Autonomous forklift
Before autonomous vehicles drive on our streets, they will operate in freezing plants, warehouses, wholesale outlets and shipment centres. Łódź-based Inovatica has been developing an upgrading set for the autonomous forklift (AFL).
A forklift, which used in thousands of companies for transporting goods, can be transformed into an autonomous vehicle. The upgrading set consists of an on-board computer with software and laser sensors. ‘Laser sensors help the forklift to find its way. At the same time, sensors are a part of the safety system. If a person approaches the forklift, the vehicle slows down or stops. We “teach” the forklift how to avoid obstacles and move pallets with goods to specific locations,’ says Wojciech Młynarczyk, Inovatica’s Technical Director and shareholder.
The development of the solution would not be possible without external funding. ‘The scale of the investment in the development of the technology exceeded the capacity of a small company like ours. The EU turned out to be one of the best sources of R&D funding,’ says Bogumił Zięba, the President of Board at Inovatica.
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- Solution would not be possible if it was not for the external support
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- Upgrade set consists of a computer and software and laser sensors
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- Forklift can be converted to an autonomous vehicle
Simple and maintenance free Simplicity is the main advantage of the upgrading set. Engineers who developed the idea would like the AFL to start operating independently within an hour after its introduction to a new plant. In the future, artificial intelligence algorithms should enable the AFL to learn operations itself.
Considering the shortage of operators on the market, the introduction of the AFL is expected to reduce demand for labour rather than deprive people of their jobs. ‘A study visit to a freezing plant was the main inspiration for us as we could see ourselves operators working in such severe conditions. Machines do not suffer because of low temperatures and the AFL can successfully replace a human there,’ added owners of the company.
Project: Autonomous forklifts Project cost: approx. PLN 4.27 million, including approx. PLN 3.24 million from the European Regional Development Fund, Łódzkie Regional Programme