Yale Lift Truck Technologies has announced the latest addition to its Yale Reliant portfolio of active and assist technologies, a new pedestrian awareness camera solution.

Yale explains the pedestrian awareness camera system can accurately identify pedestrians at ranges up to 16 feet (4.88 metres) through a 110-degree field of view and provides automatic alerts to the lift truck operator when a pedestrian is detected.

Yale Lift Truck Technologies global activation manager Brad Long says: “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 labor pool and inexperienced lift truck operators.”

“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,” Long adds.

The system can be tailored to come with visual and audio alerts only or with optional traction alert as well.

“Traction alerts … automatically and gradually slow down the lift truck, an effect similar to the operator removing their foot from the accelerator,” Yale states. “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 is optimised for travel speeds of 5 miles per hour (8km) or less, giving operators ample time to identify alerts and react to avoid contact. The camera can be 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.