Danaher Motion and Sky-Trax Provide World's First AGV-Forklift Collision Avoidance System

Danaher Motion formed a strategic alliance with Sky-Trax to jointly develop and market the world's first indoor collision avoidance system for industrial vehicles.

The technology is expected to address the growing number of accident that AGV's incur when struck by free roaming forklifts and other mobile industrial equipment. By design, AGV's are precise in execution of instructions. The random nature of free-roaming vehicles can cause concern for AGV damage and safety. The new system can improve overall AGV route planning thanks to the knowledge of forklift truck locations.

Users will have their AGVs, forklift trucks and other free roaming or guided vehicles equipped with the Sky-Trax Indoor Positioning System (IPS). IPS determines each vehicles precise position and instantaneously broadcasts it to other vehicles in order to forewarn drivers of impending collisions.

According to Danaher Motion's press release, the capital costs of repairing or replacing AGV's disabled by collision are typically dwarfed by supply chain distribution to warehouse operations.