Exertion of force and handling of loads

Problems	Electrically driven trucks and other items of transportation equipment often serve to reduce the required force to be exerted during the transport of materials. Whilst requiring less manual force for its operation, this equipment is however also more difficult to operate owing to the decoupling of the drive and the control movements. The user must not only manoeuvre the load, but also operate the switchgear on the equipment. This is often permissible only after the operator has received detailed instruction or in some cases after passing a certified test (such as a forklift driving test).
Stress category	Overload caused by the work task Location of control actuators Auxiliary equipment Exertion of force and handling of loads
Solution	The touch2move control concept implemented by Expresso is a universal control system suitable for a range of drives, and can be used on a wide variety of trucks. In this concept, the electric drive is controlled by two handles with integral force sensors. The sensors detect the force applied by the operator and amplify it automatically through the electric drive. Increasing or reducing the propulsive force on one side causes the truck to be steered to the left or right. The truck stops automatically when the handles are released. This simple and intuitive control concept can be learnt and used quickly and easily by anyone (see also EN ISO 3691-1:2012, Section 4.4; EN 16307-1:2013, Section 4.5)
Principle of operation	Sensing and supporting natural human sensory and motor functions Use of special sensor technology for improvement of machine control
Standards	EN 16307-1: Industrial trucks - Safety requirements and verification - Part 1: Supplementary requirements for self-propelled industrial trucks, other than driverless trucks, variable-reach trucks and burden-carrier trucks