Bosch launches new multi-camera system to improve safety in intralogistics

Bosch launches new collision warning system to reduce accidents resulting in personal injury and involving forklift trucks.

According to data from the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), more than 12,500 accidents resulting in personal injury and involving forklift trucks were reported in 2018 alone. In one third of forklift accidents, the person injured was the driver; and in 42 percent of cases, the accident victim was hit, crushed, or run over by a forklift.

The collision warning system comprises four compact near-range cameras and a control unit that creates an all-around view of the vehicle’s surroundings and displays this to the forklift driver on a monitor. Bosch presented the first generation of the multi-camera system for forklifts, which was designed purely as a view assist solution, at the LogiMAT trade show in 2019.

The function enhancement now warns the forklift driver about any stationary or moving objects in the vehicle’s immediate surroundings. The alert can, for instance, take the form of a clearly discernible colored area overlaid onto the picture of the vehicle surroundings displayed on the monitor.

In order to enhance the capabilities of the system and develop the view assist function into an effective collision warning system, Bosch analyzed the data from in-depth market research and consulted recognized experts in this field, like those at the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the Trade and Logistics Industry (BGHW).