The era of handling robots has arrived!

AI intelligent technology is being comprehensively advanced in all industries, replacing humans in doing some simple tasks. The same is true in the field of forklifts. Due to the various drawbacks of manual operation of forklifts, intelligent handling robots are gradually stepping onto the historical stage.According to statistics from the Special Equipment Safety Supervision Bureau of the State Administration for Market Regulation, from 2015 to 2019, a total of 221 accidents involving special motor vehicles within the premises occurred across the country, resulting in 209 deaths and 44 injuries, with an accident fatality rate as high as 94.57%. Most forklift accidents are caused by human factors. For instance, unlicensed operation, working while ill, excessive speed, overloading, mixed loading of people and goods, and illegal handling of dangerous chemicals, among many other human factors, have become the main culprits causing deaths in forklift accidents. To minimize forklift accidents to the greatest extent, the operation of intelligent handling robots might be the best solution.

Unmanned operation is an inevitabletrend In recent years, influenced by external factors such as factoryintelligence and rising labor costs, traditional logistics work that relied onmanual transportation is gradually showing a trend of transformation anddevelopment from specialization to automation and intelligence. The mostnotable manifestation is the rapid increase in the demand for the handling ofhighly flexible automated equipment in factory internal logistics and logisticswarehousing. Intelligent material handling robots are also a very popular product at present.

According to the data from the China Mobile Robot (AGV) Industry Alliance and the statistics from the New Strategy Mobile Robot Industry Research Institute, the sales volume of intelligent handling robots in China exceeded 1,500 units in 2018, and the sales volume of forklift mobile robots (including visual navigation) in China reached 5,000 units in 2020, representing a year-on-year growth of 233% compared to 2018. It can be seen from this that the development of intelligent handling robots in the forklift field is currently in an upward stage. Many forklift manufacturers have noticed this major trend in the industry and have begun to produce intelligent handling robots one after another. However, although they are all intelligent handling robots, there are significant differences in their levels of intelligence. Some intelligent material handling robots have insufficient precision in laser scanning and have requirements for environmental setup, thus having significant limitations in application. Some intelligent material handling robots cannot plan their routes well, which leads to the need for manual intervention and control during vehicle operation, seriously affecting the efficiency of use. Some intelligent material handling robots can be remotely controlled, but one remote control can only be connected to one forklift. Operating several forklifts simultaneously at the same site will bring many inconveniences to the operation of forklifts.

The problems existing in the field ofintelligent material handling robots mentioned above have been successfullysolved by BYD forklifts. This is because BYD forklifts not only made earlylayouts but also have very strong R&D and innovation capabilities. Bycontinuously expanding the technology of its products, it enables intelligentmaterial handling robots to adapt to more material handling scenarios and harshmaterial handling environments. Journalists have learned that in October 2018,at the Singapore Industrial Expo, BYD and ST Engineering signed a cooperationagreement, deciding to carry out in-depth cooperation in the field of unmannedforklift driving. In November of the same year, BYD forklifts launched a seriesof intelligent handling robots integrating intelligent technologies at CeMATASIA.

Nowadays, BYD's intelligent materialhandling robots have launched corresponding products in the fields of warehousematerial handling robots, counterbalanced material handling robots and towedmaterial handling robots. Take warehouse-type handling robots as an example.Byd has launched a forward-looking handling robot. This product uses lidar todetect the scene and obstacles, creates a real-time map and corrects the robot's position, which can effectively plan the trajectory to avoid obstacles.In terms of safety assurance, through non-contact safety design, laserscanners, ultrasonic waves, etc. are utilized, either individually or incombination, to identify surrounding obstacles and conduct long-distancedetection. According to different actual application scenarios, various optionssuch as safety control, speed monitoring, and emergency stop are provided forforklifts to enhance safety performance. The product enhances the safety ofrobot operation to a greater extent through sound and light alarms, warninghorns, warning lights and other means. When the robot comes into contact withan obstacle, it will automatically stop and has the function of touch edgecollision. In addition, multiple forward-reach handling robots can becontrolled through a remote control, which greatly improves the controlefficiency and reduces labor costs. In terms of dispatching, it is capable ofmonitoring and grasping the on-site operation status of all robots, andproviding real-time feedback on vehicle status information. And arrange thetask distribution reasonably according to the task level; The open systemintegration function provides customized interface services.

At present, some forklift enterprisesbelieve that the technology of intelligent handling robots has entered a windowperiod for future development. So much so that some insiders have analyzed thatintelligent handling robots may become the standard configuration productsmainly promoted by forklift manufacturers in the near future.

Byd's intelligent material handling robots are more efficient, stable, accurate and safe than ordinary forklift drivers.Because the product is equipped with multiple protective devices such asemergency contact safety devices, automatic alarm devices, emergency stopbutton devices and object detectors, it can prevent injury to workers anddamage to inventory, other equipment and buildings, and reduce work risks.Byd's intelligent material handling robots strictly follow the prescribedroutes. When there are obstacles or pedestrians on the driving route, they willautomatically stop or actively avoid them, which can reduce the collision anddamage related to material handling, ensure that the materials are transportedintact to the designated location, and greatly reduce the uncertainty broughtby manual forklift operation. Not only that, BYD's intelligent materialhandling robots also have a very significant advantage in cost savings. It canwork continuously for 24 hours. It has greatly enhanced work efficiency andreduced personnel input. Relevant data shows that the application of BYD'sintelligent material handling robots can reduce in-warehouse costs by 30% andincrease gross profits by 7%. In addition, through the monitoring system, thelocation and operation status of each forklift can be seen. At the same time,instructions can be issued to direct the operation and work of the forklifts.One person can achieve the dispatching and use of multiple forklifts, savingmanpower. Byd's intelligent material handling robot can make full use of theexisting space and site. The route and channel Settings are flexible, and ithas strong anti-interference ability. Dust, noise, and small objects on thefloor cannot interfere with the material handling work. If a large object isencountered, it will activate the safety insurance device and brake thematerial handling vehicle or start the automatic obstacle avoidance function.This ensures that the unmanned forklifts operate continuously and reliably, andwill not cause large-scale shutdowns. It is suitable for large-scaleoperations, multiple vehicles traveling simultaneously, automatic avoidance,precise and standardized goods placement, and meets the automation, continuityand flexibility requirements of production in different application scenarios.Byd's intelligent material handling robots will not merely be abouttransporting goods to designated locations. Instead, they will integrate 5Gtechnology, big data, the Internet, cloud computing and other technologies intothe product design, making the intelligent material handling robots a new typeof intelligent industrial equipment with multiple functions such as real-timesensing, safety recognition, multiple obstacle avoidance, intelligentdecision-making and automatic execution.