A virtual forklift training system and a device that can measure small, irregularly shaped items won awards in the Material Handling Institute Innovation Awards.

The Forklift Simulator was named the best new innovation and the CubiScan 25 the best innovation of an existing product in a 25 March awards ceremony during ProMat in Chicago, Illinois.

The Forklift Simulator

The Forklift Simulator, launched by a company with the same name, can train new forklift drivers in a virtual environment before moving on to actual vehicles.

The simulator includes virtual reality headgear that allows the trainee to have a 360-degree view of the training area and an authentic driver's seat and controls.

It can also be customised so that operators will only carry out tasks that will be relevant to the actual worksite.

With the simulator, the trainees can practise procedures in a risk-free environment without actual equipment, lowering both maintenance and training costs.

Andy van den Broeck, one of the founders of the company and its managing partner, says the team that founded the company developed a simulator for a forklift manufacturer in 2011 before launching their own brand.

"We saw it as a good project, so we went out on our own and developed the software further," van den Broeck says. "The first version was a little clumsy. The version we have now, though, is quite easy to work with."

The CubiScan 25

Quantronix won first place for the best innovation of an existing product with its CubiScan 25, which automatically measures and weighs very small, irregularly shaped items. This latest version of CubiScan integrates infrared sensing technology that results in a higher degree of measurement accuracy, both reducing the use of packaging materials and decreasing shipping costs.

It is particularly useful, according to company officials, in the pharmaceutical, beauty aids and book publishing industries.

The new technology can measure objects up to 18 x 12 x 12 in. (45 x 30 x 30 cm) and comes with proprietary software that allows for menu-driven operator controls with a touchscreen interface and data storage capabilities.

Available as accessories are a mobile cart, portable power supply and a handheld barcode scanner.

Quantronix, founded in 1987 and based in Salt Lake City, Utah, designs and manufactures a number of automated dimension-scanning products.