The Fraunhofer Application Center in Zwickau, a branch of the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS, wants to reduce internal transport accidents with industrial trucks with special optical sensors. "Our system is designed to protect the user from crushing injuries, especially in the foot area," explains Prof. Dr. Peter Hartmann, head of the Fraunhofer Application Center. The proximity sensor receives distance information from laser pulses that reflect off obstacles. It thus detects when the operator is too close to a vehicle and brakes it.
The system combines information from multiple spatial directions and continuously monitors a fan-shaped area around the pallet truck. The pallet truck reverses when a certain distance is exceeded - this is a unique feature of the new safety technology, which has been tested by employees at BASF. It can be used in almost all transport vehicles and is particularly interesting for autonomously driving transport vehicles.