Toyota Material Handling (TMH) has announced the launch of Toyota Assist, a suite of safety features for work vehicles and equipment. The Toyota-designed operator assist technologies included in this package work both passively and actively to enhance operability and situational awareness.
“Today more than ever, fleet managers are under increasing pressure to move product faster while keeping operators and pedestrians comfortable and safe,” said Tony Miller, TMH senior vice president of operations, engineering and strategic planning. “The new and innovative suite of features included in Toyota Assist empowers customers with the ability to outperform normal productivity under the most challenging environmental conditions and situations with the most advanced safety technology on the market.”
The latest innovation featured in this package is the Smart Environment Sensor + (SEnS+) technology that provides operators with pedestrian and object detection. This system, available on new Toyota Forklift models, delivers visual and audible alerts when objects or pedestrians are detected within range, similar to pedestrian alerts found in modern automobile driver assist technologies. SEnS+ limits the movement of the forklift by engaging regenerative braking.
A dynamic zoning feature automatically adjusts the detection range of obstacles in a 130-degree field of view up to 32-ft. away based on the forklift's speed. This feature is complemented by an obstacle detection system – designed and engineered by Toyota – which uses stereoscopic vision technology to assist operators by differentiating between pedestrians and objects.
Toyota Assist also features the System of Active Stability (SAS) which engages instantly to stabilize the rear axle if the system senses the forklift is in a situation that could lead to instability. The EZ Control Joystick places all hydraulic controls, travel direction and horn button in a single, ergonomically designed handle, while a selection of adjustable cameras help operators keep an eye on their surroundings.
Additional innovative safety features such as Toyota’s Acu-Laser, Auto Height Select, Lift Logic, Load Weight Sensing Ground Level Monitoring, Object Detection Radar and Compartment Sensing System are also included.
