Description

The J1600 is a dual-mode self-driving pallet jack that combines manual and autonomous operation in one compact machine. It can be used as a standard electric pallet jack or set to navigate on its own, allowing operators to focus on higher-value tasks. Designed for indoor floor-to-floor pallet transport, it is ideal for moving goods between receiving, storage, production, and shipping areas. Operators can start transport tasks directly from the built-in touchscreen, making operation simple and intuitive.

The J1600 is ready to use out of the box, requiring no IT setup or system integration, and Wi-Fi connectivity is optional. Training takes about 30 minutes, and adding new destinations is fast, just drive the unit to the desired point and tap “Save Location”. Save as many locations as you like.

The J1600 self-driving pallet jack blends human control with advanced automation to cut manual work by up to 80%.

With teach-and-repeat you just perform a task once, and the robot learns it instantly. Even without being shown first the J1600 can autonomously navigate to any previously saved location giving you unlimited flexibility in the possible tasks variations.

Designed for dependability, it allows seamless human takeover when needed, minimizing downtime. With robust safety systems, the J1600 navigates smoothly and safely around people.

The quick and easy deployment (and re-deployment) cut the time, money and risk associated with running a lengthy automation project.

How it works:

• Power on the robot and follow the on-screen tutorial.
• The robot continuously learns its environment as you drive it around.
• Drive to each drop-off point, then tap ‘Save Location’ on the screen.
• Pick up a pallet anywhere, and launch an autonomous run to a saved location. The robot can optionally return or go to a parking spot.

Innovations

The J1600 innovates by combining industrial-grade autonomy, certified safety, seamless human collaboration and fleet readiness in a compact pallet jack.

1. 3D-first autonomy: Navigation is based on 3D LiDAR SLAM running on an NVIDIA Jetson industrial AI computer, enabling robust, three-dimensional mapping and obstacle avoidance in dynamic warehouse environments where 2D systems fail.
2. Safety engineered end to end: A layered safety architecture includes a dedicated safety controller, dual 2D safety LiDARs, multiple emergency stops and safety-certified encoders and motor controllers. Key safety functions such as braking and person detection are implemented to high Performance Levels, producing a full 360 degree safety field rather than a single-point sensor approach.
3. True human-in-the-loop design: Built sensors for tiller position, load detection and physical stop/override make handover immediate and predictable, intentionally assigning nuanced decisions to operators while automating repetitive transport. This reduces system complexity and operational risk.
4. Practical scalability: On-device teach-and-repeat mapping, automatic charging and LiFePO4 battery technology provide industrial endurance, while VDA 5050 and API support let fleets scale without redesigning core workflows.

These technical choices deliver dependable navigation, certified safety, low integration overhead and a faster path to ROI compared with heavier, fully integrated automation projects.

Market relevance

The J1600 addresses a vast, largely untapped market where manual pallet handling still dominates. Annual pallet jack sales exceed one million globally and over 300,000 in Europe, while more than six million people worldwide operate pallet jacks every day.

With only about 1 % of pallet handling automated today, converting even a small share represents huge upside in labour productivity, with value measured in billions of euros. Target group are SME manufacturers and warehouse operators with 1 to 5 pallet-jack operators, which are typically underserved by complex automation.

The solution is suitable for all kinds of manufacturing where raw materials and goods are transported on pallets internally within the manufacturing process. Small third party logistics providers, grocery and fast-moving consumer goods distribution, where safe, repeatable transport and compliance matter. The J1600 also works well for larger sites with many small work cells that need point solutions rather than full AMR fleets.
The solution is economical and provides an attractive ROI even for very small single shift operations where the cost of building a fully automated solution is prohibitable expensive.

Customer benefits

Customer Benefits include:

Large productivity gains with low disruption: The J1600 delivers most of the throughput of full automation while remaining simple to operate, so customers get big productivity and cost improvements with minimal process change.
Fast time to value: Configuration free, with an on-screen tutorial and about 30 minutes of training, teams can start capturing benefits immediately.Simple teaching and task flexibility: New drop points are created by driving to a spot and tapping save; teach-and-repeat reliably reproduces tasks and lets the robot go to any stored location, making redeployments trivial.
Dependable navigation: 3D LiDAR SLAM and industrial AI compute provide robust mapping and obstacle avoidance in busy, changing warehouses where simpler sensors struggle.
Strong safety and compliance: A layered safety system with multiple safety LiDARs, a 360 degree safety field and safety-certified controllers and encoders reduces collision risk and meets high performance levels.
Operational resilience: Human takeover, load and tiller sensing, automatic charging and LiFePO4 power systems reduce downtime and keep shifts moving.
Dual-mode operation without heavy integration: is lowering total cost of ownership and accelerating ROI.

Together these advantages make the J1600 a practical, low-risk route to safer, scalable pallet automation. It is a great starting point for any customer looking for an entry point into the world of mobile robot automation.