Starting the excavator simulator, a bulky mechanical chair, is more involved than pressing a button to turn on a PlayStation 4. Before the virtual vehicle starts moving, Mr. Henry said, you have to turn a key, increase the throttle speed, engage the hydraulic lock and, yes, buckle your seatbelt. “I was on the excavator and digging a trench, and I got stuck a little bit, and it jerks you like you’re stuck,” Mr. Henry said. “You actually feel the chair moving when you pull the dirt.” The Nevada chapter installed loader and excavator simulators at its headquarters last fall to promote an industry that was hollowed out by the recession, and where regional competition for workers now includes a major Tesla battery plant. Using a simulator means the group does not have to take an actual machine out of service, find a suitable location to operate it or pay for the diesel fuel, said Craig Madole, the chapter’s chief executive. Each simulator cost about $80,000. The excavator, which has three screens, can also be used with an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, which produces a 360-degree outdoor canvas. Two pedals operate the tracks, and joysticks move the boom and open the bucket. Mr. Henry said his experience — he has spent about seven hours on the simulators — had persuaded him to pursue a career working with heavy machinery. That is music to the ears of construction veterans who have been delivering a refrain in unison: A nationwide emphasis on college education has stigmatized the industry, they say, even though its careers offer competitive salaries without the need of an advanced degree. The median salary for construction equipment operators was $46,990 in May 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
US construction companies are turning to simulators, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology to attract younger workers and turn around the sector's labour shortage. The industry is also looking at ways of improving productivity by using artificial intelligence (AI) in its manufacturing processes.