In the past, conventional forklifts required an operator to complete handling tasks. However, as companies face labor shortages and high labor costs, unmanned forklifts (intelligent handling robots) are becoming the new favorite in the handling industry.

What is an unmanned forklift (intelligent handling robot)?

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An unmanned forklift is an automatic driving forklift without a driver. To achieve automated operations, unmanned forklifts need to have multiple functions, such as navigation, obstacle avoidance, cargo recognition, and automatic fork picking. Among these, navigation is the key to the autonomous movement of unmanned forklifts. In short, unmanned forklifts must first familiarize themselves with the external environment and create a complete map to 'understand' the environment.

How to achieve environmental awareness?

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Currently, common navigation methods for unmanned forklifts on the market include: QR code navigation, reflective board navigation, and 2D SLAM navigation. The first two methods identify through scanning and reflection principles, while 2D SLAM navigation uses single-line laser radar for environmental recognition.

Why have unmanned forklifts not been widely adopted yet?

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The main reason is that in complex outdoor environments, 2D SLAM navigation can only detect environmental information on a two-dimensional plane, with limited environmental feature information, unstable positioning, and inability to adapt to complex indoor and outdoor environments, especially outdoor environments. Additionally, the methods of pasting QR codes and setting up reflective boards are complex to deploy, take a long time, are prone to problems, and have high maintenance costs. If large-scale deployment is needed, the costs of these two technical solutions will become very high.

So, how can these problems be solved? The emergence of laser radar 3D SLAM positioning and navigation technology addresses the above issues.

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3D laser radar, as the main sensor, integrates data from various sensors such as laser radar, inertial measurement units (IMU), odometers, and global positioning systems (GPS) with the support of high-performance processors to achieve environmental mapping and precise positioning. There is no need to deploy any auxiliary equipment in the environment; a multi-line laser radar can complete high-precision three-dimensional environmental mapping over more than a million square meters, possessing rich environmental feature information and stable positioning capabilities. 3D laser radar has excellent light interference resistance, suitable for various indoor and outdoor scenarios, and can operate stably both day and night. This technology perfectly solves the problems of being unusable outdoors, complex deployment, and high costs, making it an ideal choice for the unmanned forklift industry.

By introducing laser radar 3D SLAM positioning and navigation technology, unmanned forklifts have taken an important step towards achieving automated operations. This technology addresses the challenges faced by traditional navigation methods and provides a feasible solution for the large-scale application of unmanned forklifts.

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With the popularization of 3D SLAM unmanned forklifts, companies can enjoy numerous benefits. First, 3D SLAM unmanned forklifts can improve work efficiency, reduce labor costs, and achieve automated handling and logistics operations. Second, 3D SLAM unmanned forklifts have high-precision positioning and navigation capabilities, allowing them to operate safely and accurately in complex environments, reducing the risk of accidents. In addition, 3D SLAM unmanned forklifts can operate continuously for 24 hours, unaffected by time and fatigue, further improving production efficiency.

With continuous technological advancements and the expansion of application scenarios, 3D SLAM unmanned forklifts will become an important support in the fields of industrial automation and logistics. They will play a role in warehousing, manufacturing, logistics, and other areas, bringing a more efficient and safer working environment, creating greater value for enterprises.