Cyngn Inc. announced that they have made significant progress in adapting DriveMod to enable autonomous forklifts.
The autonomous forklift development effort is spearheaded by Cyngn’s previously announced ongoing paid contract with a separate end-user in the building materials industry. That engagement has yielded AI-powered autonomous vehicle capabilities on an electric BYD forklift.
The robust material-handling vehicle capabilities offered by BYD, a renowned global brand, in conjunction with Cyngn’s advanced AI-driven autonomous technology, DriveMod, will facilitate the development of a groundbreaking autonomous forklift. This innovative solution effectively tackles labor shortage and consistency challenges faced by organizations, while simultaneously enhancing safety measures. Cyngn is targeting 2024 for the commercial launch of its autonomous forklift and invites prospective customers to join the waitlist for early access.
Key features of the DriveMod-enabled forklift include:
- Flexible Pallet Detection: This uses proprietary AI and computer vision to detect and analyze pallet dimensions in real-time, creating flexibility to work with standard, non-standard, and custom pallet sizes.
- Unparalleled Safety: Applies DriveMod’s commercially released multilayer perception framework that uses deep learning, machine learning, and basic collision avoidance to equip autonomous forklifts with safety redundancies and a 360° field of view while unloaded and loaded.
- Industry-Leading Load Capacity: Load capacity of 10,000 lbs. with the ability to stack multiple units fully autonomously.
“Adapting DriveMod to electric forklifts represents a significant milestone in the expansion of Cyngn’s portfolio of DriveMod-enabled vehicles to the most universal material handling vehicle,” says Cyngn CEO, Lior Tal. “By combining our expertise in autonomous technology with a leading OEM like BYD, we can create sustainable, autonomous forklifts capable of tackling the most demanding industrial jobs.”
Audrey Li, BYD’s VP of Operations adds, “This development represents a significant step forward in our commitment to innovation and delivering advanced, next-generation solutions to our customers, who choose BYD because they want to ‘Work Smarter’. The addition of DriveMod to our forklifts addresses the rising demand for automated solutions. BYD forklifts are powered by a single lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery that is maintenance-free and environmentally friendly. The batteries are designed to run longer and charge faster than traditional electric forklifts. We are excited about the potential impact this technology will have on the organization’s bottom line and look forward to the opportunities it will unlock.”
