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Advanced Microwave Engineering (AME), the specialist in Active Safety technology, announces a new era in anti-collision technology. The new EGOpro Safe Move Smart system provides a new level of Active Safety, acting as a ‘sixth sense’ to avoid collisions.
EGOpro Safe Move Smart uses UWB technology to provide real-time, visual positions and audible alarms to drivers if another vehicle or pedestrian is nearby. The system is completely configurable, with selectable detection ranges and areas, enabling the system to be adapted to specific site conditions and avoid unnecessary alarms where safety barriers are present. Pedestrians clip a small tag onto their clothing and each unit carries its own transponder to ensure location information across the system is always up to date in real-time.
“EGOpro Safe Move Smart revolutionises site safety, turning it from a cost overhead into a solution that adds value and productivity. The system enables warnings or automatic speed limits for vehicles only if there is someone nearby,” said Claudio Salvador, President at AME. “It is more than a ‘safety hat’, that limits the impact of a collision. The system proactively avoids collisions and ensures personnel are safe.”
Vehicles are fitted with a configurable touchscreen display that clearly shows the location of other assets and tags. As well as avoiding collisions, the system records ‘near miss’ data. This means site and safety managers can review areas of risk and adapt operational processes accordingly, further enhancing site safety.
Salvador comments, “As well as the danger to human life, accidents need to be avoided to protect assets and ensure smooth operations. Traditionally the approach to safety has been to provide protective equipment to limit the impact of an accident, however, it makes much more sense to avoid such events entirely”.
The EGOpro Safe Move system is completely configurable to site requirements. Zones can be created where different speeds, ranges or detection areas are used. For example, if a vehicle is near a safety barrier, the system can use a rectangular detection area to provide greater visibility in front of and behind the vehicle, without creating alarms for people using the walkway. In other areas, an elliptical or circular detection area may make more sense, or larger detection distances if vehicles are travelling at higher speeds.
The system is compact, easy to install, and agnostic to vehicle model or type. It can be used on everything from small vehicles, AGVs to large bulldozers. It can be integrated with traffic management systems, traffic lights, gates, crossroads, etc. Specific vehicle actions can be configured when in a particular zone, such as switching lights on or lowering forklifts. Vehicles will react in real-time and immediately adapt to sudden changes in the environment.
Salvador concludes, “By wearing the tag, people can be safe anywhere on site, vehicles can travel faster when it is safe to do so, and procedures for entering restricted zones can be eased. Whereas people cannot see what is around the corner, this system can. It is the ultimate in protection and efficiency.”