A Simpler, Easier Approach

One thing we heard directly from members was that knowing where to start could be a challenge. They had a task in mind, but figuring out how to get GEORGE to help wasn’t always obvious. That feedback became an important part of the direction for 3.0.

GEORGE 3.0 is here, and making it easier to get to work is a big part of this release.

Part of the inspiration comes from the office suites many of us use on our computers: different tools, each with a purpose, brought together in a familiar place. GEORGE’s home screen puts its tools in front of you by name, with filters for safety, analysis, training, and communication. You can open an assistant directly and choose how you want to use it.

Mode selection puts the most common uses for these tools within easy reach, so you can jump into the task you came to do. Choose a mode, and GEORGE gives you a starting point for that work. The classic chat experience is still available in most cases, so you can also ask questions and work through a task in conversation.

Recent Projects gives you a place to return to earlier work. You can reopen a conversation and continue it when you have more information or need to revisit the subject.

The GEORGE App And What’s Ahead

This is what building technology for and by the masonry industry looks like in practice. We began work on the system that became GEORGE almost five years ago. Contractors bring us problems. Users tell us what makes sense and what needs work. We take the technology into classrooms, meetings, and jobsites, then keep developing it around what we learn.

That work has taken us into an OSHA conference room with an actual masonry sample wall and scanning equipment, and onto a Baltimore jobsite to demonstrate our technology for OSHA leadership. We’ve had the opportunity to show what we’re building, explain why it matters to masonry, and discuss where it could go next.

HEARTH grew out of that same willingness to tackle a problem. During a meeting in North Carolina, OSHA leadership challenged us to develop a solution to the proposed heat rule, which we believed was oppressive and unreasonable. That challenge helped give rise to our patent-pending HEARTH system, including predictive break recommendations customized to the individual wearer.