Forklifts are the core transportation equipment in warehousing and logistics.

Challenges such as frequent reversing, blind spots, and narrow passageways,

This makes collision accidents a significant safety risk in forklift operations.

Millimeter-wave radar, with its advantages of all‑day, all‑weather operation and high‑precision sensing,

It is becoming an important component of forklift active safety systems.

Challenges in Forklift Obstacle-Avoidance Warning and Indoor/Outdoor Speed-Limit Management 

On the one hand, forklifts frequently perform reversing maneuvers—up to 200–300 times per day—while facing significant blind spots and substantial braking inertia, resulting in a high risk of collisions.

On the other hand, indoor operations impose speed limits on forklifts, yet conventional speed‑limiting methods rely on manual activation by the operator, which can easily be overlooked during busy work cycles, posing challenges to safety management.

An Active Safety Solution for Forklifts Based on Millimeter-Wave Radar 

1. 270° omnidirectional obstacle avoidance 

Four 120° radars are deployed on the left and right sides of the forklift, with one integrated radar‑lidar unit mounted at the rear. The system is equipped with a display screen and audible‑visual alarms, enabling 270° all‑around monitoring and supporting a three‑level personnel‑sensing protection mechanism:

· 10–20 m voice alarm (green zone): The system activates a voice alert to notify the driver of nearby pedestrian activity.

· 5–10 m automatic speed limiting (yellow zone): The system sends a speed‑limiting command to the controller, reducing the forklift’s operating speed.

· Automatic emergency braking from 0 to 5 m (red zone): The system activates emergency braking to bring the vehicle to a complete stop, preventing collisions.

2. Automatic speed limit, indoor and outdoor 

The radar is mounted on the forklift’s roof and determines whether the vehicle is operating indoors or outdoors by detecting environmental features above the cab. When the vehicle enters an indoor area, the radar sends an environmental signal to the controller, which then activates deceleration control.

Success Stories 

Case 1: 270° Surround-View Monitoring for Obstacle Avoidance 

By deploying four AFM711 dual‑wide‑angle radars and one RVF721 radar‑video integrated unit, the system achieves 270° all‑around perception of people, vehicles, and objects within a 20‑meter range. It supports a three‑tier active safety mechanism—voice alerts, automatic speed limiting, and automatic emergency braking—helping customers reduce collision accidents by more than 80%.

Case 2: Indoor and Outdoor Automatic Speed Limiting Application

It employs a single AFM711 dual‑wide‑angle radar that detects indoor and outdoor conditions and, in conjunction with the controller, automatically enforces speed limits—eliminating the need for manual intervention, effectively reducing speeding risks, and enhancing safety management across logistics parks.

Nanoradar Automotive Radar Product Family 

Nanoradar’s six models of automotive radar offer a detection range of 20–170 meters, performing reliably in adverse conditions such as rain, snow, and fog, and enabling all‑day, all‑weather sensing. They deliver point‑cloud data at 1,200 points per frame, with a compact footprint of just 40 × 40 mm, and support multiple interfaces including serial, CAN, and RS‑485, facilitating seamless integration for customers.