My name is Wiima, I’m 21 and in my final year of a Construction Management (Honours) degree at Western Sydney University, majoring in Quantity Surveying. I was born in Ethiopia and grew up in Australia. I enjoy playing sports, especially football, and going to the gym. Travelling and taking trips are also things I really enjoy whenever I get the chance. At the moment, I’m working on my Honours thesis, which looks at how new technologies are being used in construction.

Wiima Yohannes

 

The construction industry is experiencing a big shift with new technologies like drones, AI-driven defect detection, IoT sensors, and mobile inspection platforms starting to change the way inspections are done. These Remote and Automated Construction Inspection Technologies (RACITs) promise safer sites, more accurate reporting, and faster inspections, but adoption in the Australian industry has been slow. Cost, unclear regulations, privacy concerns, and a lack of training are all barriers that stop wider adoption. My research project, Understanding Stakeholder Acceptance and Adoption Barriers of Remote and Automated Inspection Technologies in the Australian Construction Industry, focuses on how people in the industry actually see and experience these technologies. Using the UTAUT framework, I’m exploring factors like performance, ease of use, trust, risk, and job relevance. The aim is to capture real experiences from professionals and turn that into practical recommendations to help the industry adopt these tools more effectively. Ethics approval for this project was obtained under the umbrella project H15688, with clearance granted in 2025. Since then, I have started recruitment through LinkedIn and industry contacts. So far, three interviews have been completed with construction professionals, giving early insights into how people view remote and automated inspections. Even at this early stage, common themes are already standing out — efficiency, accuracy, and safety as clear benefits, but also concerns around trust, training, and technical risk. By combining these insights with further interviews and surveys, this project will provide a clearer picture of what’s holding back adoption and what can help move the industry forward.