Empowering Smart Manufacturing: Beacon Robot's Hardcore Tech Shines at Unmanned Forklift Competition

On May 22, the Second Global Unmanned Forklift Application Scenario Competition was successfully held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. The competition featured three competition zones and brought together eight industry-leading companies to compete, comprehensively showcasing the cutting-edge technology and practical capabilities of unmanned forklifts in various industrial settings.

At this highly anticipated industry competition, Beacon Robot is once again competing. Since making its debut at the inaugural competition in 2025, Beacon Robot has consistently driven its development through technological innovation. This year, the company has once again been selected as one of the top eight finalists and is competing in two categories: Zone 1—High-Precision Stacking and Transport for Unmanned Forklifts, and Zone 2—Flexible Handling and Obstacle Avoidance for Unmanned Forklifts.

Zone 1—High-Precision Stacking and Transport for Unmanned Forklifts

The competition focuses on testing the accuracy of high-level stacking, pallet recognition capabilities, and stability during cross-area transport of autonomous forklifts in confined spaces. In real-world industrial settings, these tasks directly impact warehouse space utilization and the upper limits of a company’s logistics efficiency. Beacon Robot entered the competition with its compact pallet stacker, the BR-F12SL—a high-efficiency robot specifically designed for narrow aisles and high-density warehousing environments.

The BR-F12SL has a maximum load capacity of 1,200 kg, a lifting height of 1,844 mm, and a turning radius of just 1,283 mm, enabling flexible operation in both ultra-narrow aisles and floor-stacking warehouses. It is equipped with a pallet orientation recognition and operational safety detection system that automatically corrects cargo misalignment and identifies pallet status, ensuring precise picking and stacking on the first attempt; Combined with 3D laser SLAM navigation technology, it enables high-precision map building and path planning without requiring any modifications to the on-site environment; its fork synchronization technology significantly reduces the transition time between picking and stacking, enhancing overall operational efficiency. With its three key advantages of “efficiency, precision, and safety,” the BR-F12SL demonstrates Beacon Robot’s technical expertise in the field of high-precision warehousing on the competition stage.

 Zone 2—Flexible Handling and Obstacle Avoidance for Unmanned Forklifts.

The course design requires unmanned forklifts to perform flexible material handling in dynamic and complex environments while constantly responding to unexpected obstacles and efficiently avoiding them. To meet this challenge, Beacon Robot deployed the BR-F15P material handling forklift, which has a maximum load capacity of 1,500 kg. In scenarios involving rapid material turnover on the shop floor, it reduces single-trip handling time by 40% and boosts overall production line efficiency by more than 30%, effectively meeting the high-frequency transportation demands within factory aisles.

The BR-F15P utilizes 3D laser SLAM navigation technology, combining 3D LiDAR with depth-sensing cameras to construct high-precision 3D maps in real time within dynamic environments. It can not only identify low-lying obstacles on the ground but also promptly detect suspended objects, enabling comprehensive spatial awareness. Equipped with a three-level safety deceleration mechanism and active obstacle avoidance capabilities, it ensures all-around safety for people, vehicles, and cargo. With its comprehensive capabilities—including rapid response, heavy-duty load capacity, and high flexibility—it demonstrates the limitless possibilities of intelligent material handling to the industry.

Post-Match Interview: Beacon Robot Shares Thoughts on the Competition

After the competition, Zhou Weiling, Marketing Director at Beacon Robot, spoke with the media on-site. She stated, “Having competed on this stage for two consecutive years, the challenges this year have clearly intensified. Zone 1 demanded extremely high precision in stacking and cycle time control, while Zone 2 placed greater emphasis on the robots’ real-time decision-making capabilities in complex, dynamic environments.” She also noted: “The competition serves as an excellent technical litmus test, allowing us to verify our products’ reliability in real-world extreme scenarios while identifying areas for further optimization. Beacon Robot will continue to deepen our expertise in 3D laser SLAM, deep vision fusion, and autonomous decision-making algorithms. Leveraging AI perception and intelligent scheduling technologies, we aim to help intelligent material handling overcome application bottlenecks.”

A Moment of Glory: Three Awards Attest to Our Unwavering Strength

Following the judges’ final scoring, Beacon Robot was awarded the Bronze Prize for High-Precision Stacking and Transport in Competition Zone 1, the Bronze Prize for Flexible Handling and Obstacle Avoidance in Competition Zone 2, and the Bronze Prize for Overall Performance. These three accolades not only represent authoritative recognition of the technical excellence of both products but also serve as the best testament to Beacon Robot’s full-stack in-house R&D capabilities in the field of unmanned forklifts.

 At the Second Global Autonomous Forklift Competition, Beacon Robot delivered an outstanding performance through its innovative technology and practical application. Moving forward, Beacon Robot will continue to focus on developing its core technologies to provide more reliable intelligent logistics solutions for the global smart manufacturing industry.