating a demand for more automated and accurate technologies, and digital workflows.
The new Leica iCON trades solution meets this demand using precision technology known from the metrology industry, wrapped in an intuitive, user-friendly design. Tailored for interior finishing, digital templating, and layout tasks, this new technology is speeding up project delivery without compromising accuracy.
How does Leica iCON trades work?
At the core of Leica iCON trades is the vSphere - a white ball with a unique pattern of red dots. These markings enable a sensor to accurately track the vSphere’s orientation, position, and tilt.
The vSphere comes in two different sizes and formats, depending on the application: first, the vPole - a survey pole for laying out larger areas on a construction site; second, the vPen - a pen-sized tool ideal for detailed interior measurements.
The Leica iCON iCS50 sensor automatically tracks the vSphere using a combination of computer vision, artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced sensor fusion. This is based on six degrees of freedom (6DoF) - a tried-and-tested method from industrial measurement, now brought to construction. By knowing the position of the sphere, the sensor can accurately calculate the position of the tip of the vPole or vPen.
This new technology comes with many advantages. Firstly, since the sensor automatically recognises the orientation of the red pattern, users do not have to hold the vPen or vPole perfectly upright. This allows maximum freedom of movement and significantly speeds up the measurement and layout process without sacrificing accuracy.
Secondly, it does not matter if the line of sight to the sensor is suddenly disrupted, which makes a big difference on a busy construction site where lots of people tend to walk through. Lastly, the user can move freely around the site without having to align themselves with the sensor. This is inherently safer than current systems, as it avoids users needing to walk sideways or backwards.
More efficiency and fewer errors through robotic automation
The traditional method of taking interior finishing measurements involves creating physical templates and drawings using a tape measure, paper, and a pen. The data is then transferred manually into a computer-aided design (CAD) system in the office. This is time-consuming, prone to human error, requires more than one person, and is difficult to scale as projects become more complex.
Instead, Leica iCON trades is a robotic solution that automates key steps during measurement to save time and avoid costly mistakes for both large construction firms and small contractors.
During set-up or relocation, the sensor automatically levels and aligns itself using uniquely coded vTargets. The system can even perform automatic line and area scans, significantly reducing manual input and the potential for human error.
Once measurements have been taken, the system creates CAD-compatible files - such as Drawing Exchange Format (DXF) - that can be edited on site, then exported directly to CAD software for further design and production. The result is a solution that just makes sense and feels easy to use.
Rework alone can account for more than
of total project costs
reported difficulties in hiring
What’s more, automating and simplifying measurement processes also helps cut costs and address the skills shortage. It reduces errors, rework, and manual data entry. Rework alone can account for more than 11% of total project costs, according to one study. So, contractors see real cost savings and a faster return on investment when adopting automated solutions like Leica iCON trades.
More broadly, the solution is helping with a wider industry issue. The construction market is facing skilled labour shortages, and in a recent survey of United States (US) construction firms, 94% reported difficulties in hiring. Importantly, the Leica iCON trades solution can be operated by a single person, unlike traditional layout methods. The system is also intuitive and easy to learn, making advanced measurement accessible to a broader range of construction professionals.
Leica iCON trades in action
Since its release, Leica iCON trades has supported a wide variety of users to work smarter, not harder; from interior finishers and kitchen fitters, to professionals working on full-scale building layouts.
An interior measurement services provider in Switzerland, Swissaufmass, reported that measurements are now 20-30% faster than when they used a laser distance metre. We spoke with Urs Bieri, co-owner of the company, while he was measuring a kitchen countertop, backsplash, and angled windowsill for a project in St. Gallen.
For Bieri, the convenience of the solution stands out:
“Besides the vPen and the auto-tracking functions, what I particularly like is that, when you create projects in the software, you can add additional information, like the address, location, and a panoramic image of the site. Once you’re done measuring, you can transmit the data directly through the cloud.”
For Bieri’s business, the Leica iCON trades solution has not only increased efficiency but also improved the quality of work, leading to happier customers.
Another business that recently invested in Leica iCON trades is Officina del Design in Italy. The company specialises in producing bespoke metal staircases for new buildings. Since its end product is highly crafted, it requires high accuracy during the initial survey stage.
An interior measurement services provider in Switzerland, Swissaufmass, reported that measurements are now 20-30% faster than when they used a laser distance metre.
“Leica iCON trades allows us to resolve difficult situations and give the client a customised product that meets a high standard of quality,” said Paola Pedrazzoli, a surveyor at the company. “With the vPen I can measure difficult, hard-to-reach points with high precision, so I can carry out complex surveys quickly. This means I can bring a solid base for our designs back to our office to present to the customer and our designer.”
In one recent example, Pedrazzoli surveyed a spiral staircase. “Neither the designer nor the architect on site thought I’d be able to get it done in such a short time.” For Pedrazzoli and the business, the value of the Leica iCON trades comes from elevated survey quality - it can deliver a more tailored end-product and see the positive impact on customer satisfaction.
The Leica iCON trades is also having a big impact on construction layout, especially in cost and time savings for Amspec, a United Kingdom (UK) building construction services company. For Rickie O’Brien, site manager, efficiency is incredibly important:
“It saves a lot of money for the company. Before, we were using string lines and tape measures, which was taking forever. It was hard work. Or we’d get engineers to come and mark it out for us, which could take days and days to get to that stage. With the Leica iCON trades, one person can do it. You can have a full room set out in a couple of hours, then the fixers can come in behind you and get to work straight away.”
Raising the bar
Leica iCON trades is helping customers like Swissaufmass, Officina del Design, and Amspec work smarter, faster, and with greater confidence - raising the standard for measurement efficiency among their competition. By combining industrial-grade accuracy with intuitive design, we have created a tool that is both powerful and practical.
In the fast-evolving world of construction, Leica iCON trades gives teams the tools they need to save time, cut costs, and exceed customer expectations.
