Slamcore Alert adds spatial awareness to existing forklifts

Manual forklifts are among the most dangerous pieces of equipment in most warehouses. Slamcore today launched Slamcore Alert, a system for detecting pedestrians and alerting drivers that it said immediately transforms existing industrial machines into “safety-aware assets.”

“Robot-only operations simply [aren’t] feasible for most existing facilities, especially since the forklift market continues to grow rapidly,” stated Owen Nicholson, CEO of Slamcore. “We are moving beyond that mindset. Our technology empowers human controlled, existing machines with ‘robot eyes’ to give them the precise spatial perception they need to operate effectively and safely.” 

Spun out of Imperial College in 2017, Slamcore said it develops visual-spatial intelligence systems to enable machines and people to locate, map, and interact with the physical world. By focusing on scalable technology that integrates with existing industrial machines, the London-based company claimed that it unlocks a “human-in-the-loop” advantage for customers in logistics, warehousing, and manufacturing.

Operators urgently need greater awareness, says Slamcore

While the warehousing and logistics industry is increasingly focused on expensive, full-scale autonomous robots, Slamcore asserted that it is addressing the market’s immediate need for practical systems that maximize current resources and help protect workers. 

The rush to meet local manufacturing and same-day delivery demands has led to increasingly crowded and inefficient warehouses, said the company. It cited studies that found that most forklifts are doing productive work less than 50% of the time. In addition, safety is a problem, with about two people killed by forklifts in the U.S. every week.

“Slamcore Alert addresses this dual challenge, ensuring that operations can increase efficiency without compromising the safety of human workers,” said Slamcore. It is designed to be quickly added to existing vehicles such as forklifts and manual material handling equipment.

The new system uses an AI-enabled camera that continuously monitors the vehicle’s surroundings for pedestrians and immediately alerts the operator to potential safety concerns with no wearables required. 

Slamcore Alert built on spatial intelligence 

Slamcore Alert is a specialized feature that builds upon the foundation of Slamcore Aware, the company’s existing visual-spatial solution that functions as a powerful RTLS (real-time location system). It said this foundational tracking data enables comprehensive traffic-flow optimization in facilities where people, manual vehicles, and mobile robots operate alongside one another.  

“Slamcore Alert provides immediate ROI through accident reduction and enhanced worker protection,” said Slamcore. “This safety layer complements Slamcore Aware, which already offers a practical, fast return on investment by enhancing the performance of current assets rather than requiring expensive, large-scale overhauls.”

Together, the two systems can not just help factories and warehouses become more efficient, but also significantly improve workplace safety, said Slamcore.