Toyota’s forklift division is adopting AI technology developed by VIA Technologies to increase the safety of its forklift trucks The AI can detect people in the truck’s path, driver fatigue, and potential distractions for the driver.

Toyota Material Handling Taiwan (TMHT), the biggest producer of forklift trucks in the world, found that its customers’ workplaces have become more strained over the past two years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, there is a growing need for more effective forklift safety. To reduce injuries and fatalities involving forklifts in the manufacturing and logistics sectors, TMHT is introducing VIA’s Mobile360 Forklift Safety System.

The Mobile360 system sends real-time alerts to the driver when someone steps within a hazardous distance of the vehicle, preventing pedestrian accidents in complex working environments.

The VIA Mobile360 Forklift Safety System is available in a 2PD (People Detection) + DSS (Driver Safety System) configuration. With its front and rear PD cameras, the system automatically warns the driver when it detects someone too close to the vehicle. Depending on the camera installation height, it supports a 60° – 120° people detection zone covering an area of between 4 and 5 meters. The VIA Mobile360 WorkX app makes calibrating the cameras and setting up a choice of single or dual alerts fast and convenient.

Huang Mingjen, General Manager of TMHT, said: “In 2021 TOYOTA Industries Corporation was the leader of the global forklift market with a 28.44% share – more than double that of its closest competitor. Customer trust in the quality of TOYOTA Industrial products is our core value, along with an unwavering commitment to continuously improving customer safety operations. The partnership with VIA enables us to realise our fundamental goal of creating a safer people-centric operational environment.”

Epan Wu, General Manager of the VIA Intelligent Solutions Division, said: “TOYOTA Industries is the number one forklift manufacturer in the world, and we are delighted to be partnering with TMHT in the Taiwan market. The VIA Mobile360 Forklift Safety System enables enterprises to adopt a proactive approach to improving worksite safety. With its pinpoint detection capabilities, the system reduces the risk of employee injuries, cuts enterprise insurance and legal costs, and potential losses from operational disruptions.”

The VIA Mobile360 system includes smart people detection. The system’s wide-angle cameras support a people detection zone covering an area of between 4 and 5 meters depending on the camera installation height. The detection area and accompanying alerts can be configured with either single (warning) or two zones (warning and critical) using the VIA Mobile360 WorkX smartphone app.

The system also includes a Driver Safety System, or DSS. The DSS alerts the operator when it detects signs of fatigue, smartphone usage, and smoking through the driver camera. The system can also provide live video streams from the front and rear cameras direct to its optional 7” in-cabin CVBS display. Real-time visual alerts for people detection are also included in its user-friendly interface.