Yale’s new pedestrian awareness camera supports safety

Yale Lift Truck Technologies has launched a new pedestrian awareness camera solution, the latest addition to the Yale Reliant portfolio of active alert and assist technologies, which are designed to boost operator awareness and help support overall warehouse safety. The pedestrian awareness camera system can accurately identify pedestrians at ranges up to 16ft through a 110deg field of view and provides automatic alerts to the lift truck operator when a pedestrian is detected.

“Operator awareness is a foundational element of lift truck and pedestrian safety, and the Yale Reliant technology portfolio is designed to provide a helping hand for warehouses facing an increasingly transient labour pool and inexperienced lift truck operators,” says Brad Long, global activation manager at Yale Lift Truck Technologies. “We’re continuing to target the challenges of real-world warehouse environments with research and development, and the pedestrian awareness camera solution offers the capability and configurability that real-world warehouse environments need.”

Operations can get the camera system with audible and visual alerts only, or take advantage of a third type of notification with the addition of optional traction alerts. Upon pedestrian detection, a voiceover communicates pedestrian proximity and a light indicates which zone the pedestrian is in on the truck-mounted operator remote. Traction alerts go a step further by automatically and gradually slowing down the lift truck, an effect similar to the operator removing their foot from the accelerator. While the operator remains in ultimate control of the equipment, this deceleration effect is intended to get their attention and encourage action to avoid the detected pedestrian by slowing down, steering away or both.

The pedestrian awareness detection system was developed using extensive amounts of real-world photographic data and adapts to various lighting and environmental conditions. The system is optimized for travel speeds of 5 miles per hour or less, giving operators ample time to identify alerts and react to avoid contact. The camera is mounted to the rear, forks-trailing side of the lift truck, and alerts disengage once the identified pedestrian is no longer in view of the camera.

The pedestrian awareness camera marks the latest addition to the Yale Reliant lineup of operator assist technologies, which take input from the work environment and equipment to alert operators of potential hazards and adjust lift truck performance. The solution initially launched in 2021, and has since accumulated over 24 million hours of run time on more than 8300 units deployed in the field.